Underworld Trilogy – The Essential Collection (2003 – 2009/Screen Gems/Sony Blu-ray Box Set)

 

Picture: A-     Sound: B+     Extras: A     Films: A-

 

 

For centuries, a secret war has been going on between the Death Dealers (vampires) and the Lycans (werewolves).  No one knows why this blood feud began, but each side is determined to wipe each other out.  When the beautiful vampire Selene discovers the Lycans are interested in a recently human turned Lycan Michael, she not only uncovers a conspiracy within the vampire coven, but a secret the vampire elders haves been keeping from them... but more importantly why they want to kill the Lycans so badly ....and a secret that will change her life and both their races forever.
 
In Underworld and Underworld: Evolution, the story centers on the two characters Selene and Michael.  Both of them are caught in a war between the Vampires and Lycans, but secretly the vampires started the war to prevent the emergence of new powerful vampire/Lycan hybrid.  Selene is a beautiful young vampire who discovers Michael is the key to that evolution, and he becomes the first hybrid.  This causes not only escalation of war, but in the end the death of two vampire elders.  Eventually both Selene and Michael become lovers and they are on the run from both races.  Searching for a solution, both Selene and Michael confront and fight the original vampire/werewolf brothers and in the end Selene becomes a hybrid as well.  Together, they become 'the future', and they become both the symbolic and literal hope of co-existence.
 
The 3rd film, the prequel, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is about how the blood feud started between the vampires and the Lycans.  The main story is about Lucian, one of the first of the Lycans and how the werewolves were first enslaved to do the vampires biddings, but because of Lucian's feelings and his secret relationship with Elder vampire Victor's daughter, Sonja led to the eventual extermination, revolution, then freedom and blood feud between races, which leads up to first two films.
 
If you like vampires, werewolves and action then look no further, this is a must have for vampire and werewolf collectors.  Underworld creates a world where vampires rules from shadows and werewolves rule the underground in a war that spans across ages with either swords, guns, fangs or claws, the two titanic species locked in epic combat with excellent special effects, action and costuming.  This arrives as a fourth film is due in theaters for 2012.

 

The 1080p transfers are same as the previous Blu-rays and look as good as they are ever going to in this format, while the first film remains PCM 5.1 and sequels Dolby TrueHD 5.1, all sounding as dynamic as possible.  Extras include tons of stuff including all previous extras (that we can gather) including behind the scenes featurettes, interviews with director and cast, character and creation of the world of Underworld, music videos, outtakes and much more as well as disc with the first-time-ever anime shorts of the films that make this the preferred set to own and a nice box at that.

 

 

-   Ricky Chiang