Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
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A vampire elder raises a unique werewolf child to serve as a slave, only for the boy to lead a rebellion that sparks a bloody war between the two races.
The story
Two decades after a war began between a legion of vampires and the first clan of werewolves, Lucian is born as the first werewolf capable of taking human form, known as a Lycan. Raised by the vampire elder Viktor, Lucian is intended to be a slave laborer for the vampire coven. However, as Lucian grows up, he falls in love with Viktor's daughter, Sonja. When Lucian escapes his shackles to rescue Sonja from her werewolf brethren, Viktor imprisons him. Seeking to free him, Sonja enlists help to orchestrate Lucian's release, leading to a growing conflict between the two vampire factions.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Two decades after a war began between vampires and werewolves, Lucian is born as the first werewolf capable of taking human form, a Lycan. Raised by the vampire elder Viktor to be a slave laborer, Lucian falls in love with Viktor's daughter, Sonja. After Lucian escapes his shackles to rescue Sonja from her werewolf brethren, Viktor imprisons him. Sonja secretly helps orchestrate Lucian's release, but Viktor discovers her betrayal through her blood and imprisons her as well. Lucian recruits human slaves and werewolves to build a force against the vampires. When the vampire council demands Lucian's capture, Viktor uses Sonja as bait. Lucian rescues her, but Sonja reveals she is pregnant with his child. Disgusted, Viktor imprisons them both and eventually executes Sonja by exposing her to sunlight. Enraged, Lucian turns werewolf and summons wild werewolves to storm the fortress. In the ensuing melee, many vampire nobles are killed. Lucian eventually traps Viktor by exposing him to sunlight and stabs him through the mouth. While Lucian believes the war is over, Viktor is revealed to have survived and was sealed in a hibernation chamber. The film ends with a reveal that Viktor killed Selene's family, not the Lycans.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Patrick Tatopoulos
- Writers
- Danny McBride · screenplay; Dirk Blackman · screenplay; Howard McCain · screenplay; Len Wiseman · story; Robert Orr · story; Danny McBride · story
- Cast and characters
- Michael Sheen · Lucian; Bill Nighy · Viktor; Rhona Mitra · Sonja; Steven Mackintosh; Kevin Grevioux
- Genres
- action; horror
- Themes
- Origin story; Rebellion; Forbidden love; War
- Tone and mood
- Darkly stylized; Campy; Action-packed
- Premise and plot tags
- Prequel; Vampire; Werewolf; Origin Story
- Franchise connections
- Underworld
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics, with some praising Michael Sheen's performance while others criticized the plot and action. It was a commercial success, grossing over $91 million against a $35 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 29% · scale: percentage · review count: 76; Metacritic · score: 44 · scale: score · review count: 14; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F scale
- Production trivia
- The film was originally conceived as a prequel to Underworld: Evolution.; Kate Beckinsale expressed interest in reprising her role as Selene for the prequel.; The film's opening scene is revealed to be the beginning of the first Underworld film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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