When people started to watch Underworld when the movie came out in 2003 they really were not quite sure what they were seeing. When you watch Underworld it can get a little confusing as to who is on which side and what the motivations of each character are but the action never seems to stop. To watch Underworld is to get involved in a world of vampires and werewolves and grisly murder as the setting for true love to flourish. You really have to pay attention when you watch Underworld because the dark tone of the movie can make the fast changing scenes difficult to follow. But if you do watch Underworld closely you will be treated to a movie that looks like a beautiful painting with scenery that explores all of the different shades of night while also taking you down to the very details of the gritty streets below. As you watch Underworld you are occasionally reminded that regular humans cannot see much of the action that is going on and that you are given privileged access to a world that only vampires and werewolves can see. This movie is a far cry from the castles of Transylvania but the use of implied horror and mystic terror that made all of the old time horror movies so popular is alive and well in this movie.

Underworld is a love story set against the violence of a secret war between vampires and werewolves and while it does not star anyone that would be considered a big name Hollywood actor, the movie is done very well and is quite the ride for the unsuspecting audience. It did very well at the box office considering its lack of star appeal and even won some science fiction movie awards as well. It can be though of as the Romeo and Juliet for vampires and werewolves and the plot is a twisted and complicated as any you will ever come across. Much of the movie was made without special computer effects so many of the scenes that appear to be too good to be done by computer are too good to be done by computer. Live action was preferred and many of the actors had their turn in participating in some harrowing stunts. The movie was made in a relative hurry as actors only had a couple of weeks to train for all of their wire stunt scenes and some of the most elaborate scenes were shot in only a day or two. That is an astonishingly fast schedule for a movie like this that uses so many special effects but yet is filmed as live action. Actors were injured and fatigue was also a factor but in the end they were able to construct an amazing movie.

For all of its success Underworld got its fair share of headaches as well. Prior to its release White Wolf Inc sued the producers of Underworld because they claimed that the plot of Underworld was lifted directly from White Wolf Inc’s line of vampire and werewolf video games which do bear a striking resemblance to the movie. No one is really sure if the producers ever admitted any forgery but the case was settled out of court for a large, but undisclosed, sum of money so that does leave many people wondering about the truth. Even though imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, when it comes to money and the rights to a great story, some people don’t want to be flattered they just want to be compensated.