Review by Jimmy Hudnall

Last weekend a few friends and I went to see “Underworld: Awakening.” Having enjoyed the previous three movies, I was eager to see what sort of twist Kate Beckinsale might get herself into this time around.

The fact that she would be shown in 3-D sealed the deal. What followed was a slow-starting, somewhat predictable yet intriguing plot line that I felt lived up to the other movies in terms of entertainment value.

The story takes place in a setting where humans have discovered the existence of lycans and vampires, and have instilled a state of martial law in hunting down and exterminating each. Despite being a fan of the previous movies, the first 15 minutes were, for lack of a better word, boring, and had me to the point of walking out. Luckily I toughed it out, and the action picked up shortly thereafter.

Selene is the only major returning character, though this didn’t quite faze me as the third “Underworld” movie was based entirely around two relatively minor characters. That said, I was a little perturbed by the fact that Michael (Selene’s love interest and major character in the first two movies) made, at best, a cameo in the movie’s opening scenes.

Their daughter, Eve, assumes the spotlight in his stead. Despite her youth (and unmistakable resemblance to the creepy girl from “The Ring”), I felt she put forth a powerful acting performance and solidified her character’s place in future sequels.

Without ruining the movie for those of you would-be viewers, I was able to predict several aspects of the plot (who kills who), but was still pleasantly surprised by a few twists that changed the entire context of the movie. The jacked lycan-behemoth-on-steroids was also quite a sight.

Ultimately, I feel Underworld fans will be entertained, but newcomers might not fully understand and appreciate the new story twists.

3.5/5 stars