Movie reviews (titles starting with U)

[goodcop2000]

UKM: The Ultimate Killing Machine (2006)
1 universal soldier

This movie about men being subjected to some strange medical experimentation doesn't have the excuse of being low budget because it has nice sets, mostly good special effects and a respectable actor in Michael Madsen. However, the plot is bad, the dialogue is bad and the acting (including Madsen) is bad. I used it as something to watch while I ran on the treadmill and that is about all it is worth.

Undead (2003)
2.5 tasty brains

Undead is a zombie apocalypse film set in a small Australian fishing village. The special effects are pretty good and the acting isn't terrible for a zombie movie. I think the movie had a chance to be scary but instead the film makers went for a more comedic slant. Unfortunately, I did not find the quirky Australian brand of humor to be funny. I also wasn't captivated by the odd storyline that incorporated meteors, zombies, and aliens.

Undead or Alive (2007)
2.5 tasty brains

Undead or Alive is a zombie comedy set in the old West, written and directed by one of the writers of Southpark. It's not really that funny but there are some enjoyable scenes featuring the interaction between the odd couple of tough Army deserter Elmer Winslow and kind-hearted moron Luke Rudd (played respectively by James Denton and Chris Kattan). Brian Posehn is also amusing as the zombie "Ben". There is a pretty good amount of comedic gore, but nothing very scary.

Underworld (2003)
4 dripping fangs

Vampires. Werewolves. Cool cinematography. Driving heavy metal tunes. Interesting plot with a back story that goes back to the very creation of the two predatory races. Kate Beckinsale in a leather jumpsuit wielding high-calibre weapons. Supernatural action flicks don't get much better.

Underworld: Evolution (2006)
3.5 dripping fangs

The first time I saw Underworld: Evolution, my enjoyment was limited because I really had trouble following the plot and understanding who all the characters were and how they were related. When I watched it again, everything clicked. With some great action scenes, I thought the movie was almost as good as the original. Kate Beckinsale was terrific again as the vampire Selene and Scott Speedman was solid as the vampire/lycan hybrid Michael Corvin. Tony Curran was nothing special in the scenes where he was in human form but his character, the vampire elder Marcus, was much more powerful and terrifying than the vampire elder Viktor from the first Underworld. There is a little bit more gore in this movie, but if you liked Underworld, I think you will enjoy this sequel.

Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans (2009)
3 dripping fangs

Michael Sheen does an excellent job as Lucian and is really the star of the movie. I wasn't as impressed with Rhona Mitra, who plays the strong female lead (Sonja) in lieu of Kate Beckinsale as Selene since Selene has not been born yet in this prequel. Mitra looks a little like Beckinsale (which is fair since it was stated in the first Underworld movie that Victor spared Selene's life because of her resemblance to his long-lost daughter Sonja) and tries to act like her but doesn't really pull it off. I hate to be picky about appearance but I found Mitra's apparently artificially inflated upper lip to be very distracting in the movie. I saw a few minutes of another of Mitra's movies and her lips had a normal appearance. The rest of the cast was just okay. Some of the effects were really good but some of the CGI, especially some early shots of a pack of lycans, looked fake. This movie really didn't add much to the ill-fated love story between the lycan Lucian and the vampire Sonja that was already told as part of the first movie. Sadly, there were no new surprises. I didn't hate the movie because I enjoy the Underworld characters and story but it was my least favorite in the series.

Underworld: Awakening (2012)
2.5 dripping fangs

The return of its greatest character, the vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale), was still not enough to get the Underworld series back on track. I loved the first two installments and thought the third movie was okay but this fourth entry is just not entertaining. The new twist in the Underworld storyline is that humans have become aware of the existence of vampires and lycans and want to exterminate them all. I don't know how the humans missed the two supernatural clans slaughtering each other all over the place in the first two films, anyway. This movie relies way too much on CGI effects which are surprisingly fake-looking. Strangely, it feels like the movie makers were not too concerned about the quality of this film but instead used the entire movie to set the table for the next sequel. Unfortunately, as loyal an Underworld fan as I am, I have no interest is seeing another film in the series.

The Undying Monster (The Hammond Mystery) (1942)
2 foggy moors

This movie about a Welsh family suffering from a curse had potential but it fell short. Some of the acting was too melodramatic and the scenes with the monster were brief and unexciting.

Urban Legend (1998)
3 stolen kidneys

Urban Legend has a great opening scene and an interesting premise. A college student notices that several recent deaths surrounding the university seem to be patterned after famous urban legends. It is fun seeing a number of these myths played out, but ultimately this movie is just another of the mediocre teen slashers that followed in the wake of Scream. The plot strains credibility and the acting performances are uninspiring (as evidenced by the presence of Tara Reid as a major character). If you enjoy movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer, this one should be in your wheelhouse.