Rise of the Lycans | The Right Way to Do a Prequel
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- #underworld #michaelsheen #billnighy
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Dedicated to my pal Gerry Maher
I remember feeling underwhelmed by this on my first watch years ago, but it's actually great!
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Rise of the Lycans was actually my favorite movie of the franchise
Fair choice
Michael Sheen really sold it he carried this film along with Bill Nye.
100% this. Underworld just had too much heavy exposition and very blatantly leaned on the World of Darkness for me.
It's like Terminator 2 for me.
💯
For me the casting of Rhona Mitra as Sonja was the perfect one since she makes the ''Victor spared Selene because of likeness'' look more believable then the blonde one we saw briefly in the first movie. Rhona and Michaels onscreen chemistry was just perfect too ❤🔥
And the 2017 remaster of the first film would add in flashbacks of Rhona Mitra to replace the original one of Sonja
Yes she's amazing in the film 😊
@@BetterWithBob I have yet to find that version :(
@@angelaholmes8888 yeah she was ^^
@@BetterWithBob oh that is so cool!!
I think Bill Nye would probably have been cast as Tywin if Game of thrones had been made a decade or so earlier
Oh for sure. It would be interesting to see his take on the character, although Charles Dance was perfect
I know you meant Bill Nighy, but Bill Nye the Science Guy in Game of Thrones sounds fantastic!
Bill Nye as Tywin lannister is such a funny visual. I imagine the first scene with Charles Dance skinning the animal as a political lesson thinly veiled biology lesson.
i can believe they didnt cast Charles Dance of Bill Nighy for DUNE PART 2 they choose Christopher Walken and is kinda meh when the two other actors can pull of PRESENCE AND opposite characters (opposite because they are Emperors with bad decisions, in fact Tywin is more like Shaddam IV)
That speech is so damn epic. "We can be slaves...or we can be...LYCANS!"
Yeah I was taken aback by it for sure
Yesss I love it!!
Favorite part of the movie
Lol k
I wanna say casting Michael Sheen is just the right way to do anything...
Even Twilight lol
As much as I might've liked the first Underworld movie and enjoy the world, Rise of the Lycans will forever be my favorite. Michael Sheen SLAYS this role, and Rhona Mitra is so amazing as Sonja as well.
They really do XD
Rise of the Lycans is the one I've rewatched the most. A mix of me liking wolves more than bats, and my preference for medieval fantasy over urban fantasy.
Glad to see more people recognising this film's quality.
Can't believe it took me this long to appreciate it
I love that movie, and to me, it was the best one along with the first one.
I loved Rise of the Lycans and enjoyed all of them. It's the best vampire saga franchise of all time.
I'm partial to Darren Shan but definitely the best film series for sure 😅
Bill Nighy was absolutely incredible as Victor.
This It's so under appreciated and it is my personal favorite of the franchise.
It created its own little genre Sword & Supernatural
Is that the actual name lol?
@@BetterWithBob Nope, I just made it up, but this film is definitely fits in that description.
I actually like Sonja much more than Selene. I’m surprised people accused her of being useless. She was a great character. She also balanced warm femininity and cool strength while swinging a sword. That’s not easy to do. Especially these days with all those insufferable Mary Sues running around.
The Faux Action Girl was usually the other extreme of the Mary Sue
Here here. An actual likable and strong female character.
Now, i agree with you that a character who is good at everything without effort and close to invincible is not really engaging, but i always get a bit miffed at the term mary sue, when there are so many jack sue's running around and no one bats an eye or feels the need to coin a term for it...
But yeah, i like sonya.
@@saraa.4295 Yep. Soo many Marty Stus running around... James Bond... Batman. JOHN WICK.
@@aimeem exactly...not to mention all the unrivaled experts in their field (dr. House, suits, monk and so on) or all the everyman, who if pressed stand a chance against trained henchmen (every action movie that does not feature a Marty stu)
Now to be clear: wish fulfillment is a big reason we enjoy movies so i do not care if they are realistic...i'm just bothered by the double standards of suspension of disbelief
"movies that defined my childhood and adolesence" MY BACK!!!!!!!!
Hehe two decades ago now
In the first Underworld movie actress Jázmin Dammak who played Sonja in the flashback scene, was asked by director Len Wiseman if she would be willing to dye her hair black, but relented when she demanded more money for doing it. Michael Sheen said in an interview that he was nervous playing Lucian again because it was 6 years since he did the first one and he wanted to look the same, since he was playing an Immortal. So he hired a personal trainer and hit the gym hard to shed some pounds and get as lean as he had been in the original, as well as put on some muscle to look more like an action hero. Bill Nighy said that until Underworld, he had not only never done an action movie before. But even said that he had never thrown a punch in his entire life. Mark Rein-Hagen who created both the "Vampire: The Masquerade" and "Werewolf: The Apocalypse" role playing games back in the early 1990's. Has said for many years that the Underworld franchise ripped off his games because the worldbuilding and the hierarchy's of the Vampires and Werewolves are virtually identical to his creations.
oh didn't know that about Jazmin, but that explains why they got a brunette Sonja for this one
Bill Nighy was incredible as Viktor.
Well I can appreciate that NOW 😂
Yeah but that line is still funny. "You have betrayed me! To be with an AHN EH MUL!"
@@VTsiFanfic me and my brothers still quote it at eachother years later
Maybe I'm just enjoying movies too much to be too critical, but Bill Nighy is just as good in both the first and third movies. The man nails the image of an arrogant, over the top vampire elder, he really is the yardstick for anything akin to such a character.
And as for what the movie critics said - that verdict shows, once again, that they are just another group of subjective people, whose opinions aren't worth more than anyone elses.
There is no enjoying Underworld too much ^_^
Not that I'm biased or anything...
And him actually throwing down with lycans and hybrid, I had expected cheap means to go about how an older actor win a fight.
The second Sonja took out the helmet I just said: woah! (amazing design btw, those deathdealer's armours). I agree with Underworld working well as a trilogy.
Yes, I love the armour!
"So why does it work?"
Because Michael Sheen shirtless, duh , lol
...It's an awesome movie, yeah.
Non aromantics are fun creatures
My favorite of the Underworld movies, and one of the best prequels ever.
You speak le truth my friend!
Regardless of his politics, Michael Sheen owns this role. Nobody could play Lucian like him.
Politics?
@@BetterWithBob He's just said some things in the past I don't agree with that's all. Doesn't take away from his acting ability though.
@@BetterWithBob - He unloaded on Boris Johnson as being "the absolute worst of what politics can be", though I see that is pretty uncontroversial... except for the fact that even worse may yet be possible.
@@RictusHolloweye Johnson is a globalist stooge anyway so I couldn't give two shits about him.
Michael Sheen will always be a must watch for me
I think the key was (no surprise), Michael Sheen's performance as Lucien. I found him to be the most interesting character in the original and that continued here.
Yeah they still kept him interesting and he obviously had a lot of enthusiasm and passion for the role
My favorite movie of the franchise in my opinion. I remember tearing up when Sonja was killed. Really wish they hadn't killed off Lucian he would have been a great ally to Selene and Michael.
Same
As a fan of Werewolves this movie is my favorite in the series. The casting for this series has been excellent. Actor Bill Nighy is perfect as Viktor, as is Michael Sheen as Lucian, they both steal every scene they're in. Rhona Mitra was also an excellent casting choice. She looks and sounds so much like Kate Beckinsale that you could believe that Viktor saw his daughter in Selene. Definitely a huge improvement in the Lycans and Werewolves designs and special effects. In fact, they're better than most other Werewolf movies I've seen in the last several years.
Probably not a coincidence that the director also had an extensive background in VFX
Viktor is our resident diva
Spot on analysis 🤣
This is one of my favorite films in the franchise i really enjoyed rhona mitra as sonja and it was great seeing Michael and bill again
Michael Sheen is SO talented.
Indeed
I love the ambush scene when the wolves attack from tunnels.
Vampire armour in this film goes so hard. Honestly one of my favourite designs in film alongside the Easterlings from the Two Towers.
I forgot about Gabriel, and remember loving it the first time I watched it - in no small part due to the presence of Andy Whitfield.
Aha that's the main reason I watched it too XD
Ah the Underworld franchise, a story and concept thought of written pout by a couple of bros eating tacos in their apartment during undergrad and it shows. And I do say that with a lot of love. It's the kind of project that you think of when you're young and ambitus and very convinced of your concept's coolness as you said. I also personally always loved it's bad-ass warrior princess protagonists before they feel to greed of Hollywood executives trying to use feminism as marketing and their "Strong Female Characters".
Rise of the Lycans with it's epic Medieval gothic sweep I think enjoyed the coat tails of a post Return of the King world but the whole franchise just had something that really tapped into the nerdy subconscious; the whole aesthetic and iconography of Underworld has a very Vampires: The Masquerade feel to it and with Bloodlines coming out in 2004 it was perfect tie in. Add in Goth aesthetics, from the night club style costumes to classic literature it's something that you set in just about any time or place and still have a good time, rather like a classic table top session of Vampires: The Masquerade. I'm currently running a VTM campaign with lore from Conan the Hyborian Age because VTM, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Conan and Lovecraft are all part of Weird Tale/Fiction and therefore cannon to one another. :)
Excellent breakdown of this under appreciated gem! My Dad and I watch this trilogy anytime it’s on TV, and we both love the character of Lucian. This prequel is still our favorite for all the reasons you elaborated on (though I am partial to the SW prequels, but just barely). The action, settings, and characterizations carried by fantastic actors all around make this a must for anyone who loves the ole bat vs. wolf rivalry!
In fairness I haven't watched the SW prequels since the late 2000s lol
If they ever do another underworld movie I want another lycan/werewolf focused one
Oh for sure. More on the Corvinus ancestorys
Kingdom of Heaven is the movie I think suffered the most from those cuts in that time frame
Oh yes for sure. But at least Ridley Scott had the clout to know he'd be releasing his director's cut later on
@@BetterWithBob And what a director's cut it is! One of the best movies ever made, imo. I just wish that time period did better by all these movies
Even with a brilliant director's cut it still robs everyone of the experience. Orlando should be known for playing such a great role in a heartbreaking historical drama instead it's dismissed as a bad action movie set in the Crusades--because that's what the execs forced them to cut it down to. Waste of a great movie.
Michael Sheen was in his prime in this film. And such great acting chops
When I saw this one, I didn't really appreciate it at the time. I should give it another watch. I hope you'll cover Awakening and Blood Wars too. I'd love to hear your perspective on those.
Hehe maybe one day. I didn't find Blood Wars as bad as everyone else
My first prequel experience was " Missing In Action II : The Beginning". God Bless Chuck Norris.
Alas I've never seen anything Chuck has done
@@BetterWithBob Looks like it's time for an MIA 1-2-3 retrospective then!
Michael S is a great actor and loved and believed his speech and can see why werewolves chose him as a leader
Hell, I'm ready to follow him into battle after having seen that speech so many times
I like how the vampires in armor look like Peter Jackson's elves
Craig Parker who plays one of the Lycans also played Haldir, so he must have had fun noticing this 😅
It introduced me to the underworld franchise.🔥💯 Never looked back.
It really pains me that Lucien Died in the first underworld movie. Just imagine if him and Selene teamed up against Viktor.
I'm happy with him dying because I feel like his story had run its course. It meant more for Selene to do it herself IMO
Man if ONLY the rest of the series was like this
this movie proves that killing Lucian, Viktor and Raze in the first movie was a mistake, they are the best actors and villains in the saga of Underworld.
I really love the Underworld Series and think it’s one of the more underrated movie Series. The only one of the Series I think actually matches the majority opinion of “those bad really campy movies” is Awakening. Blood Wars is way better than it gets credit for lol. I think the problem that you saw here with the heavy cuts to the film really proliferate through the whole Series. Other than Awakenings hard left when it comes to the Worldbuilding (which I did not like AT ALL) the biggest problem is that plots feel too rushed. The first movie is the longest in the Series by 15 minutes. That’s an eternity in movie time. Micheal needed more time to decompress in Evolution before being thrown into the fire again, the issues you said here for this, and Awakening just needed an entire rewrite outside the character of David lol. Anyway I’m glad someone else enjoys these movies as much as I do lol
And Awakening was the only one that went into production without a finished script, and they couldn't decide if it should be campy at first
@@BetterWithBob I didn’t know that but it definitely shows lol.
Michael Sheen has never been hotter than when he was in Rise of the Lycans
It's the beard I'm assuming?
@@BetterWithBob Definitely
This movie gave us all the goodness of bill nyes acting we could ever want.
For sure!
Back when the lycans were actually a decent threat and not simple canon fodder.
Seems to stem from problems with Awakening going into production without a finished script and Blood Wars originally meant as a reboot
I’ve definitely grown to love this one more. Especially that given we know the lovers end, we don’t waste time indulging in the meeting and creation of their bond. We’re dropped straight into their love which feels more authentic and have nothing but empathy for Lucian when he has to watch his lover die
I absolutely Love Rise of the Lycans. On its own or as the prequel!!
Aww great :)
The fact that film executives want every film to be 2hr plus is so funny.
We can thank Marvel for changing their minds on that front
Great video.
Thank you ^_^
I love this movie
You mentioned the Mary Tyler Moore spinoffs and as I recall Rhoda was actually a hit. I just realized that I have never met anybody in the real world named Rhoda. Murphy Rhonda's but never a Rhoda.
Glad to hear a *_Gabriel_* shout out, I've never heard that it was meant to be longer, now I want to see it. I'm still annoyed they trimmed the post-credits scene from the DVD release. I couldn't agree more on the mind numbingness of Maleficent.
Yeah Shane Abbess says it was "self indulgent" but I'd like to see the longer version
This was my comfort movie for a while,absolutely love it
Very understandable lol
Horse and His Boy was my first Narnia book and will always be my favorite, followed by Silver Chair
Ooh that must have been interesting to start from there
Might be time to rewatch the Underworld movies again.
I like this video, I'll check out some more since I can't seem to be able to sleep anyways
Rhona Mitra is INCREDIBLE casting. I am baffled she's not in more big - or at least medium - movies; she's electric on-screen.
perfect backround music! Nice vid !
I imagine that forcefully biting someone for their blood memories would be considered a huge taboo and violation. Maybe even akin to sexual assault....so if you're going to do it, you better be DAMN sure you're going to find some dirt. And not just the kind of everyday backstabbing every Vampire does, but something BIG. Victor wasn't sure he'd find anything big on Tannis so he wouldn't risk it. He already knew what his daughter had been up to though. He just needed confirmation before he was willing to execute his daughter.
What would a hybrid between a first gen werewolf and vampire look like?
I imagine more like Marcus, because Sonja as the mother carrying the baby might make it default to bat first, whereas Michael was bitten by a werewolf first so he defaults to wolf
One of the best Vampires and Werewolves tales/movie adaptations of all times. Awesome!
I can't argue lol
Unironically my favourite underworld film
Yes!
@BetterWithBob like seriously though this film makes me retroactively sad that lucian died in the first film I wish his character was used more
Oh shit can't believe I missed the notification for this video
I fucking love this movie and have been waiting for your video on it
ah every time is the right time for each person lol
I love this movie!
Good taste XD
Such an awesome movie. All the underworld movies were awesome
This was an Incredible Masterpiece for Underworld 3 (2009) Rise of The Lycans My All Time Favorite Movie in The Underworld Film Series.
Nice vid, you have a great style
Thanking you 🙂
Sonja is the Medieval “Ripley” to Sigourney Weavers “Alien”
That is a strong compliment!
Such a fantastic film.
I love all the Underworld movies but this one is the most fun of them all. My favourite is actually Blood Wars, I just remember having such a fun time in the theatre watching it, and I hope you do the last 2 after this review.
I had heard Blood Wars was terrible but I was surprised to enjoy it when I watched it, but I only saw it once years ago
I just watched the mummy essay you did. This is easily one of my favorite TH-cam channels after one video and thank you for your admiration of summers the Director of the mummies one of my favorite people ever you should do Chris Columbus next the director of the Harry Potter films
Thank you for watching and your kind words :)
I’ve always loved Victor as a character in the series. This extremely powerful and intelligent vampire that isn’t Dracula. In the other films he is very much an Emperor Palpatine kind of character, moving pieces from the shadows. But I’m RotL, he’s a true leader, a political figure, and a father more allied to his species than to his own blood. I wanted more of this Victor.
Yeah and Bill Nighy definitely has the presence to pull it off
My god you like a horse and his boy!? Respect for liking something I didn't even know anyone could possibly like
@@kaisercollins3097 thank you 🙂
If you're wanting more Michael Sheen content, try the show Prodigal Son. He does a really good job there too with what little he has to work with for the most part.
Lucian is still one of my favorite characters in fiction
Rise of the Lycans is literally my favorite in the Underworld franchise
Worthy choice lol
A sequel that makes you appreciate the first instalment, wouldn't that be a sight, nowadays?
Is that sarcasm?
My fave in this messy franchise
Understandable lol
Official petition signer to do awakening and blood wars!
I would like to see all of the underworld movies on your channel :)
Hehe perhaps one day
awesome review man this was so nostalgic.
Thanks for watching 🙂
I very much enjoyed this movie. I went and saw it in the theater.
Oh so lucky. I've never had the chance to see an Underworld movie in the cinema
Fantastic movie, second best to first one.
"Greta DO NOT F*CK THAT UP!"
I felt that in my heart.
I'm sure it'll be fine lol
My favourite movie of the series by far
It seems to be a lot of people's favourite
I remember feeling like her death was underwhelming also and I tried to figure out why. In the first Underworld when we see flashbacks to Sonja’s death, it was a slow burn with her screaming and in Rise of the Lycans she burned quickly without screaming or seeming to be a painful death when we probably had the pre expectation in our heads
Either way Underworld series is one of my biggest comfort series to watch haha
Possibly because they hadn't worked out her character in the first film. There she was just Viktor's daughter but here they expanded her to be a warrior and council member, so a dignified noble lady isn't the type to scream
Victor and Lucian not interacting in the first movie is arguably a good thing, or at least dodges a cliche.
Yes but it's nice to have that interaction here
One of the very, very few prequels I enjoyed
It's funny how Viktor is this badass who kills a lycan so effortlessly in the first movie and was doing so well against a freshly turned hybrid Michael. But in this movie he actually loses to both sonja and lucien sonja just didn't want to kill him and lucien wanted him alive to spit in his face basically like you said.
Lol I can hand wave it with him being freshly awakened in the first film and at a higher power level, whereas in Rise of the Lycans he's been awake for a while. Or he just brushed up on his skills in the few centuries in between 😅
@@BetterWithBob sure been awake awhile it's been a hell of a week for him and he was probably pretty cozy at the time at a relatively high point in his power while Sonja and Lucien are both very active warriors and strong
14:22 he’s one of the most underappreciated.
I suppose he's just happy to work and take pride in that, not really chasing movie stardom or awards glory
Something that break the FOCKING canon is the fact Victor knows how to blood KNOWING the memories, in Evolution he didnt know that Marcus could do this to living people by FORCE. I mean in fact the first movie establish this but different like is very specific memories, i guess Victor forgot about the ubication of William in Selene because is a kid but I DONT KNOW sounds dumb all this thing.
What I enjoyed the most back when I was younger Is how well It matches with the original movie, unlike the prequels of StarWars, which never felt utherly connected to the first trilogy. The only thing that spoils the experience for me Is the actress of Sonja, who's perfect for the role, but doesn't resemble well what was shown of her in the first Underworld. Aside from that, every detail had been placed with extreme precision to make us buy It as the begining of the story.
The remastered version of the first film changes the flashbacks so that they now have Rhona Mitra at least
@@BetterWithBob wow, that's interesting. I wasn't aware of It.
fun fact: I watched Rise of the Lycans before the first Underworld. So, when I did watch it, I spent the whole movie yelling at Michael to get away from Selene and join the Lycans.
Ooh that would be an interesting viewing experience 🤔
Evolution is my favorite of the franchise by far.
I'm finding that a lot of people seem to love it
Saw Underworld 1 when I was 13 years old and it kickstarted my teenage emo phase 😆 I was absolutely sold on vampires and trenchcoats (Matrix did also help, ngl) But then this movie came out and made me like werewolves more then Vampires all thanks to Michael Sheen
Hell to the yes!
Are you planning on doing videos on the other two films im curious to hear your thoughts on them🤔
Not at the moment but sure you never know XD
I love this movie almost as much (or more, depending on my mood), as the first movie....Michael Sheen is Lucian!!
He is indeed XD
Became a fan of the Underworld back in high school (early/mid 00's) and loved the aesthetic and all of the first film. Evolution did feel like more of the same, with some expansion of the world and lore. But Rise of the Lycans had the strength of Michael Sheen as its lead, who's character was already compelling and interesting enough from the original film. It being a prequel set in the medieval times was also a wonderful change of pace.
Awakening was, in my view, the worst of the series. Off-screen kill one of the main character from the earlier films, and really take the overarching lore and story in a boring and uninspired direction.
Blood Wars was a slight return to form for me. Not as compelling as the first three films, but introduced enough new elements to keep it interesting. What felt weird and off about it and holds it back, however, was the direction they took the lore. The series has always been a bit more scientific with its werewolves and vampires, having them be the result of a mutation of a virus originated in Alexander Corvinus. But in Blood Wars it introduces some mysticism to the world which, to that point hadn't been present in the series. Didn't entirely dislike it, just felt out of place in the world this series had spun up to that point.
At any rate, great video. Loved the look back at a movie you originally disliked but grew to like and appreciate over time.
My fav!
Sheen was awesome in the prodigal son
I loved it