Kate Beckinsale in "Underworld Awakening"; photo courtesy of Screen Gems

“Underworld Awakening” (Screen Gems) 

“Underworld Awakening” is the fourth in the “Underworld” series of movies and the third which stars Kate Beckinsale as Selene. She sat out the last feature. But now she and her leather catsuit are back in action and the world is a better place for it. She does battle from beginning to end of this film and it is a fast eighty eight minutes long. Violent and bloody this movie will delight fans of this series, and maybe even bring in some new converts.

At the start of the film, Selene, a vampire, is trying to reunite with her lover Michael who is a hybrid vampire/lycan. They are torn apart and the next thing Selene knows she is waking up from a cryogenic sleep. She escapes from the lab in which she is being held and goes in search of Michael. Quickly she learns that twelve years have passed since her last awakened thought.

As she looks for Michael she learns of the existence of a young girl who claims to be her daughter. This girl is named Eve (India Eisley) and she has some special abilities she has inherited from her parents. Let’s just say you don’t want to make her mad.

The whole movie is Selene fighting the police and the Lycans as she looks for Michael. The battles in which she is involved are gruesome and bloody. She mostly destroys people by ripping them apart.

Beckinsale is totally believable in the physical aspects of her role. Gina Carano form “Haywire” should have taken notes on her performance in this film. Beckinsale also looks great in leather. Eisley is a welcome addition as Eve. Many of you may know this young actress from “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” where she plays the younger sister of Shailene Woodley.

Others in the cast include Michael Ealy and Stephen Rea. Ealy plays a cop who helps Selena and Rea plays an evil scientist. Neither adds that much to the film. Charles Dance is a vampire leader and Theo James plays his son David, Again not too much of a contribution from either of these two men. As you can tell this is a women’s action movie and the women are what makes the movie watchable.

The film is rated R for profanity and violence.

For fans of this series this is a movie not to miss, and for fans of Beckinsale the same thing applies. She looks and acts wonderfully and makes “Underworld Awakening” so much better than it should be.

I scored “Underworld Awakening” a sleepy 4 out of 10.