Underworld: Awakenings

Sometimes there are movies out there we just like for no apparent reason.  They aren’t award winners or technically great but we just like them anyway.  I have always loved the Underworld series, even the one that didn’t star Kate Beckinsale.  I’m a sucker for vampire lore and this series didn’t disappoint, mixing modern action with a long and murky back story.  When they wrapped up the story in two movies, they made a prequel, without the rump-kicking Beckinsale, and while it was not as good as the first two, it was still immensely entertaining.

Which leads us to Underworld: Awakening.  The story jumps us forward to a world where the existence of vampires and lycens are discovered by humans.  Mankind declares war on these creatures with the purpose of destroying their species.  For the most part, humans win this war and again rule the world.  We are then jumped ahead another twelve years where Selene (Beckinsale) has been secured in a lab for the past decade plus, along with a couple of other specimens. 

The plot plays out and we are fed more and more information about the world as the film speeds along.  As always, the dark atmosphere and great special effects push this movie forward.  The spectacular action sequences come often and at full throttle.  As in past installments, gore and blood are plentiful.  What good flick about vampires and werewolves would be sanitized? 

As in the previous efforts, the dialogue isn’t great.  It is often stilted and plain.  The actors have little to work with outside of the action sequences.  This movie falls a little short in this area compared to the first films in this series.  To be honest though, these films aren’t about the dialogue.  They are about the plot in general and the action, both of which are just fine in Awakening.  Few acting performances stand out in this film but Kate Beckinsale was still awesome as the tough as nails and lycra-and-leather clad heroine, Selene.  Also, India Eisley was intriguing as Eve.

If you are a fan of these flicks, go see this installment.  It lives up to its past history and is probably better than the third movie.  The action is just what we have learned to expect from these vampire films and it set up yet another sequel quite nicely.  Don’t expect perfection, just a lot of fun.  It is rated “R” for graphic violence and is not appropriate for younger viewers and it is a very short movie.  I never came close to checking my watch.  Expect a standard Underworld flick and you won’t be disappointed.

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Contraband

I have received a couple of comments from readers complaining that I seem to like every movie about which I write.  I can’t really disagree.  There are reasons for this, though.  One, I only go see movies I want to see, therefore there is a better chance I will like it.  As of now, I am not getting paid to be a professional movie critic.  I do it because I love movies and I like writing about them.  Now, if someone wants to start paying me a stipend to do what I am doing then that would be great.  I would start watching more movies, including those I have little interest in, and I would more likely write a few more negatively tilted reviews.  Secondly, I try to watch movies for their entertainment value and not their technical or critical value.  I try to write my reviews as a movie fan, not as a critic.

It was only a little less than a year ago I wrote how upset I was about the quality of films Hollywood was churning out.  Many of them had very little quality entertainment value and many were hardly worth watching.  Film makers were flooding the theaters with crappy 3D versions of movies not even filmed for 3D and charging us extra for the privilege.  While those movies are still appearing, the 3D fad seems to be slowly.  I must ask, though – who wants to were those heavy 3D for three and a half hours for the re-released 3D Titianic?  Not me.  I have seen a string of movies over the past six months that give me hope for Hollywood.  I think there have been more really decent movies in those past few months than were released in the past two or three years.

I digress.  I really wanted to see Contraband and thought it would be good.  It turned out to be a lot different than I anticipated and even better than I thought it would be.  Marky Mark Wahlberg has really turned out to be one of my favorite actors and I really like many of his films.  He is really a strong leading actor in dramatic roles as well as believable as an action star.  He does not disappoint in Contraband.

Wahlberg plays a self rehabilitating smuggler who is trying to stay legitimate for the sake of his young family.  His idiot brother-in-law gets himself in a pickle with some local drug running baddies and Chris (Wahlberg) returns to his former life to fix the situation, which has bled over to involve his own family.

Most of the meat of the film takes places on a ship and in Panama as Chris sets in motion a plan to smuggle $15 million in high end, top quality counterfeit bills.  The plan unravels in many places and his family back in New Orleans is threatened by the sinister gangsters.  The movie is filled with subtle twists and turns, deceit and betrayals, as Chris and his crew work to overcome the obstacles that arise at every turn.

Director Baltasar Kormakur does a great job keeping the action under control, using the situations to build suspense, and then dispensing the action judiciously.  This film is more of a dramatic thriller with great characters than a straight action flick and it works beautifully.  The plot itself isn’t all that strong or original but the directing and acting pushes the film past that small weakness.

Wahlberg is at his best and the brilliant Giovanni Ribisi was terrific, as always.  I was a little disappointed in Ben Foster, who was somewhat flat for the first half of the movie but delivered nicely in the second half.  I wish Kormakur would have used Kate Beckinsale a little more.  I think there was a missed opportunity late in the film to let her shine and the director didn’t take full advantage.  J. K. Simmons and Lukas Haas (it has been a very long time since Witness) take full advantage of their supporting roles. 

The film had its weaknesses but its strengths certainly overwhelmed those weak parts.  Wahlberg’s Chris is an imperfect character but he was easy to sympathize with and to cheer for.  The pace was not break neck by any means but it did not dawdle or get stuck at any point.  The movie features a deep, talented cast who deliver in most instances.  It is rated R for violence and language.  Most, but significantly not all, of the surprises help keep us on our toes and waiting to see what happens next.  If you like thrillers with a very good dose of character and action, you will certainly be entertained with Contraband.

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