At this point, as a non-fan, I kinda feel like if you've seen one Underworld movie you've essentially seen them all. Which is not to denigrate those who enjoy them! (Psst, I never have.) Clearly, I am simply incapable of penetrating the steely blue fantasy world created by Len Wiseman that has brought joy to untold millions of others.
Yes, there is a fifth movie coming out, and yes, it looks exactly like all the others. There's Kate Beckinsale, still somehow 25, still in black latex, still crouching on the edges of buildings. And of course, slo-mo — lots of slo-mo — and good-looking British people being forced to say things like “I will be more powerful than any other vampire in this coven” with straight faces, and guns! So many guns. Everything is still blue.
At this point, every adult moviegoer knows where they stand on the Underworld franchise, and this first full trailer for the fifth installment Blood Wars is obviously designed only to appeal to fans, casual or otherwise. To that end, I'm sure it is very effective in selling this movie. For the rest of us, probably a pass.
I would be remiss not to mention that Underworld: Blood Wars is the first in the series to be directed by a woman: Anna Foester, a visual effects artist who has a longstanding collaboration with Roland Emmerich. That's a pretty big step forward for a franchise that otherwise feels stuck in the past, and for that reason at least, I applaud them.
Underworld: Blood Wars is slated for release on January 6.