🩸 Underworld: Blood Wars (2016) Review

“By this point, even the blood feud feels drained.”


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Lets start by showing y’all the trailers shall we?

🎥 Trailers

The trailers promised a darker, more epic war than ever before, with Selene caught between Lycans and Vampires in a desperate bid for survival. Lots of snow, lots of bullets, lots of slow-motion swordplay. Unfortunately, the actual movie barely lived up to the sizzle.


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📖 Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

Selene is once again hunted by both Lycans and Vampires, who want her blood for its unique power to create stronger hybrids. A new Lycan leader, Marius, rallies his forces, while the Vampires themselves are torn apart by betrayal. Selene has no allies except David (her protégé from the previous films).

To survive, Selene undergoes a transformation after being nearly killed, gaining new powers that make her an even deadlier force. The climax pits her and David against both sides of the ongoing war.

At this point, the series feels like it’s recycling its own lore. The “bloodlines,” the endless betrayals, the prophecy-like obsession with Selene’s blood — it all starts to blur together into noise.


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🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Character Rundown

Selene (Kate Beckinsale): Still rocking the leather and guns, but even her icy cool demeanor can’t mask how tired this role has become.

David (Theo James): Loyal ally, given more focus here, though he’s basically a stand-in for Michael (who’s long gone).

Marius (Tobias Menzies): The new Lycan leader. Intimidating in presence, but generic in execution.

Semira (Lara Pulver): A manipulative Vampire council member. Her scheming adds drama but feels like a rerun of previous backstabbers.



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⏱️ Pacing / Episode Flow

The film moves fast (only about 90 minutes long), but it feels more like a rushed montage than a carefully told story. It throws you from betrayal to battle to transformation with little breathing room. The snowy setting adds visual freshness, but the story underneath is thin.


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✅ Pros

Kate Beckinsale is still committed, even if the script isn’t.

The snowy, icy visuals give the action a different look compared to the earlier urban Gothic settings.

At least it’s short — doesn’t drag out for 2+ hours.



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❌ Cons

Feels like recycled plotlines from the first four movies.

New characters are forgettable and thinly written.

Relies too heavily on lore and jargon, making it confusing for casual viewers.

Action sequences are flashy but empty.

Zero emotional weight — the franchise is just spinning its wheels.



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💭 Why the Franchise Was Done After This

Blood Wars performed poorly at the box office and was slammed by critics, earning some of the weakest reviews of the series. At this point, audiences were burned out — the vampire-vs-werewolf war had no new angles left, and Selene’s arc felt exhausted. It didn’t help that the story teased yet another continuation, but with dwindling interest, Sony/Lakeshore quietly shelved the series.


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⭐ Rating

2/10 — A cold, lifeless finale that confirms the franchise had nothing left in the tank. Even Beckinsale’s presence can’t save it.


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⚠️ Spoiler Warning ⚠️

🕵️ Spoilers – Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)

Selene, still exiled, is betrayed by the Vampire coven yet again, with Semira scheming to use her. Meanwhile, Marius, the new Lycan leader, is hunting her down to gain the power of her bloodline. David stands by her side, becoming more of a central figure.

Selene is ambushed and nearly killed, but undergoes a strange ritualistic transformation, gaining new powers and a pale, almost spectral look. This transformation is supposed to symbolize her “rebirth” as something beyond vampire.

The climax takes place in a snowy fortress where Selene and David battle Marius and Semira’s forces. David is revealed to be the rightful heir to the Vampire leadership (because of his father’s bloodline), setting him up as a key figure for any future stories. Selene defeats Marius in a one-on-one battle, ripping out his spine in a gory finish.

In the end, Selene is reinstated as a council leader, alongside David, solidifying their roles as the new guardians of the Vampire world. The war is “settled,” but the movie teases ongoing conflicts — teases that, thankfully, never got picked up.