🐺 Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) Review

“When backstory becomes the whole story.”


—

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

🎥 Trailers

The trailers pitched this as the long-awaited origin tale: how the vampire–Lycan war began. Prequels can sometimes add depth, but in this case, it’s just a stretched-out flashback that no one really asked for.


—

📖 Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

This prequel goes back centuries to explore how the Lycans came to be. Lucian, the first Lycan born with the ability to take human form, rises against the tyranny of Viktor, the vampire elder. Lucian’s forbidden love with Viktor’s daughter Sonja sets the stage for betrayal, rebellion, and the centuries-long blood feud between the two species.

On paper, it’s “Romeo and Juliet with vampires and werewolves.” In execution, it’s an overlong history lesson that takes one backstory line from the earlier films and stretches it into a feature-length slog.


—

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Character Rundown

Lucian (Michael Sheen): Charismatic as ever, giving the role far more weight than the material deserves.

Viktor (Bill Nighy): Chews the scenery with gravitas, again the best part of the movie.

Sonja (Rhona Mitra): Viktor’s daughter and Lucian’s forbidden love, but written with little depth beyond her romance.

The Lycans: Reduced to cannon fodder for the vampire army, until Lucian rallies them.



—

⏱️ Pacing / Episode Flow

Slow, repetitive, and predictable. The movie builds toward a rebellion you already know happens, and the tragic love story is telegraphed from the first act. It feels more like a prolonged lore cutscene than a compelling standalone movie.


—

✅ Pros

Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy give performances that are way better than the script deserves.

Some of the medieval sets and production design add a fresh aesthetic compared to the leather-and-guns modern setting.

Explains the origin of the Lycan rebellion for those invested in the lore.



—

❌ Cons

The story was already explained in earlier films — this adds nothing new.

Predictable from start to finish.

Sonja is underdeveloped, making the central romance flat.

Action is repetitive, with endless sword clashes and snarling Lycans.

Feels unnecessary — a spinoff no one needed.



—

💭 Final Thoughts

Rise of the Lycans is the definition of filler. It’s a movie built entirely out of backstory that was more effective when left as myth and exposition. Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy do their best to elevate the material, but it’s still a dull, predictable prequel that only exists to pad out the franchise.


—

⭐ Rating

2/10 — A pointless prequel. More lore, less bite.


—

⚠️ Spoiler Warning ⚠️

🕵️ Spoilers

Lucian, raised as a servant under Viktor, secretly falls in love with Sonja. When their affair is revealed, Viktor condemns Sonja to death, forcing Lucian to watch her execution in sunlight. This trauma fuels Lucian’s rebellion, sparking the vampire–Lycan war.

The climax sees Lucian rally the Lycans to fight back, while Viktor narrowly escapes death. The film closes on Lucian’s vow to continue the war — neatly setting the stage for the events of the first Underworld.

The problem? We already knew all of this from dialogue and flashbacks in the earlier films. The movie adds nothing, making the spoilers feel like a recap rather than a revelation.