Let’s be real. Prequels usually suck. They’re often lazy cash grabs that over-explain things nobody cared about in the first place. But then there’s the Underworld Rise of the Lycans movie.
Released in 2009, this flick did something weird. It benched the franchise's biggest star, Kate Beckinsale, and took us back to the medieval mud and blood. Honestly? It worked. While the original Underworld was all leather trench coats and blue-tinted guns, Rise of the Lycans leaned into the Shakespearean tragedy of it all. It’s basically Romeo and Juliet if Romeo could turn into a giant wolf and Juliet’s dad was a genocidal vampire played by Bill Nighy.
The movie explores the origins of the centuries-old war between the Death Dealers and the Lycans. We finally see how Lucian, played with incredible intensity by Michael Sheen, went from a slave to a revolutionary leader. It’s gritty. It’s dark. It’s surprisingly emotional for a movie about monsters biting each other.
The Origin Story We Actually Needed
Most people forget that the first Underworld (2003) gave us the cliff notes of this story via some blurry flashbacks. We knew Lucian loved Sonja. We knew Viktor was a jerk. But seeing it play out in a full-length feature changes the context of the entire series.
Lucian isn't just a villain. He’s the protagonist here.
In the Underworld Rise of the Lycans movie, we see the Vampires as the clear oppressors. They aren't the cool, sophisticated anti-heroes we met in the first film. They’re aristocratic slavers. They use the first Lycans as guardians for their castle during the daylight hours. It’s a brutal hierarchy. Lucian is the first of his kind—a werewolf who can take human form at will. Viktor, the vampire elder, sees him as a pet. A "beautiful" mistake.
The tension builds through the forbidden romance between Lucian and Sonja, Viktor’s daughter. Rhona Mitra had a tough job stepping into the leading lady role with Beckinsale absent, but she brings a harder, more warrior-like edge to the character of Sonja that fits the era perfectly. When they get caught, the movie stops being an action flick and turns into a gut-wrenching tragedy.
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Why Bill Nighy is the Secret Weapon
Can we talk about Bill Nighy for a second?
He is terrifying. In the other films, Viktor is often sleeping in a sarcophagus or acting as a secondary antagonist. Here, he is the center of power. Nighy plays him with this cold, serpentine arrogance that makes you despise him while also being unable to look away. The scene where he forces Lucian to watch Sonja’s execution is genuinely haunting. It’s the pivot point for the entire franchise. Without that specific moment of cruelty, the next 800 years of fictional history don't happen.
Technical Grit Over CGI Fluff
The Underworld Rise of the Lycans movie stands out because it feels tactile.
Director Patrick Tatopoulos was a creature effects designer first. It shows. While modern movies rely on "floaty" CGI that looks like a video game, this film uses a lot of practical suits and animatronics. When the Lycans roar, you can see the spit. You can feel the weight of the fur.
The setting helps. We’re moved out of the rainy cityscapes of Budapest and into a sprawling, gothic fortress. It feels claustrophobic. The armor looks heavy. The swords look sharp. It’s a "dirty" movie. Everything is covered in grime, blood, or rain. This aesthetic choice makes the supernatural elements feel more grounded in reality. It’s a monster movie that treats its world like a historical drama.
The Tragedy of the Lycan Rebellion
The rebellion isn't just a mindless brawl. It's a prison break.
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Lucian’s journey involves him literally breaking the chains of his brothers. There’s a specific focus on the "flare" of the transformation. In this universe, becoming a werewolf is painful. It’s bones cracking and skin stretching. The movie emphasizes that pain. When the Lycans finally storm the castle, it feels like a release of centuries of repressed rage.
Some fans complained about the lack of Selene. I get it. She’s the face of the brand. But including her would have felt forced. By focusing on the "First War," the writers allowed the lore to breathe. We learn about the creation of the sunlight-reactive chains. We see the early iterations of the UV weapons (or rather, the lack thereof). It fills in the gaps of the mythology without feeling like a Wikipedia entry.
Box Office and Critical Reception
Look, it didn't win an Oscar.
Rise of the Lycans pulled in about $91 million worldwide against a $35 million budget. It wasn't a cultural phenomenon, but it solidified the fanbase. Critics were mixed, as they always are with horror-action hybrids. But if you look at Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb today, the audience scores are surprisingly resilient. People appreciate a movie that knows exactly what it is.
It’s a 92-minute blast of gothic violence. No bloat. No setup for a "cinematic universe" that never happens. Just a complete story.
Hidden Details You Might Have Missed
If you rewatch the Underworld Rise of the Lycans movie today, keep an eye out for Steven Mackintosh as Tanis.
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He plays the vampire historian who eventually gets exiled (we meet him in Underworld: Evolution). In this movie, he’s a snivelling bureaucrat. Seeing his "fall" from Viktor’s good graces is a nice bit of connective tissue that rewards fans who pay attention to the timeline.
Also, notice the lighting. The film uses a very specific "monochromatic" palette. It’s almost black and white in some scenes, with only the red of the blood popping out. This wasn't just a stylistic choice; it helped hide the seams on the werewolf suits and made the vampires look more ethereal.
How to Watch the Franchise Now
If you’re planning a marathon, you have two choices. You can watch by release date, or you can go chronologically.
- Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (The beginning)
- Underworld (The awakening of Lucian’s plan)
- Underworld: Evolution (The immediate fallout)
- Underworld: Awakening (The humans find out)
- Underworld: Blood Wars (The final-ish showdown)
Chronological is better. Watching Rise of the Lycans first makes the reveal of Lucian’s locket in the first movie hit way harder. You actually feel the weight of his 800-year grief.
Final Take on the Legacy
The Underworld Rise of the Lycans movie isn't just a filler entry. It’s the backbone of the series' emotional stakes. It proved that the world of Underworld was interesting enough to survive without its lead actress. It gave us one of the best cinematic villains in Viktor and one of the most sympathetic "monsters" in Lucian.
If you haven't seen it in a decade, give it another look. It’s better than you remember. The practical effects alone put most modern Marvel movies to shame.
To get the most out of your rewatch, focus on Michael Sheen’s performance. Before he was doing Good Omens or playing Tony Blair, he was screaming at the moon in a leather loincloth, and he gave it 100%. That commitment is why the movie still holds up.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch the Extended Cut: If you can find it, there are a few extra minutes of character beats that make the vampire politics clearer.
- Compare the Transformations: Watch the transformation scenes in this film versus the 2003 original. You’ll see a massive leap in how they handled the blending of CGI and practical masks.
- Check the Timeline: Use the 2026 digital remaster versions if available, as the black levels in the original DVD release were notoriously "muddy" on modern OLED screens.