Underworld is a 2003 action-horror film about the secret history of Vampires and a type of werewolf known as Lycans (an abbreviated form of lycanthrope). It is the first film in the Underworld series. The main plot revolves around Selene (Kate Beckinsale), a vampire who is a Death Dealer hunting Lycans. She finds herself attracted to a human, Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman) who is being targeted by the Lycans. After Michael is bitten by a Lycan, Selene must decide whether to do her duty and kill him or go against her clan and save him.
While reviewers generally received the film negatively, criticizing the lack of character development and overacting, a smaller number of reviewers praised elements such as the film's stylish Gothic visuals, the "icy English composure" in Kate Beckinsale's performance, and the extensively worked-out vampire-werewolf mythology that serves as the film's backstory.
Perched on the ledge of a building in a rainy night, two black-garbed vampires known as Death Dealers track a pair of werewolves who are walking on the street below in their human form. The vampires, Selene and Rigel, specialize in assassinating an ancient species of werewolves known as Lycans. Selene's motivation goes beyond duty; she also wants revenge, for she believes that Lycans slaughtered her family when she was a child. The vampires believe that they defeated the werewolves many centuries ago and killed their leader, Lucian, and that they must now kill off the survivors. As the vampires follow the Lycans into a subway station, the werewolves open fire with submachine guns. After the Lycans retreat from Selene's barrage of machine pistol fire, she tracks them to their lair, where she hears loud howling and finds out that the Lycans have developed a new high-tech bullet to kill the vampires.
When Selene arrives at the vampire coven's ornate, gated mansion, she recounts the evening's events, and urges an attack on the Lycans, but the vampire regent Kraven tells her to drop the matter. After some research, Selene realizes that the Lycans may have been following a human, Michael Corvin, which would be very unusual behavior and secretly continues her investigation. Meanwhile, in an underground Lycan lair, a scientist named Singe is testing blood from kidnapped descendants of the ancient Corvinus family, to try to find a pure source of the ancient and powerful Corvinus bloodline. Soon after Selene finds Michael, the pair are attacked by werewolves, including Lucian, the original Lycan leader, who still lives. After Lucian bites Michael on the shoulder, Selene helps Michael escape, and the two become romantically attracted to each other.
Meanwhile, Selene discovers that when Lucian was supposedly killed, Kraven was the only witness. Sensing a conspiracy between Kraven and Lucian, she wakes a powerful elder vampire, Viktor, who has been in hibernation. Viktor is angered by his early awakening, as it was Markus's turn to rule in the cycle of the Elders, not his. Viktor chooses to believe Kraven and orders Selene to acquiesce to the vampire hierarchy. Meanwhile, Kraven has secretly planned to kill Amelia (an Elder vampire) and her companions, with Lucian's help. Selene escapes from the mansion with the help of Erika, a maidservant enamored with Kraven.
Selene tells Michael about the feud and her past. She then chains Michael to a wall, fearing that when he changes at the full moon, he will kill innocent people. Later, Selene captures Singe while Michael is captured by Lycans. Selene brings back the wounded Singe, who admits to Viktor that the Lycans have been trying to combine the bloodlines of the two species with the Corvinus Strain to create a powerful hybrid. After Kraven flees the mansion (because Singe reveals that Kraven and Lucian are working together), news arrives that Amelia, who was coming to awaken Markus, has been killed by Lycans. Viktor kills Singe and gives Selene the chance to redeem herself for awakening him by killing Michael.
Meanwhile, in the Lycan lair where Michael is being held captive, he learns that long ago, Lucian and Viktor's daughter, Sonja, became lovers. When Viktor learned that his daughter had become pregnant by a Lycan, he condemned her to death to prevent any crossing of the two species, which led to the war. Selene arrives with a group of vampire assassins to bring an end to the Lycans and kill Kraven for his treachery. Lucian prepares to fight, but Kraven betrays and shoots him with a newly-designed bullet containing silver nitrate. Selene arrives and rescues Michael, but he is soon shot by Kraven. Kraven informs Selene that it was Viktor who killed her family, and that he would have killed her too if she hadn't reminded him so much of his daughter, Sonja. Meanwhile, a wounded Lucian attacks and wounds Kraven before telling Selene to bite Michael. Selene complies, and Kraven flees, but not before killing Lucian. Viktor enters and throws Michael through a wall. Selene asks Viktor if what Kraven said was true. Viktor concedes that it was, but tries to convince Selene that he gave her more than what her human family ever could have, immortality. Viktor and the now hybridized Michael fight, but even if Michael's powers are greater then Viktor's, he still has far less experience than the Vampire Elder. In the end Viktor gets the upper hand and attempts to strangle Michael. However he has forgotten Selene, who sneaks up behind him and cuts his head off with his own sword.
Selene and Michael flee the Lycan lair, now enemies of both Lycan and Vampire. Back at the mansion, Singe's blood seeps into the sarcophagus of the remaining Elder, Markus, a carrier of the original Corvinus Strain. When his eyes open, they are vampire blue but then turn pitch black, the eyes of a hybrid...
When Selene arrives at the vampire coven's ornate, gated mansion, she recounts the evening's events, and urges an attack on the Lycans, but the vampire regent Kraven tells her to drop the matter. After some research, Selene realizes that the Lycans may have been following a human, Michael Corvin, which would be very unusual behavior and secretly continues her investigation. Meanwhile, in an underground Lycan lair, a scientist named Singe is testing blood from kidnapped descendants of the ancient Corvinus family, to try to find a pure source of the ancient and powerful Corvinus bloodline. Soon after Selene finds Michael, the pair are attacked by werewolves, including Lucian, the original Lycan leader, who still lives. After Lucian bites Michael on the shoulder, Selene helps Michael escape, and the two become romantically attracted to each other.
Meanwhile, Selene discovers that when Lucian was supposedly killed, Kraven was the only witness. Sensing a conspiracy between Kraven and Lucian, she wakes a powerful elder vampire, Viktor, who has been in hibernation. Viktor is angered by his early awakening, as it was Markus's turn to rule in the cycle of the Elders, not his. Viktor chooses to believe Kraven and orders Selene to acquiesce to the vampire hierarchy. Meanwhile, Kraven has secretly planned to kill Amelia (an Elder vampire) and her companions, with Lucian's help. Selene escapes from the mansion with the help of Erika, a maidservant enamored with Kraven.
Selene tells Michael about the feud and her past. She then chains Michael to a wall, fearing that when he changes at the full moon, he will kill innocent people. Later, Selene captures Singe while Michael is captured by Lycans. Selene brings back the wounded Singe, who admits to Viktor that the Lycans have been trying to combine the bloodlines of the two species with the Corvinus Strain to create a powerful hybrid. After Kraven flees the mansion (because Singe reveals that Kraven and Lucian are working together), news arrives that Amelia, who was coming to awaken Markus, has been killed by Lycans. Viktor kills Singe and gives Selene the chance to redeem herself for awakening him by killing Michael.
Meanwhile, in the Lycan lair where Michael is being held captive, he learns that long ago, Lucian and Viktor's daughter, Sonja, became lovers. When Viktor learned that his daughter had become pregnant by a Lycan, he condemned her to death to prevent any crossing of the two species, which led to the war. Selene arrives with a group of vampire assassins to bring an end to the Lycans and kill Kraven for his treachery. Lucian prepares to fight, but Kraven betrays and shoots him with a newly-designed bullet containing silver nitrate. Selene arrives and rescues Michael, but he is soon shot by Kraven. Kraven informs Selene that it was Viktor who killed her family, and that he would have killed her too if she hadn't reminded him so much of his daughter, Sonja. Meanwhile, a wounded Lucian attacks and wounds Kraven before telling Selene to bite Michael. Selene complies, and Kraven flees, but not before killing Lucian. Viktor enters and throws Michael through a wall. Selene asks Viktor if what Kraven said was true. Viktor concedes that it was, but tries to convince Selene that he gave her more than what her human family ever could have, immortality. Viktor and the now hybridized Michael fight, but even if Michael's powers are greater then Viktor's, he still has far less experience than the Vampire Elder. In the end Viktor gets the upper hand and attempts to strangle Michael. However he has forgotten Selene, who sneaks up behind him and cuts his head off with his own sword.
Selene and Michael flee the Lycan lair, now enemies of both Lycan and Vampire. Back at the mansion, Singe's blood seeps into the sarcophagus of the remaining Elder, Markus, a carrier of the original Corvinus Strain. When his eyes open, they are vampire blue but then turn pitch black, the eyes of a hybrid...
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