Review: "I, Frankenstein" Has a Cool B-Movie Vibe

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 18 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

I, Frankenstein (2014)
Running time:  92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of intense fantasy action and violence throughout
DIRECTOR:  Stuart Beattie
WRITERS:  Stuart Beattie; from a screen story by Kevin Grevioux and Stuart Beattie (based on the Darkstorm Studios graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux and the characters created by Mary Shelley)
PRODUCER:  Sidney Kimmel, Gary Lucchesi, Andrew Mason, Tom Rosenberg, Richard Wright, and Johnny Klimek
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Ross Emery
EDITOR:  Marcus D'Arcy
COMPOSER:  Reinhold Heil

FANTASY/HORROR/ACTION

Starring:  Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Mirando Otto, Jai Courtney, Socratis Otto, Caitlin Stasey, Mahesh Jadu, Nicholas Bell, Deniz Akdeniz, Kevin Grevioux, Bruce Spense, Steve Mouzakis, and Aden Young

I, Frankenstein is a 2014 action-fantasy and horror film from director, Stuart Beattie.  This film is based on the comic book, I, Frankenstein: Genesis (2013), which was written by Kevin Grevioux, who serves this movie as an executive producer, writer, and actor.  I, Frankenstein also borrows a few characters and some story from Mary Shelley's legendary novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, which was first published in 1818.  I, Frankenstein the movie focuses on Victor Frankenstein's creature as it finds itself caught in the middle of a centuries-old conflict.

I, Frankenstein opens in 1795.  A voice summarizes the story of Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Aden Young), the man who created a monster.  This was a soulless creature that Frankenstein made by patching together body parts from corpses.  However, he rejected his creation, which began a war between creator and creation that ended with the creation burying the creator.

Even as he buries his creator, Frankenstein, “the monster” (Aaron Eckhart) cannot know peace, because demons attack him in the graveyard.  Two gargoyles rescue the monster and take him to Leonore (Miranda Otto), High Queen of the Gargoyle Order.  She gives the monster a name, “Adam,” and tells him that the Gargoyle Order has been fighting a centuries-old war against demons on Earth in order to protect humanity.  Leonore invites Adam to join their cause, but he declines.

The demons and their leader, Prince Naberius (Bill Nighy), also want Adam on their side.  Naberius wants the secrets behind Frankenstein's creation of Adam, and he has employed a beautiful young scientist, Terra Wade (Yvonne Strahovski), to discover how to replicate the process that created Adam.  However, Adam also wants to unravel the secrets to his creation, so he too needs Terra.  But will working with Terra threaten to decide the outcome of a war between immortals?

I, Frankenstein currently has a low score with movie review aggregate sites, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.  However, I like it.  I, Frankenstein is a dark, urban fantasy similar to Underworld, which was also originally created by Kevin Grevioux.  For its genre, it has a novel and easy to understand premise, which might seem silly to people who don't like this kind of story or its genre.

The acting isn't particularly great, ranging from overacting (as in the case of Miranda Otto as Lenore) to stiff (as in the case of Yvonne Strahovski as Terra).  Some performances are way too fierce (as is the case with Jai Courtney as Gideon, leader of the Gargoyle army).  Bill Nighy always seems game to play a dark fantasy baddie, and his Naberius is malevolent and cheesy in pleasurably equal measures.

Aaron Eckhart seems lost as Adam/Frankenstein's monster.  It is as if he does not quite know what to do with the character.  Is he bent on revenge?  Is he curious about himself?  Does he just want to be left alone?  If it is all of the above, Eckhart doesn't quite get the mix right.

Still, I like I, Frankenstein, and found it hugely enjoyable.  I want a sequel.

6 of 10
B

Saturday, April 18, 2015


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Review: "Underworld: Awakening" is Not Quite Awake

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 5 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Underworld: Awakening (2012)
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence and gore, and for some language
DIRECTOR: Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein
WRITERS: Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, J. Michael Straczynski, and Allison Burnett; from a story by Len Wiseman (based upon characters created by Kevin Grevioux and Danny McBride and Len Wiseman)
PRODUCERS: Len Wiseman, Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg, and Richard Wright
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Scott Kevan
EDITOR: Jeff McEvoy
COMPOSER: Paul Haslinger

FANTASY/ACTION/HORROR with elements of sci-fi

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Michael Ealy, Stephen Rea, Theo James, India Eisley, Sandrine Holt, Charles Dance, and Kris Holden-Reid with Wes Bentley

Underworld: Awakening is a 2012 action horror film and is the fourth movie in the Underworld film franchise. Awakening is a direct sequel to the second installment, Underworld: Evolution (2006).

Six months after the events depicted in Evolution, humans discovered the existence of vampires and Lycans and began a war to eradicate the two races. Selene (Kate Beckinsale), the vampire Death Dealer, was captured and imprisoned in cryogenic suspension (put on ice, so to speak) during this war. She awakens 12 years later and manages to escape from Antigen, the facility where she was imprisoned. Selene has returned to a world that believes that vampires and Lycans are no more, but is this true?

Selene discovers that another test subject escaped from Antigen, a girl named Eve (India Eisley) who has a shocking connection to Selene. Now, the Death Dealer must protect Eve from the head scientist at Antigen, Dr. Jacob Lane (Stephen Rea), who wants to experiment on Eve. Selene allies with a young vampire named David (Theo James), but his father, Thomas (Charles Dance), considers Selene and Eve a danger to his coven. Meanwhile, Detective Sebastian (Michael Ealy), a human, has inadvertently discovered a conspiracy that threatens both humans and vampires.

First, I must admit that Underworld: Awakening is now the least of the four Underworld films. I say “least” instead of “worst” because I like this franchise, and the movie isn’t that bad. Truthfully, though, the first half of Awakening is a disaster; it’s as if a director had a big budget and still produced a cheesy, sci-fi horror flick destined for a Saturday night premiere on the Syfy channel. In the second half, when the screenplay unleashes Selene and allows her to be the ass-kicking Death Dealer we all know and love, then, the film comes to life and manages a decent finish.

Two other things of note: Awakening takes the mayhem and violence of this series to new heights, even for a franchise about werewolves and vampires. There is a level of gore here that will make even some hardened veterans of science fiction/fantasy/horror violence catch their breath. Secondly, the supporting characters are entirely wasted. What is the point of even having Michael Ealy’s Detective Sebastian in the movie; did the producers/studio just want a black guy in the movie? The character is actually good and has potential, but like the others, he is under-utilized.

Underworld: Awakening is actually something of a rebirth of the franchise, as it essentially starts the story on a fresh path. That’s not why this movie is a misfire. Underworld: Awakening is simply half a decent movie that has to drag along a really bad other half.

5 of 10
C+

Sunday, January 22, 2012

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"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" Rises on Its Own

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – R for bloody violence and some sexuality
DIRECTOR: Patrick Tatopoulos
WRITERS: Danny McBride, Dirk Blackman, and Howard McCain; from a story by Len Wiseman, Robert Orr, and Danny McBride (based on characters created by Kevin Grevioux, and Len Wiseman, and Danny McBride)
PRODUCERS: Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg, Skip Williamson, Len Wiseman, and Richard S. Wright
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ross Emery
EDITORS: Peter Amundson and Eric Potter
COMPOSER: Paul Haslinger

HORROR/FANTASY/ACTION/ROMANCE

Starring: Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Steven Mackintosh, Kevin Grevioux, David Aston, and Elizabeth Hawthorne

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is a 2009 American vampire/werewolf fantasy film. It is the third film in the Underworld film series and is also a prequel to the first two films, Underworld (2003) and Underworld: Evolution (2006). Rise of the Lycans is part origin story and also depicts how the Vampire-Lycan war (the centerpiece of the original film) began.

Rise of the Lycans opens in the Dark Ages of Europe. Viktor (Bill Nighy) is the ruthless elder lord of a vampire coven. Human nobles pay him to protect them from the ravenous, uncontrollable werewolves that are unable to return to their original human form. One day, a female werewolf gives birth to human child who grows up to be Lucian (Michael Sheen), the first werewolf able to take human form. Viktor uses Lucian to create a new breed of werewolf that can keep guard over the coven during the daylight hours, a breed Viktor calls “Lycans.”

Lucian and Viktor’s daughter, Sonja (Rhona Mitra), are in a relationship that they struggle to keep hidden. Lucian also begins to struggle with the way Viktor and the other vampires treat his werewolf brothers. After he encounters Raze (Kevin Grevioux), a brave human destined to be turned into a werewolf, Lucian is inspired to plot a revolution. Love and revolution, however, may cost Lucian and Sonja everything.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is essentially a stand alone film. One need not have seen the first two films in order to enjoy Rise of the Lycans. In a way, this film’s story is like an aristocratic melodrama in which a noble lord’s precious daughter has a forbidden romance with the help or, in this case, a werewolf slave. This movie is as much about its themes of mixed race romance, racism, discrimination, and exploitation as it is about the tropes of modern vampire versus werewolf fiction. That makes Rise of the Lycans different from the other Underworld films, but not necessarily inferior, although I do think that it is the least of the three in terms of quality.

As a big fan of the series, I can say that I liked Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, and Michael Sheen’s vigorous and physical performance gives the film much dramatic credibility. Rhona Mitra and the reliable Bill Nighy also deliver sturdy performances. Director Patrick Tatopoulos is straight-forward, seeming to care more about the film than showing off to prove what a hotshot fantasy film director he is.

6 of 10
B

Thursday, January 19, 2012

"Underworld: Evolution" Also Slick, Sexy and Cool

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


Underworld: Evolution (2006)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive strong violence and gore, some sexuality/nudity, and language
DIRECTOR: Len Wiseman
WRITERS: Danny McBride; based upon a story by Danny McBride and Len Wiseman (based upon characters created by Kevin Grevioux and Danny McBride and Len Wiseman)
PRODUCERS: Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg, and Richard Wright
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Simon Duggan
EDITOR: Nicolas De Toth

FANTASY/ACTION/HORROR with elements of sci-fi

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Tony Curran, Bill Nighy, Derek Jacobi, Shane Brolly, Michael Sheen, and Steven Mackintosh

After the chaos at the end of Underworld, the war between the vampires and the lycans (werewolves) has taken a backseat to unlocking the secrets to the beginnings of the ancient feud. Vampire heroine, Selene (Kate Beckinsale), a Death Dealer (one who hunts lycans), and Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), the human who became a lycan/vampire hybrid, have found their quest to unlock the secrets of their bloodlines hampered by the reawakening of Marcus (Tony Curran), the first vampire – also a powerful hybrid.

Marcus is hunting for the crypt where his brother William, the first werewolf, has been imprisoned for eight centuries. That also means Marcus must uncover the machinations of Viktor (Bill Nighy), the vampire lord who imprisoned William and who was killed at the end of the first film. [Viktor only appears in this film via flashbacks). Marcus is willing to kill anyone who stands in his way, including Selene, Michael… and Alexander Corvinus (Derek Jacobi), who is Marcus and William’s father and the man who was the first immortal.

Underworld: Evolution, as a sequel, is like Superman II to Superman and Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn to Star Trek: The Motion Picture, more kick-ass than the original. I would call Evolution better than its predecessor. Although this film is even more of an action flick than the first, the two films are different. Whereas the first could be seen as some kind of riff on the Blade films with a twist of Goth style and music video cool, Underworld: Evolution has the explosiveness of a Lethal Weapon movie or a Michael Bay film (say, The Rock or Bad Boys II). It’s a fantasy mini-epic, but more video game fantasy than Tolkien.

The acting is as good as before. Kate Beckinsale is as magnetic and as alluring as the sexist action babe or femme fatale, and she can give a beat down that would make Charles Bronson proud. Scott Speedman is a solid leading man, and he plays second fiddle to Ms. Beckinsale without disappearing; he actually makes us miss him when he’s off screen. The music is better, and there is a nice addition to the costumes in the form of the vampire war armor. The film’s hues are warmer than in the first film – the better to fit Evolution’s hot passions and blood feuds.

But the architects of the film’s success remain director Len Wiseman and screenwriter Danny McBride; they seem to hit all the right notes. Here, it’s the fabulous and intricate back-story of the vampires and lycans that engages the viewer as much as the visual pyrotechnics and theatrics that Wiseman pumps into the film. If there is any reason for this franchise to continue, it’s certainly to see the twists, turns, and surprises that McBride and Wiseman may have in store. In the meantime, Underworld: Evolution simultaneously satisfies and whets the appetite. It will only take a few minutes of this excellent entertainment to make the viewer want to invest himself in the wild ride.

8 of 10
A

Saturday, January 21, 2006

"Underworld" Still Slick, Sexy and Cool

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 145 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux


Underworld (2003)
Running time: 121 minutes (2 hours, 1 minute)
MPAA – R for strong violence/gore and some language
DIRECTOR: Len Wiseman
WRITERS: Danny McBride, from a story by Kevin Grevioux, Danny McBride, and Len Wiseman
PRODUCERS: Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg, and Richard Wright
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tony Pierce-Roberts
EDITOR: Martin Hunter
COMPOSER: Paul Haslinger

HORROR/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Shane Brolly, Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Erwin Leder, Sophia Myles, Danny McBride, and Kevin Grevioux

Underworld is a 2003 action/fantasy film about a war between vampires and werewolves (called Lycans). I believe that this film exists in a fantasy world that looks so good and convincing on screen because of modern cinematic technology.

Quite a few people have come to believe that computers generated special effects have elevated what was once traditional Hollywood B-movie material (science fiction, fantasy, horror, etc.) to A-list status. Once upon a time quality story telling was king because even the best that special effects could do no more than make an obviously fake flying saucer look like an obviously fake flying saucer. Now, special effects can convincingly create fantastic worlds, outlandish creatures, and bizarre scenarios. A plain old movie drama pales next to some two-and-a-half hour vampire, car chase, kung fu, and alien invasion action movie.

I’d like to believe that Underworld, with its straight-forward tale about a centuries-long blood feud between werewolves and vampires, could still be very entertaining without the aid of computer generated effects (CGI) or any kind of SFX, for that matter. There’s no doubt that the movie proudly wears its B-movie heritage on its sleeve, and the creators sold the studio on the movie by pitching the idea, “Romeo and Juliet with vampires and werewolves.” Truthfully, very little about Underworld vampire/werewolf conflict makes much sense. The feud only seems a reason for Vampires to walk around in fancy and expensive leather gear and shoot hundreds of rounds of ammunitions. For the werewolves, or Lycans as they called in this film, the conflict gives them a reason to hide in the city’s underbelly, crawling around like low-rent thugs and thieves and engage in homoerotic intra clan feuds, as there are apparently no female Lycans.

Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is a death dealer, a Vampire warrior who hunts the Lycans. The Lycans were supposed to be on the run ever since their great leader Lucian (Michael Sheen) was killed six centuries prior, but the war never ended. Selene’s people are clan of secretive, modern sophisticates, as much dilettantes as they are vampires, and she alone seems to hold a hard line against the Lycans. Now, Selene has found the werewolves tracking a handsome young human man named Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), and she is determined to discover why, even as she suspects her clan leader Kraven (Shane Brolly) is involved in a great conspiracy that could endanger all of her kind.

Visually, Underworld resembles The Matrix films, and stylistically the story is quite similar to the Blade films (maybe even a bit of The Crow), but director Len Wiseman and his cohorts create their own crazy dish from the various sources they raided to concoct Underworld. It’s by no means a great movie, and the acting is as much unintentionally funny as it is dreadfully serious. It’s oh-so-dark and oh-so-seriously gothic and Goth, and the dialogue is so stiff and formal that I can almost swear that no character spoke one word of contraction.

Still, though this film is ponderous and painfully derivative, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I found Underworld to be quite good, and I’ll see it again. I can’t imagine that many fans of genre films would not see it, though many may actually not like it. For me, it’s one of those “ultimate” popcorn flicks – horror, fantasy, and action all put together and filmed as if it were a very, very, very long music video. It’s gloriously and hilariously dark eye candy for the comic book and sci-fi geeks. The nitpicker in me might sneer, but the film geek in me wants more. I’ll take it warts and all.

7 of 10
B+

Review: "Underworld: Unrated Extended Cut" is For Hardcore Fans (Happy B'day, Kate Beckinsale)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 17 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Underworld (2003)
2 Disc Unrated Extended Cut – May 25, 2004
Running time: 134 minutes (2 hours,14 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Len Wiseman
WRITERS: Danny McBride; from a story by Kevin Grevioux and Danny McBride Len Wiseman
PRODUCERS: Tom Rosenburg, Gary Lucchesi, and Richard Wright
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tony Pierce-Roberts, BSC
EDITOR: Martin Hunter

ACTION/DRAMA/FANTASY/HORROR/THRILLER

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Michael Sheen, Shane Brolly, Bill Nighy, Erwin Leder, Sophia Myles, Robby Gee, Wentworth Miller, and Kevin Grevioux

In the 2003 film, Underworld, there has been a war between the Vampire and Lycan (Werewolf) clans for about 1000 years. The film focuses on Selene (Kate Beckinsale), a young vampire warrior known as a Death Dealer. The Death Dealers are the ones who hunt, track, and kill Lycans. During a hunt at the beginning of the film, she discovers two Lycans following a young American medical intern, Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman). Michael is the key to the Lycan leader, Lucian’s (Michael Sheen), plot to unite the two warring species, but Selene discovers that Michael is also advertently a link to a centuries-old conspiracy between Lucian and the Vampire’s current leader, Kraven (Shane Brolly). As the web of conspiracy broadens, Selene must use her resourcefulness and martial skills to save her clan and Michael.

Underworld (2 Disc Unrated Extended Cut) contains 12 minutes of extra footage, which amounts to more backstory on Michael Corvin and the Lycans, a new battle scene at the end, and a subplot involving the sexy and catty, Erika (Sophia Myles). There is also 11 minutes of recut or “replacement footage.” According to Wiseman’s commentary, this is not a “director’s cut,” because he cut the 12 minutes in the original film for pacing, and as he says, you’ll hardly notice the difference, as I didn’t.

I liked the film the first time I saw it and I like it even more the second time. The movie is a blend of Blade, The Crow, and The Matrix. Conceptually, it borrows from the Blade franchise, but visually, it’s takes from The Crow and absolutely leans on and loots The Matrix. However, it is a superbly made bit of fluff that is divinely tasty eye candy. Although the concept and script are full of holes, it’s kind of like a gorgeous looking high-concept music video with much more story than music video normally have. By the way, “unrated” doesn’t mean we get to see skin from Ms. Beckinsale. This is a must-have for hardcore fans of the film, even if it means dumping the first DVD edition.

7 of 10
A-

NOTES:
DVD includes a 48-page Underworld comic book and a 16-page production sketch booklet, which contains several storyboard-to-screen comparisons. Disc 1 contains the extended cut of the film with (1) director and cast (Ms. Beckinsale and Speedman) commentaries; (2) outtakes; (3) the American Movie Classic (AMC) television special “Fang vs. Fiction”; (4) two TV spots; (4) and previews of four (then) upcoming movies distributed by Sony Pictures. Disc 2 has several features including a music video by the band Finch (“Worms of the Earth”) and several looks at designing the look and sounds of the film.

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John Singleton to Adapt Kevin Grevioux Graphic Novel for Television

The following Negro movie news comes from an article at AOL Black Voices "BV on Movies" blog:

John Singleton is reportedly going to direct a television miniseries for EPIX TV, a premium movie channel owned by Studio 3 Partners, a joint venture between Paramount Pictures, MGM and Lionsgate.  The series is called "The Gray Men" and is based on a new graphic novel by actor Kevin Grevioux.


Grevioux wrote the original screenplay for the 2003 film, Underworld, although Grevioux was excluded from contributing to the screenplays for the Underworld sequels.  Grevioux played the werewolf, Raze, in the original film.  Grevioux also writes comic books for his own line of comics and also for Marvel Comics, including the series, New Warriors and Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel.  As of this writing, "The Gray Men" has not been published.
"The Gray Man" is apparently a period piece set in the 1960s, and looks at a time when the government was recruiting young African-American college students to infiltrate radicals groups, including the Black Panthers.

Grevioux reportedly has another film, "I, Frankenstein," in pre-production.  Scheduled to start shooting this summer, "I, Frankenstein" is based on the comic book series from Darkstorm Comics and features Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, among others.  Patrick Tatopoulos, who directed Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, will helm this live-action feature with Grevioux, Robert Sanchez, and Lakeshore Entertainment (which produced Underworld) serving as producers.