Underworld: Awakening

Right now you can watch Underworld: Awakening in Australia on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel, and in the UK on Amazon Prime Video — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Kate Beckinsale's performance is the anchor the more ambitious scenes need. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel.

Underworld: Awakening is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. Underworld: Awakening uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. Having escaped years of imprisonment, vampire warrioress Selene finds herself in a changed world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. Now Selene must battle the humans and a frightening new breed of super Lycans to ensure the death dealers' survival. Kate Beckinsale and Stephen Rea lead a cast that keeps the bigger ideas grounded in something human. It was released in 2012. The rules of Underworld: Awakening's world are consistent enough that the big swings never feel like cheating. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, Underworld: Awakening fits the bill. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Kate Beckinsale grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Once you are in, you will want to talk about it.