[wp-review id=”75462″]

The vampires and the lycans have been in a power struggle for as long as either can remember.  Both the vampires and lycans are searching for Selene, an ex-dealer, and her daughter, Eve.  The vampires want them to take vengeance for killing elder vampires Viktor and Marcus.  The lycans want to find her daughter to breed a new, stronger army of lycans because the time to strike is now with the vampire’s numbers dwindling.  
 
UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS is Anna Foerster’s directorial debut in feature films.  She has done well as far as capturing the overall tone on the series with a good amount of action and the characters fitting into this world.  You can feel it in her direction that she also wants to make this movie stand for itself.  The transforming effects of the lycans has improved immensely since 2003 so they’ve become much more believable.  
 
The only thing that really threw me back a bit is that there are rarely any close-ups or at least not too close of Kate Beckinsale.  I get it, she has aged like any normal person but it gets noticeable after a while that the filmmakers blatantly avoid getting too close.  There is a smoothing technique that they use on her in post but I don’t feel like its necessary. In this world, vampires seem to age at a slower rate than humans so for her to have a few wrinkles here and there wouldn’t be unusual.
 
Cast
Kate Beckinsale – Selene
Theo James – David
Lara Pulver – Semira
Tobias Menzies – Marius
Bradley James – Varga
Peter Andersson – Vidar
James Faulkner – Cassius
 
 

VIDEO QUALITY:

Blu-ray:
The video is a 1080p AVC presentation that looks excellent.  The skin tones are natural and as warm you might expect from vampires.  They’re not pale and the color is warmer against the black clothing as well as the settings.  As for the other coloring, the blue in Selene’s eyes when she uses her vampire abilities practically glow against the dark tones.  The reds from the blood are also bold and as striking as they need to be.  With the blacks being inky, they’re deep and don’t swallow up the silhouettes of the characters.  instead, the contrasting makes the clothing look have definitive lines like something you might see in a comic book.  There are a few spots of crushing but nothing that pull you out of the viewing experience.
 
4k UHD:
The video is a 2160p HEVC that pushes the HDR.  As I mentioned with the Blu-ray transfer, the blacks are inky but they are even more impressive in the 4k transfer.  The contrast in the dark colors against the shadows create even better separations than the standard Blu-ray.  The details are richer and the colors are bolder; everything that you look for in a 4k release.  All around, the images are cleaner and look incredible in this format.
 

AUDIO QUALITY:

Blu-ray
The audio is a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix.  The effects such as the gunfire from both the pistols and the automatics sound fantastic.  They tend to hit the treble and bass at the proper time to give the right amount of feeling.  At the same time, the bullet movement in the sound field is well done in this mix but even better in the Atmos mix but I will get to that.  The music is typically some form of electronica that is well layered with the other sounds mixed in.  Also, the voices come through clearly and reproduced perfectly.  This is a solid mix for the Blu-ray.
 
4k UHD:
The audio is a Dolby Atmos mix hat defaults to a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix depending on your equipment.  The Atmos mix hits harder and cleaner than the Blu-ray but, to be fair, it’s tough to compare an “older” mix to the latest.  It makes the audio have an expanded sound field and making the movements wider and  closer at the same time.  The bullets whiz smoothly across the speakers.  The effects feel more realistic and prove that this format makes the film feel more real.

SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING

-The Evolution of Selene: This is a featurette about how Selene has changed from the first film until now.
 
-Old & New Blood: This looks at the main characters Lena, Thomas, David, and Vidar.
 
-The Evil Evolved: This looks at the villains from the film such as Cassius, Alexia, Semira, Varga, Marius. 
 
-Building a Blood War: This featurette discusses the parallels between this and the first film while this movie keeps his own style.
 
-Underworld: Blood Wars Graphic Novel: These are the still images set to music of the graphic novel.
 
-Previews
 
Disc Details
2-disc set w/1 4k UHD disc and 1 Blu-ray disc
Digital copy
slipcover is included with the first pressing
 
Running Time
91 mins
 
Edition Ratings
Rated R
 
Region Coding
Region A
 
Blu-ray
Video Resolution
1080p AVC MPEG-4
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
 
Audio Mixes
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French (Canada) DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
 
Subtitles
English
English SDH
French
 
4k UHD
Video Resolution
2160p HEVC / H.265
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
 
Audio Mixes
English Dolby Atmos
English Dolby TrueHD 7.1
French (Canada) DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
 
Subtitles
English
English SDH
French

THE BOTTOM LINE:

This film is a huge improvement from the previous one with a better story and characters.  It is pretty much what you always want from the next installment in a series.  Also, the CG effects have caught up to the demand needed to add some realism to the imaginary creatures.  The Blu-ray looks superb and the 4k UHD kicks it up a few notches with the richer blacks, coloring, and details.  The audio is powerful on both formats but there’s realism in the Dolby Atmos that sounds great.  The extras are about average considering the length of this series and the additions to the cast.  If the previous film soured your opinion of the film series, this one should reaffirm your faith in Selene’s awesomeness.  I highly recommend picking this up in either format.