Underworld

A gothic saga of a nasty feud between vampires and Lycans (werewolves), Kate Beckinsale stars as the pleather-clad vampire warrior Selene who stumbles upon an obscure plot involving the capture of a human, Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), by the aforementioned Lycans. In an effort to determine what her enemies want with Corvin, Selene begins to stalk him herself, unintentionally growing attached him. As the plot thickens, Selene becomes increasingly uneasy, and calls on the help of vampire elder Viktor (a particularly pale Bill Nighy). But Selene's allegations seem farfetched, and no one gives credit to her fears, forcing her to find proof on her own. "It's not a gory movie," director Len Wiseman casually asserts in "The Making of Underworld," a claim undermined by the frequent punctuation of the hoary landscape by the vibrant crimson of oozing blood. That and the constant rain of gunfire. (One would have presumed a supernatural scuffle would have warranted something a little more sci-fi than semi-automatics.) "The Making of Underworld" is a fairly good survey, if you don't have the time for "Creative Effects," "Stunts" and "Sights and Sounds." "Creative Effects" is a tribute to the painstaking efforts of this action/horror team to create realistic creatures, with werewolf effects involving animatronics, stilts, and the threading of coarse hairs into foam heads by hand. "Stunts" features Beckinsale — the former prima donna usually partial to roles created by Henry James or the Bard — performing gymnastics and firing rounds of blanks while scampering across gym mats. "Sights and Sounds" is a nostalgic film album of the cast and crew, really only relevant to those who know who the hell the people in the pics are. (And that's not us.) Special features also include the standard commentary by the director and writer, and by the technical wizard too. Poised for a sequel, as well as a prequel, at one point in the "Making of" featurette, Nighy predicts the possibility of Underworld being the greatest vampire movie of recent times. Certainly an optimistic, if not delusional, statement; it did help Wiseman score Beckinsale, who announced their engagement last July. Never underestimate the power of pleather. (Columbia/Sony)