Category: Good

Messages and Meaning

Underworld: Blood Wars is a strange mix of good ideas for character development and the complete undermining of the original love story.

The concept of northern vampires is fantastic. They are a conservative community that lives in isolation from the rest of the world and has its own philosophy of life. Their aesthetic is both light and dark, creating an elven vibe mixed with vampire energy. It took us five films, but finally we have the chance to see something about the spiritual world of vampires and their connection to the afterlife. The Northerners know not only the secrets of blood, but also those of water, which is a good motif and gives even more meaning to the vampire world.

The story with Selene deepens, focusing on her spiritual evolution, while David discovers his roots and develops as a character.

Underworld: Blood Wars, however, completely fails with its villains as well as in respecting the past.

Yet another arbitrary werewolf who’s supposedly very scary because he unites the other werewolves under his rule. But that was Lucian’s storyline. And while Lucian is perfection, Marius is just one of the many mediocre archetypal villains we’ve grown painfully tired of.

The parallels between Marius and Luchan continue in that Marius also has a relationship with a vampire, but unlike the dignified inter-species romances in the previous films, here we have a toxic relationship between an abuser and a foolish airhead.

And worst of all, Michael. Is it really that hard to just say, “No one knows where he is,” and be done with it? Does the character who started it all have to be captured, killed, and devoured by some insignificant werewolf? What kind of humiliation is that? If it weren’t for that, the film’s good ideas could have taken it to the top, but Michael’s resolution is so bad that it drags the film right back down to the bottom.

Plot

The plot of Underworld: Blood Wars is reasonably well-constructed. Although it follows the structure of the previous films in a rather predictable way, the story isn’t boring.

Celine decides to become a combat instructor for vampires, which is a cool premise. However, it quickly takes a turn after an unexpected betrayal, and the main character once again finds herself at the center of the power struggle – both between vampires and werewolves, and among the vampires themselves. And while at this stage in the series we needed new twists and different directions for the story, the classic formula was still executed well.

Characters

Celine – Celine acquires new skills and grows as a person. She continues her evolution not only by gaining strength, but also by discovering the wisdom of surrendering to the mysteries of nature and trusting in the energy of life.

David – David develops as a character and proves himself worthy of Amelia’s legacy.

Lena – Lena is an unexpected portrayal of a vampire priestess who is both a worthy warrior and a sage who respects balance and nature.

Semira – Semira could have been an interesting character. If she had been given meaningful reasons for wanting to go out into the sun, she could have been a fighter for individual freedom above all else. Instead, Semira is reduced to a greedy bitch.

Important details

It’s clever of Celine to find a way to herself through water. Blood and water are variations of the same life-giving force, and it’s exciting to see vampires get excited about water, not just blood.

When Semira drinks from the bowl of blood, she spills half of it on the floor, which is monstrously foolish. A vampire would never waste blood. Especially blood as precious as Celine’s.

If Semira had been a more developed character, Celine’s memories could have unlocked new aspects of her personality as well, but alas.

The final vampire council featuring Celine, David, and Lena is actually a very well-balanced leadership council, rather than just the clichéd placement of the main characters in leadership positions.