Tagline: Every war has a beginning.
More than a thousand years before the events of the original Underworld, two races of preternatural beings came into being, each springing from the bloodlines of a different son of the original Immortal, Alexander Corvinus. Vampires, arising from the Markus line, became elegant, aristocratic, cunning blood drinkers.
Werewolves, from the William line, became savage beasts, with no trace of humanity left – and an insatiable appetite for violence. The Vampires came to dominate the local region – the wild lands in what is now western Hungary – with their superior intelligence, strength, and political skill. But even they feared the werewolves, who, though incapable of organization and higher thought, were capable of immense strength and savagery.
And then another genetic fluke transformed the balance of power again: a female werewolf, captive in the Vampire stronghold, gave birth to a seemingly human child. This was Lucian (Michael Sheen) – the first Lycan, born into slavery in the house of Viktor (Bill Nighy), the supremely powerful Vampire leader.
Unlike “William’s Kind”, the original werewolves, this Lycan was able to take the form of either man or beast at will. Lucian’s bloodline was used by Viktor to create an entirely new breed of slaves, abused by the Vampires as laborers and guards during the vulnerable daylight hours, and prevented from transforming by the silver-spiked moonshackles kept locked around their necks.
Viktor reigns over his slaves, his court and his domains with an iron hand. He loves only two things: power, and his beautiful but willful daughter Sonja (Rhona Mitra). Each night, Sonja rides with the Death Dealers, an elite squad of Vampire soldiers that protect Viktor’s domain against the marauding werewolves. But unknown to her father or any of her peers, Sonja has fallen in love with Lucian, now a skilled blacksmith and weapons-maker in the Vampire castle. Their affair must be conducted in the utmost secret, since if discovered, it would mean certain death for both of them.
When Lucian reveals that he has found a way to remove his moonshackle and gain his freedom, Viktor resolves to destroy him like a disobedient animal. In a thrilling sequence, Lucian manages rally the other Lycans and escape from the Vampire dungeons – with Sonja’s help. Refusing to abandon his beloved, Lucian assembles a ragtag army of escaped Lycans, slaves and werewolves, returning to challenge Vampire rule and rescue Sonja. The attack and its aftermath ignite an all-out war that will burn between the races for centuries to come.
Read the Full Production Notes
Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans
Starring: Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Steven Mackintosh, Kevin Grevioux, David Ashton, Geraldine Brophy
Directed by: Patrick Tatopoulos
Screenplay by: Danny McBride
Release Date: January 23, 2009
MPAA Rating: R for bloody violence and some sexuality.
Studio: Sony ScreenGems
Box Office Totals
Domestic: $45,802,315 (51.5%)
Foreign: $43,218,880 (48.5%)
Total: $89,021,195 (Worldwide)