This paper analyses the film Underworld: Awakening in terms of the three act structure and then compares it to two other films watched in class, namely: The Big Lebowski and American Gangster. This movie was the fourth in the Underworld sequel and was released on 20th January 2012. It was among the first films to garner more $ 100 million in revenues that year. It was the most watched of the four films in Underworld sequel. It fits well in the horror films genre but may as well fit as an action and science fiction movie.
The film begins with a voice over narration by the main character, Selene. She recounts the events that have occurred in two of the three earlier films in the sequel. The setting at the beginning of the film is in the year 2015. The vampires and Lycans have been discovered to exist among the humans, and the humans are out to exterminate them (Underworld: Awakening, 2012). Selene narrates of how so many have been killed by humans using weapons that are fatal to the two supernatural creatures. The weapon against the vampires is ultraviolet light while the Lycans are annihilated by silver.
Despite being a vampire, Selene is immune to UV light as a result of the gift of immortality received from Corvinus, the father of the immortal creatures. Michael, her lover, is also immune being a hybrid of the two creatures. Selene and Michael are about to escape from the humans that are hunting them only to be captured and getting cryogenically frozen. She remains in that state for twelve years in a laboratory facility named Antigen. The purpose of her retention there is to apparently create an antidote to counter vampires and Lycans viruses. She is freed by ‘subject 2’ herself being referred to as ‘subject 1.’ upon getting freed, she springs into action and escapes using her supernatural abilities (Underworld: Awakening, 2012). She instinctively assumes that subject 2 is Michael, and they can telepathically see through each other’s eyes.
The first quarter and act of the film comes to an end when Selene assails one of the doctors from Antigen and gets the revelation that subject two is her daughter and not Michael. She sets out to search for her daughter, which ushers the viewers into the action packed middle half of the film. In the confrontation act of the film, she comes across David, one of the few remaining vampires who offers to assist her after a brief confrontation. They find a young girl being pursued by Lycans, even though it had earlier on been presumed they were extinct. After a fighting off and killing the Lycans, they realize that the young girl has been bitten. David offers to have her taken to the cavern where his family and a group of other vampires reside and have her healed. Once inside, David’s father expresses his disappointment at having Selene in their premises and gives them an ultimatum to leave that place immediately after the girl is healed (Underworld: Awakening, 2012).
This girl is a hybrid and a daughter to Selene and her hybrid lover, Michael. The sight of her floods Selene with sentimental memories of the moments shared with Michael. She is at a loss as to why Lycans are after her hybrid daughter. David is troubled too. He can hardly believe that he has just fought Lycans earlier that day, while they have been documented as totally extinct for over three years (Underworld: Awakening, 2012). There is also another person who is troubled by the goings on at the moment: Detective Sebastian. He is distrustful of the Antigen officials. They have denied him information regarding their activities and are unwilling to admit that Selene has escaped from captivity.
The second act approaches a climax after the vampires cavern is attached and overrun by Lycans. Selene tries to fight them off but is overcome by a super Lycan that is bigger and stronger than all the rest. It knocks her unconscious. She wakes up to find that her daughter has been traded off to the Lycans and David fatally wounded. Selene restores David to life using her special blood and skills. She then leaves the cavern for her daughter. It is at this point that Selene comes across Detective Sebastian who becomes her ally (Underworld: Awakening, 2012). He reveals to her his suspicions that persons in the government are protecting the lycans. Scenes at Antigen further confirm this suspicion. The viewer comes to learn that the hybrid girl’s genetic code is being used to create a serum that increases the strength of Lycans and makes them immune to silver. The identity of the Super Lycan is also unveiled: it is Quint, son to the head of Antigen Corporation.
The third act begins as Selene and Sebastian plan to invade Antigen premises to save Eve, the hybrid daughter. Selene also harbors the hopes of rescuing Michael from the cryogenic fluid. Being immune to the sun, Selene attacks during the daytime when she is least expected. She sabotages an operation on Eve that is expected to produce the serum in large quantities for the Lycans. David shows up for reinforcement and Eve wakes up to fight for her life. Selene faces the super lycan once more and kills it by planting a silver bomb in its belly (Underworld: Awakening, 2012). Having rescued her daughter, Selene seeks out Michael only to find that he has disappeared. The film ends on a somber note as a voice over from Selene narrates that she, Michael and Eve plan on reclaiming back their world from humans.
In comparison to The Big Lebowski, Underworld Awakening is more serious in nature in contrast with the hilarious nature of the former. The Big Lebowski has a complicated plot with numerous subplots that may confuse the viewer as the film progresses. All the sub-plots come to converge at the end of the movie such that the earlier scenes begin to make sense (The Big Lebowski, 1998). The deception of the characters in The Big Lebowski such as the millionaire and his nympho wife can be comparable to the deception of the lycans in Awakening. The Big Lebowski has a conclusive end while Awakening leaves one hungering for more.
The American Gangster is a biographical film about the rise and fall of a Harlem gangster called Frank Lucas. The first acts entails Lucas gaining the leadership of the Harlem gangs and his good fortunes after he is able to get pure heroin from Thailand shipped using the planes of returning service men from Vietnam. The second half of the film is about the conflict that Lucas has with other crime families in the area and the DEA being onto him. The second act comes to climax after Lucas is set up by his cousin that has been fixed by the police. The supply of heroin is cut after the fall of Saigon and the very last supplies are intercepted by the police (American Gangster, 2007). Frank Lucas is taken into custody signaling the end of the confrontation act. The resolution act finds Lucas being grilled by the police till he breaks and rats out the other persons involved in the drugs ring in exchange for a reduced sentence.
American Gangster differs from awakening in terms of the realism in it. Awakening is pure fiction. American gangster takes about double the screen time taken by Awakening. The heroine in Awakening carries the day, but fails to get her lover. This would be comparable to Lucas’ fall from grace and the desperate attempt to have his prison term reduced from 70 year to 15 (American Gangster, 2007). The most appealing aspect of Awakening is the special effects which appear so real and are very entertaining. The ability to intertwine a good story about a mother in search of her daughter and the dramatic fight scenes is simply extraordinary.
References
American Gangster. (2007). [film] Hollywood: Imagine Entertainment, Scott Free Productions, Relativity Media.
The Big Lebowski. (1998). [film] Hollywood: Working Title Films, Bitter Creek Productions Inc, Polygram Filmed Entertainment.
Underworld: Awakening. (2012). [film] Hollywood: Lakeshore Entertainment, Sketch Films.
