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UNDERWORLD 3: THE RISE OF THE LYCANSMovie Reviews
Prequel action adventure about the ancient war between the vampiric Death Dealers and their werewolf counterparts, the Lycans. Cast:Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Steven Mackintosh, Kevin GreviouxDirector:Patrick TatopoulosRelease Date:January 23, 2009DVD Release:May 12, 2009From:Sony PicturesRating:RLength:1 hr. 32 min.
MAY 12, 2009
Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans, Weak Reviews
Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans played to weak reviews. • Clark Collis wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "...humorless, scare-free... Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy do their best with the material, but this is easily the worst 'Underworld' so far." • And Norman Wilner wrote in Toronto Now, "...as dull as the others in the series..." More Reviews Below...
Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans Positive Reviews (14 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: WEAK "...ascends to scenery-devouring heights that obliterate the boundary between O.K. and awful. You may smile or cringe at Nighy's malefic majesty, but either way, you will savor it."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 924 words, 01/23/09
Clark Collis, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...humorless, scare-free... Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy do their best with the material, but this is easily the worst 'Underworld' so far."(See all of Clark Collis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 100 words, 01/29/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The highlight of this fantasy/horror hybrid is watching a pair of the best British character actors -- Bill Nighy and Michael Sheen -- shed their thespian respectability..."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 01/29/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (4 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There is, as it turns out, some benefit to having a real performance even in a formulaic entertainment like this, as shown by Mr. Sheen's commitment here..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 01/24/09
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "The action sequences accent incomprehensibility, but whenever Lucian gets lashed (and he gets lashed a lot), Patrick Tatopoulos spotlights the splatter."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 01/26/09
Jim Ridley, LA Weekly: POOR "...deadly prequel explaining the roots of the bloodsucker-fangface grudge match is a 92-minute detainment in Sucksylvania.... too glum and humorless..."(See all of Jim Ridley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 232 words, 01/29/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...as dull as the others in the series, with Nighy sneering and prancing around in ridiculous blue contact lenses while his vampire court quakes deferentially."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 01/22/09
KEY CITIES (2 Reviews)
Joel Brown, Boston Globe: POOR(cg) "Patrick Tatopoulos was responsible for the creature effects in the two earlier installments, but he's not great at staging fights or directing actors."(See all of Joel Brown's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 374 words, 01/26/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: WEAK(cg) "...would all be a complete bore if it weren't for the odd sparks of wit, and the sparks set off by Michael Sheen and B-picture queen Rhona Mitra."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 01/23/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Jim Ridley, LA Weekly: POOR "...deadly prequel explaining the roots of the bloodsucker-fangface grudge match is a 92-minute detainment in Sucksylvania.... too glum and humorless..."(See all of Jim Ridley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 232 words, 01/29/09
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "The first two chapters provided a backdrop against which Kate Beckinsale could look sleek and fetching as she hacked at werewolves and double-dealing vampires.... More of the same..."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 183 words, 01/29/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...as dull as the others in the series, with Nighy sneering and prancing around in ridiculous blue contact lenses while his vampire court quakes deferentially."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 227 words, 01/22/09
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...remarkable not because there's a whole lot going on -- in fact, you'll likely leave the theater thinking, 'That's it?' -- but because what little does happen makes sense."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 489 words, 01/29/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There is, as it turns out, some benefit to having a real performance even in a formulaic entertainment like this, as shown by Mr. Sheen's commitment here..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 01/24/09
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "The action sequences accent incomprehensibility, but whenever Lucian gets lashed (and he gets lashed a lot), Patrick Tatopoulos spotlights the splatter."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 01/26/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Joe Leydon, Daily Variety: GOOD "...a satisfyingly exciting monster rally that often plays like a period swashbuckler. Notably less frenetic (and appreciably more coherent) than its predecessors..."(See all of Joe Leydon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 590 words, 01/23/09
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...features sturdy performances by holdovers Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy as well as tidy, unfussy direction by first-timer Patrick Tatopoulos... should be to the fan base's lycan."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 392 words, 01/25/09
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "The action sequences accent incomprehensibility, but whenever Lucian gets lashed (and he gets lashed a lot), Patrick Tatopoulos spotlights the splatter."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 01/26/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "There is, as it turns out, some benefit to having a real performance even in a formulaic entertainment like this, as shown by Mr. Sheen's commitment here..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 01/24/09
24.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans's reviews are separated by an average 24.1 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans (14 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans's reviews cover 29.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 5,513 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 394 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans Coverage, Volume & Length (14 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 3 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans's reviews on average broke 3 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Underworld 3: The Rise of the Lycans (14 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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