First, the Recap:
Having lost her one true love, Michael Corvin, while being forced to separate from her newly discovered daughter Eve, vampire warrior Selene (Kate Beckinsale) faces her newest challenge in the form of rising Lycan leader Marius (Tobias Menzies) while exposing possible internal betrayal from the scheming vampire Semira (Lara Pulver). Aided by her new ally David (Theo James) and his father Thomas (Charles Dance), Selene must find a way to finally put an end to the Lycan/Vampire war once and for all, while seeking a peace within herself she’s never truly had. But, with dangers looming all around and still having her loyalty questioned by the ruling council of elders, proving her worth yet again while attempting to protect her race may cause Selene to face her own demise.
Worth Seeing: Meh and No
Despite presenting a new helmer, Anna Foerster, in the lead chair along with the return of the series’ eternal heroine, this fifth installment in the action/horror franchise, unlike many of its fictional supernatural characters, is very much showing its finite age. The film is by far, for this reviewer, the weakest entry to date, and honestly, even Beckinsale looks tired of the iconic role of Death Dealer Selene. I have always loved the character, and it’s hard to see her go out with a whimper.
Decent performances are turned in by Menzies, James, Pulver, and Dance, but even the action sequences are simply falling into too much of “been there, bitten that”, with any real originality turned to ash. The concept was fresh back in 2003 when the first film arrived, but again, it’s all worn out now and makes it abundantly clear that it’s time to hang up the claws and fangs, to hence disappear into the everlasting night.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
