Every War Has A Beginning
The bloody, gothic world of the vampires versus the werewolves is told in an “origins” format - depicting the start of the feud between the two nightmarish clans which would give birth to the darkened franchise.
Existing almost completely without Kate Beckinsale (save for an introduction), this threequel prequel (still with me?) tells us the story of how the Lycans came to be a formidable enemy for the ruling Vampires. At first the werewolves are kept under strict control by their blood-sucking masters, especially when their most powerful member, Lucian, is used as a weapon against his own (out of loyalty to the vampires who spared his life).
However, Lucian loses favour with his vampire masters, after breaking free from the fortress where he is held prisoner, in order to save his lover (who happens to be the head vampire’s daughter). Lucian is thrown back into the pit of downtrodden werewolves where he finds a new resolve and ambition - to bring about the rise of the Lycans.
It is all very melodramatic stuff - lots of posturing, gory make-up and even gorier fight scenes, but this third film in the franchise offers little in the way of originality - or even any improvement upon the previous films. The plot is still tiresomely thick, weaving through heavy verse-like stages of the history between these clans with a reckless attention to details, and the over-acting becomes quite distracting as the film develops.
Strength lies in the special effects, especially the moments where men turn into werewolves, but even this does not have the majesty of a film like An American Werewolf in London (whose transformation scene is still the one to beat).
The film misses Beckinsale, who gave the previous films a humanity it sorely needs, and the fact that she returned for the fourth film is testament to her necessity.
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