Kate Beckinsale stars in this energetic, myth-based horror movie, setting the comic world on fire by donning black leather in her fight against a werewolf horde. While weak in story, the stylish gunfights create memorable visuals, and the superb werewolf suits are worth watching for fans of practical effects.

Part of the problem with both of the Underworld movies is their story. The light plot only serves to give purpose to the action and fails to dig deep into the mythology the films are presenting. Forget what you used to know about vampires. Might as well forget everything you ever knew about werewolves, too.

Though some of the classic mythology remains, now vampires are sophisticated creatures living a lavish life. The werewolves are thugs, simply trying to survive and one day become the dominant species of the two. This good versus evil battle can only carry the viewer along for a time.

That said, it's a nice take on the mythological creatures and gives the movie its own sense of style. Of course, with some of the insane camera movements, dark colors, and over the top action, it has plenty of style before you even know this.

The movie runs over two hours long, made even longer thanks to this unrated edition. It drags in quite a few places and with an extra 13 minutes of footage, it's even worse. The time could have been better spent digging into the history of this war, or how the creatures came to be. The special effects are spotty as well, occasionally using some painfully obvious CG. Still, there is some great action here, all filmed in a superb style.

With its flashy action and kinetic style, this would be an immediate pick for any HD presentation. That said, this is an oppressively dark movie, drenched in shades of blue. The contrast is striking, though some will be left unimpressed by the lack of blistering color associated with HD.

The disc maintains the intended presentation with stunning sharpness and clarity. Details that can be seen behind the rich black levels are spectacular. Close-ups of the monster suits are flawless in picking up everything the special effects department put into them.

Likewise, the uncompressed PCM mix is killer. Tiny, typically lost pieces to the audio are noticeable, including bullets leaving the gun on the left, and hitting their target on the right. You can hear the trail. Other impressive showings include a late sequence involving a whip in which the ropes hit every speaker as they twirl around, and the deep bass when the werewolves take their steps.

Originally, the unrated DVD release came on two discs, though Blu-ray crams everything onto one. A commentary track with Kate Beckinsale, director Len Wiseman, and Scott Speedman start off the extras. This does not include the dual commentary tracks from the first non-unrated DVD effort (confused yet?). Next up is an AMC documentary entitled Fang vs. Fiction, which looks at the history of werewolves and vampires. It has interviews with many people including one guy who believes he is a werewolf. It runs 47 minutes. Also tossed on are some brief outtakes, TV spots, and trailers for other movies.