Underworld 3: Rise Of The Lycans - Enjoyable, but unnecessary prequel

Have you watched the first `Underworld?' If you have, you may well remember a bit of talking about a female vampire who fell in love with a male werewolf (sorry, `lycan'). Well, that three minute monologue from the original has been turned into an hour and a half story. And this is it.

So, if you've seen the first film, there's nothing here that will come as a surprise. But that doesn't mean it's a bad film. For a start (despite being made by a different director) it has the same look and feel of its two predecessors and most of the appropriate original cast members return. Special mention to Bill Nighy who steals every scene as the evil vampire `Victor.'

There's action, romance and plenty of mutated wolves mixing it with medieval vampires. If that's what you're looking for (and, if you like the other Underworld movies then you probably do) then this should tick all boxes.

However, behind all the action and gore is a strong romantic story - your typical `forbidden love' debacle between two clans, in some crazy way, almost like Romeo and Juliet. Despite the Underworld series all featuring this as a central theme, it continues the tradition of being `Twilight' for the older generation (who definitely don't like their vampires with big hair and sparkly skin).

Warning: this Underworld movie does NOT feature Kate Beckinsale (not unless you could the five seconds at the end). I've seen a fair few people moaning because it doesn't. You have been warned (although Rhona Mitra isn't that bad as a replacement in my opinion!).

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that