Underworld: Rise of the Lycans reveals the origins of the centuries-old feud between the aristocratic vampires and their one-time slaves, the barbaric Lycans. Long ago, in a galaxy far far away, a young Lycan named Lucian (Michael Sheen) was born, and the evil vampire king Viktor (Bill Nighy the Science Guy - sorry, that's what I always think when I hear his name) didn't have the heart to kill him. Go figure. So he decided to keep him as his slave and protector.

Lucian grows up to be a powerful warrior who falls in love with Viktor's daughter Sonja (Rhona Mitra). One day, in an effort to save Sonja, Lucian violates Viktor's orders and removes the leash that prevents him from turning into a werewolf. Viktor punishes him severely for this act of disobedience and removes him from his "plush" surroundings and confines him to even harsher servitude. Realizing his years of loyalty have yielded no fruit, Lucian decides to lead the Lycans to freedom in a fierce battle against the Death Dealers.

I want to be a werewolf when I grow up! Seriously, Michael Sheen and the Lycans own this movie. When the Underworld prequel was first announced, I assumed this would be little more than an opportunity to cash in on the franchise. But the film is far more entertaining than it has any right to be. Mixing a blend of smooth CGI, an intensely effective score, atmospheric set pieces, and adrenaline-laced battles, Rise of the Lycans delivers exactly what fans of the series want to see.

It's surprisingly heavy on story, making it more reminiscent of the first film, and does a great job of adding to the franchise's mythology. Two crucial elements to any fantasy story of this ilk are a hero to root for and a villain who makes us spit fire at the screen (you have to bring your own gasoline and a lighter to literally produce that effect). Vampires are often romanticized (see Twilight) in film and literature, but not here. They are brutal, cruel, and evil. It's safe to say Viktor won't be causing any teenage girls and their middle-aged mamas to swoon. He doesn't have the perfectly tousled hair and James Dean looks of Robert Pattinson, but he possesses icy blue eyes and a menacing scowl that'll make you wish your name was Van Helsing.

Michael Sheen's Lucian, on the other hand, gives us someone for whom we can root. Sure, he leads a group of mangy werewolves, but he believes in a more sophisticated class of Lycans. He doesn't approve of the mindless beasts they have become. As such, he becomes the Lycan freedom warrior who respectfully carries the majority of the film's action.

My main complaint is the use of the tired "close-up shaky cam." How many times do I have to say it ... PULL BACK! I want to see the action! There are multiple scenes that employ this feature, but one fight scene in particular is headache-inducing. The combination of rain, lightning, and chaotic fighting forced me to watch for a few seconds through squinted eyes.

If you're not familiar with the other movies then you obviously won't get much out of this. It's quite possible that you'll still be entertained; assuming you like stories about werewolves battling vampires, but there will be references you just won't get. Make sure you know what you're getting into. The romance between Lucian and Sonja is a catalyst to the film's story, but this is for those of us who like our vampire movies injected with a couple doses of testosterone! Werewolve limbs are severed, vampires are mauled, and blood is splattered about. This ain't Twilight, folks.

• This has nothing to do with the movie, but Johnny loves the Robot Chicken skit where Skeletor has Fake-or (the He-Man clone) infiltrate King Randor's party. Everybody at the party is fooled into thinking it's the real He-Man, despite the fact that the clone is blue! The image of Fake-or doing the Running Man dance and King Randor raising the roof is just hilarious. Perhaps you had to see it.



• Filmed in New Zealand.



• Rhona Mitra was in Hollow Man with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.

Rated R for bloody violence and some sexuality, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans contains absolutely no profanity. There's no nudity either, but there's one scene of sensuality between Michael Sheen and Rhona Mitra. We see them briefly from the side and from a distance, and you can tell they're nude, but nothing explicit is shown. The film gets its R rating due to the blood that ensues during the Vampire/Lycan battles. Werewolves are sliced in half, heads are pierced with spears, and the scene where Lucian is whipped is pretty harsh as well. Leave the kids at home. In addition to the fact that they don't need to see the intense battle sequences, the monsters might be pretty scary for them.

If you enjoyed the first two movies, and the trailer piqued your interest then you should have a good time.

If you're a fan of the Underworld series then you'll find this to be an entertaining ride. It's a prequel that effectively fleshes out the back-story that was touched on in the first two movies. Whether you catch it as a matinee or wait for a rental depends entirely on your budget.