Romeo & Juliet... with Bullet-time!
First let me tell you that I went into this movie with my expectations lowered. I knew it was going to be a cheap Matrix rip-off with bad acting and an even worse plot. While this is mostly the case, it doesn't stop the movie from being fairly entertaining. The action is massively unoriginal, but the story is very well done, and fairly unique. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, though I'll never have a reason to see it again. If one ignores the rip-offs, then a decent action movie is to be had.
The story is nice, but improves dramatically as the movie progresses. For thousands of years, a war has raged between two clans, the Vampires and the Lycans (Werewolves). The Vampires, having killed the leader of the Lycans, are driving them to the brink of extinction. The Lycans aren't about to just die off, and they hatch a plot to create a mixture between the two races, which will be stronger than both. To do this, they attack a human, whom a Vampire death-dealer begins to fall in love with. But will the Vampire clan allow her to befriend a Lycan? This is where the story becomes unique, and just another movie about horror icons fighting each other.
The great thing about the movie is the amount of backstory. While in many movies like this, flasbacks come at a pivotal moment to explain unanswered questions. But here, these flashbacks come early, but only show you bits and pieces of what is going on. This leaves you asking a question still, but you have at least some idea of what is going on. Even more interesting is the fact that the backstory is very good, and would probably make a better movie than this one.
The acting, while not fantastic, isn't that bad. Kate Beckinsale delivers her part as a Vampire who kills, and has no problem with it. Her cold performance is easily the best of the movie. Scott Speedman takes the part for having the best performance in a single scene, however. In it, he is transforming into a werewolf for the first time, and the viewer can literally feel his pain. The scene is so intense, and delivered so well that it almost sickens the viewer, to the point where they will feel sorry for the character, even though he may have no real personality.
Now, for the action, is completely uninspired. There are simply too many Matrix rip-offs. Selene (Beckinsale) wears enough leather to make Trinity jealous. The opening scene looks exactly like the lobby shoot-out scene in The Matrix, only set in a subway station. Pillars explode, countless bullets are dodged by simply running, she even takes cover behind a pillar in the exact same fashion that Neo did. And I mean 'exact'. The rest of the action is carried out in the same manner, with gratuitous slow motion and plenty of bullets. There are only two action scenes that could have been something special, but they never happen. One being a Vampire squaring off against a Lycan. The catch is that the Vampire is twirling around two bladed whips. This could have made for a spectacular scene, but it is sadly over in a matter of seconds.
The similarities do not stop here. The music in many scenes is the same. Little scores from The Matrix are peppered throughout the movie, making it fairly obvious where the director got his inspiration. Even one of the actors bears a remarkable resemblance to Hugo Weaving, as if the role was picked for him. It's uncanny. So, while the action is unoriginal, the story is really something special. It's a shame it was told through such a bad medium. The movie has no style it can call its own, which will prevent it from being a great action movie.