Underworld: Awakening

Selene, a vampire warrior who has spent years trapped, escapes into a world that has grown more dangerous and complicated. Humans now know about both vampire and lycan clans and have mobilized to wipe them out. As she moves through a society that treats immortals like hunted prey, she must confront a brutal new threat: a more powerful breed of Lycans bred for domination. She uncovers a conspiracy that ties human weapons to the war, testing loyalties and forcing unlikely alliances. With allies scattered and trust in short supply, Selene fights to safeguard her own kind and those she cares about while the human war escalates, threatening to erase the balance between their two ancient foes. She fights on regardless.

Directed by Björn Stein and Måns Mårlind, this fourth Underworld installment continues the Len Wiseman vision, developed with J Michael Straczynski and Danny McBride. It delivers brisk action, sharp creature design, a dark mood, and features Beckinsale back as Selene.

With a 70 million budget, the film earned about 160 million worldwide, underscoring solid commercial performance for an action horror entry in the series. Its success helped ensure sequels could continue with similar scale and ambition for years to come.

Selene remains the franchise anchor and keeps the noir, neo gothic vibe going. The film introduces a new breed of Lycans and expands the war with bigger battles and tighter visuals that satisfy fans. Beckinsale's presence cements her as the face of Underworld and keeps the look appealing to audience.

Critical reaction was mixed, with praise for slick effects and fast action but criticism of a predictable plot and thin supporting characters. The film frames survival and loyalty amid war, while humans weaponize fear against immortals, underscoring a recurring hunt for power and freedom and what price power demands exactly.