Shaking Star Kate beckinsale is no stranger to the genre of action, but how many Underworld Are the many efforts of the star in the genre worth the detour? Kate Beckinsale recently returned to screens with Shaking, an action comedy starring Jai Courtney. With a wild premise that borrows from Jason Statham’s yet underrated cult classic Crank, Shaking sees the wrath-prone antiheroine of Beckinsale sent in a bloody rampage through the criminal world when her friend is murdered.
Unfortunately for Beckinsale, the reviews have not been kind Shaking. Like the similar movie Kate, the thriller received negative reviews that called for Shaking too unoriginal to stand out in a crowded field of action films directed by women. Fortunately, Shaking is far from the actor’s first foray into action, nor is it Kate Beckinsale’s first action effort to receive largely negative reviews.
While the start of Beckinsale’s career was defined by acclaimed turns in literary adaptations like Cold comfort farm or Indies reflected as The last days of disco, the actor took a more commercial – and crisp – turn when choosing roles after 2003. The 2003 punch Underworld, a supernatural thriller, and the years 2004 Van Helsing, a gothic action-comedy-horror hybrid from The Mummy director Stephen Sommers, saw Beckinsale become the Hollywood action hero of the day in the mid-2000s. Smuggling and the Underworld sequels quickly followed, and eventually Beckinsale got a major role in the sci-fi action remake Total recall. Unfortunately for the actor, most of these action films have met with critical disinterest or outright derision upon release – with varying degrees of fairness. With that in mind, which of Beckinsale’s action efforts are worth watching, and which of them is the best?
9. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
the Underworld the series pits vampires against werewolves long before dusk Never offered a PG-13 iteration, focused on the romance of this age-old battle, but the series was well and truly at the end of its rope by the third installment of 2009 Underworld the uprising of the Lycans. Released around the same time as the second dusk movie New Moon and starring sequel villain Michael Sheen, this prequel to the series has nothing new to offer other than the unlikely and welcome sight of Sheen playing a werewolf antihero. Obviously, Beckinsale wasn’t too impressed with the third film either, only appearing in a cameo at the end of the film.
8. Hell: Blood Wars
Slightly better than its predecessor, the fifth of 2016 Underworld the film was still uninteresting enough to kill the franchise seemingly for good. If this release turns out to be the swan song of the series, that will be totally appropriate, because Underworld: bloody wars is as confusing, dull, and convoluted as the franchise always has been in its worst moments. Without any HBO hits Real bloodcountry humor or duskmelodrama, Underworld: bloody wars‘Increasing the gore quotient doesn’t do much to elevate the suite. It is superior to the third film so little else.
7. Total recall
Released in 2012, Total recall was (next to 2014 Robocop reimagine) an entirely redundant remake of a perfectly solid sci-fi satire by Paul Verhoeven that neutralized the dark humor, R-rated violence, and gonzo edge of the original. Colin Farrell is lost in the role of Arnold Schwarzenegger. while Beckinsale is a superb revamp of the original role of Sharon Stone, although it has little to do in this dull and lifeless revamp of PG-13. Revisit Total recallPhilip K Dick’s trippy adaptation to the internet age could have been a transgressive thrill to bring sci-fi to its purest form Black mirror Too bad, but unfortunately this remake is a failure from start to finish.
6. Hell: Evolution
Credit where it is due, Underworld the show isn’t a franchise that just got worse as it went along. Instead, Len Wiseman’s series culminated with the first film, descended into boring and confusing territory with the second, and then returned to relatively interesting action in the fourth release. Beckinsale is alluring as Selene and her superheroes almost get this sequel back. However, the plot is unnecessarily obtuse, the lore impenetrable and the action sequences plagued with the overuse of GCI inducing grimaces in the mid-2000s. With every scene seen through a steel blue filter, Underworld: evolution is an efficient time capsule from an era worthy of sci-fi action cinema. As a movie, however, this (slightly) bloodier version of dusk not really worth watching.
5. Contraband
Released in 2012, Smuggling has an impressive cast and not much else. Even though Diego Luna, Ben Foster, and Giovanni Ribisi all appear in supporting roles alongside Mark Wahlberg’s beleaguered hero, the team of actors can’t elevate this action thriller beyond just being watchable. Wahlberg is wooden like the father of a family who, after years out of the smuggling game, is inevitably brought back by plotting tricks for one last job. However, the real sin of Smuggling is the criminal underuse of action veteran Beckinsale’s film, which is largely relegated to a standard action movie love interest role for runtime.
4. Shake
ShakingThe premise of is superb – the Beckinsale heroine is unstoppable once she accesses her unbalanced side, but is held at bay by an electrified vest until she breaks free after a friend is murdered. The suicide squad Star Jai Courtney offers solid support as a hapless friend and Beckinsale looks superb in the central role, but critics, tired of too many girl killer movies, are right. Although it is well worth a watch, Shaking does not offer much Atomic blonde, Kate, and Milkshakes with powder have not all offered hearings recently. Even so, it is an effort of action more than watchable.
3. Hell: awakening
Even fans of Underworld The series were reluctant when a fourth film was announced in 2012, but Beckinsale’s return bodes well for a serious increase in quality for the franchise. The fourth movie in a series can rarely compare to the first, but with more gore, stronger action, and an easier-to-follow plot, Underworld: awakening is an unexpected comeback for the franchise. The werewolves vs. vampire action is still somewhat reminiscent of some of the worst horror action movies of the decade, but it’s still a solid watch and one of Beckinsale’s best in the genre.
2. Van Helsing
Savagely underestimated since its release in 2004, the action-adventure film Campy Van Helsing is a consciously silly reinvention of the main character who reinvents him as a Victorian-era James Bond. As this premise implies, it’s not for everyone. However, Stephen Sommers’ assured mastery of action comedy serves him well as the plot unfolds to a clip, and Beckinsale has a stellar chemistry with Hugh Jackman’s affable antihero. An unnecessary and tonally jarring last-minute twist keeps this one in the # 1 spot, but it’s essential for action fans and anyone viewing Beckinsale’s work.
1. Underworld
A surprise sleeper when he was released in 2003, Underworld is another vampire movie but one that couldn’t be further from Van Helsing ‘s campy “Bram Stoker’s Dracula but with the tone of jokes. A dark and sharp thriller, Underworld sees the Beckinsale star as the brutally effective vampire Selene, who is caught up in a centuries-old war between werewolves and her ilk. When she falls in love with a man who becomes a werewolf, Selene is forced to reconsider her loyalty as an efficient and fast-paced action plot merges with stunning Gothic visuals. Exceptionally visually inventive for sci-fi action horror, Underworld is a feast for the eyes, though much of the film’s success and charisma would fade without Kate beckinsale‘s superb central tower like the icy antiheroine.
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