Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Underworld: Awakening 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 10, 2022

Sony has released the 2012 Action/Horror sequel film 'Underworld: Awakening' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio. The disc replaces the aged (but still very good) Blu-ray disc released in May of 2012. The new presentation is excellent. See below for reviews of new content. Note that at time of writing this disc is only available as part of the five-film 'Underworld' UHD collection boxed set.

Vampires and Lycans have been at war for centuries, but they have fought a secret war, out of sight and certainly out of mind of Earth's dominant population: mankind. One vampire, Selene (Kate Beckinsale), is a "death dealer," a powerful vampire warrior capable of great feats, an expert slayer of werewolves whom both sides have come to fear. Now, the war between the Vampires and Lycans has spilled out onto the streets. Man has ceased his battle with one another and directed his collective muscle towards those that are absolutely unlike him. Humankind has taken the fight to both the vampires and werewolves, and it's striving to rid the world of both species, with focus on the vampire-lycan hybrid creatures, the first of its kind being Selene's former lover and one-time human being, Michael Corvin. Selene is used as bait to capture Michael. The operation is successful, and Selene is released from cryosleep from an entity she only knows as "Subject 2." She awakens into a world largely free of vampires and lycans. Mankind has all but succeeded in wiping out both species, but the death dealer finds herself caught in the middle of a newly-brewing war that could shape the course of history for generations to come.

For a full film review, please click here.

Underworld: Awakening 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Underworld: Awakening's 2160p/HDR UHD release offers a nice image, one that improves upon a first-class Blu-ray from 2012. The picture holds to the series' roots as a dark, blue and black dominant experience but with more range and more examples of escape from the clutches that so tightly defined earlier entries. As for the UHD, it is more of a refinement than it is an overhaul, but the UHD still yields great results that should satisfy fans. The structural improvements are not sparse, but neither are they dynamic. Viewers will appreciate consistent, if not somewhat modest, gains to sharpness. Improved core facial definition, detail to individual strands of hairs, and finer environmental clarity add up but on a shot-by-shot basis only enjoy slight gains, generally, over the Blu-ray. The UHD holds to a very glossy sheen, one that is made more perfectly crisp and clean at this resolution. The real winner here, the real reason to upgrade, is the HDR color presentation. Not only does the picture improve black depth and shadow detail, it also bolsters intense blues (Selene's eyes, for example) and adds intensity to bursts of high output colors, such as vivid flames and red blood. White are notably crisper and overall contrast is boosted. The picture is all but free of even mild source shortcomings and encode anomalies. It looks very good; just don't expect a gargantuan improvement over the Blu-ray but rather a fine-tuned refinement that makes this the definitive home version of Awakening.

Underworld: Awakening 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Wow. Anyone looking for a full-on sonic assault of a Dolby Atmos soundtrack need not look (or listen) further. This is the dictionary definition of Action movie reference audio. The first battle sequence, only minutes into the movie, delivers the sort of whiz-bang, full-on surround extravaganza that surround sound was made for. The sequence offers endless barrages of high yield intensity, with a maelstrom of machine gun fire enveloping the listener. A flame thrower blasts all over the stage with fluid motion and plenty of depth. Ice encases with frighteningly organic creep. The entire stretch is a mesmerizing exercise in audio excellence, and the good news is that the same sort of attention to detail and love for movie audio engineering is evident throughout. Expect the same level of intensity, clarity, low end engagement and efficiency, surround extension, and both discrete and supportive overhead usage throughout. Whether action or music or ambience everything is loud and perfectly defined and seamlessly spaced. That goes for dialogue, too, which is rich and lifelike with natural front center positioning. Home theater audio just doesn't get any better than this.

Underworld: Awakening 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Underworld: Awakenings includes one primary extra on the UHD disc. The bundled Blu-ray is identical to that which Sony issued in 2012. Below is a list of what's included. Please click here for full coverage. As it ships in the five-film Underworld collection, a Movies Anywhere digital copy voucher and a non-embossed slipcover are included.

UHD:

• Underworld: Endless War (1080p, 18:04 total runtime): A three-part animated short that builds on the Underworld lore. For full coverage, please click here.
• Trailers: included are Theatrical Trailer 1 (1080p, 1:51), Theatrical Trailer 2 (1080p, 2:30), and Theatrical Trailer 3 (1080p, 1:24).

Blu-ray:

• Filmmakers' Commentary: Producers Richard Wright and Gary Lucchesi, Directors Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, and Executive Producer and Visual Effects Supervisor James McQuaide.
• Selene Rises
• Casting the Future of Underworld
• Resuming the Action
• Building a Better Lycan
• Awakening a Franchise, Building a Better World
• Blooper Reel
• Music Video
• Cracking the Underworld: Picture-in-Picture Experience.
• Previews

Underworld: Awakening 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

More of the same though it may be, Underworld: Awakening is a pretty fun, slick, well-made little film. It's entertaining and quite watchable, an achievement for a fourth-in-the-series film, and that these things are still going strong in theaters and not being dumped directly to video is a testament to the dedication of the series' fan base, or at least to male hormones and testosterone. No matter what, Underworld will always sell if it's got Kate Beckinsale wrapped up in a tight-fitting leather suit and armed to the teeth with machine pistols. This film's plot naturally advances the series but doesn't really take advantage of the possibilities. Still, it's a fun and serviceable little time killer that should satisfy casual and diehard Underworld fans alike. Sony's done its usual bang-up job on the UHD release. Underworld: Awakening's UHD disc features, as expected, stellar audio and a 2160p/HDR picture that improves upon the excellent, albeit decade-old, Blu-ray. Recommended.