The third movie in the Underworld franchise, and the first not directed by Len Wiseman, is a prequel depicting the origins of the feud between the Vampires and Lycan breed of werewolves.

An alternate title would be Sheen/Nighy after British stars Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy, who clash as representatives of these two distinct but related supernatural species. It's unnecessary yet modestly entertaining thanks to their performances and the series’ trademark blend of kitsch and visual mayhem.

Compared to the often-bewildering first two installments, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans has a straightforward plot reminiscent of a Biblical epic or sword-and-sandal feature from the 1950s. Shorn of its special effects, it unspools much like a conventional story of insurrection and internecine strife, with a downtrodden class led to freedom by a brave hero. Spartacus comes to mind, though linking the two pictures qualitatively equals blasphemy. 

The Biblical echoes derive from the messianic function of the protagonist (or at least his human half) along with his appearance. Looking like he stepped out of a 1983 production of Jesus Christ Superstar, Sheen plays the lupine rabble-rouser Lucian. In the prologue, we learn that he was the first werewolf able to take the form of man or beast. His life was spared as an infant by Vampire leader Viktor (Nighy), who used him to create a new breed of slaves, Lycans.
 
Those who've only watched Sheen in a suit-and-tie playing Prime Minister Tony Blair in The Queen or Tricky Dick's urbane inquisitor in Frost/Nixon may be taken aback seeing him with long curly hair, a buff bod, and leather chaps in a creature-feature. And that's when Lucian is not morphing into a bloodthirsty werewolf.

Yet it quickly becomes apparent that, in this installment at least, he's playing a rather traditional savior figure. Call him Spartacus, Jesus, or Maximus (from Gladiator). He's quite civilized and his rationality and conscience usually trump his animal instincts. The collar Viktor has the Lycans wear to prevent their transformation into wolves helps in this regard.

Set a thousand years prior to the action in the first Underworld, the atmosphere is tense from the outset when Lucian saves the life of Viktor's hot-to-trot daughter Sonja (Rhona Mitra). Lucian's dissatisfaction with being shackled and used as an elite guard to protect the Vampires from the wolves in the forests beyond the coven is palpable. And while a full-scale rebellion is inevitable, his illicit love affair with Sonja accelerates the timetable.

Without worrying about her political standing or giving much thought to her filial duty (perhaps because daddy’s affection as an incestuous ring), she throws her lot in with Lucian. After they consummate their love in a thoroughly cheesy scene, there's no going back. You can't expect a girl with such collagen-puffed lips to be able to resist Lucian's combination of carnal charisma and thirst for justice.

As events unfold, Lucian is brutally lashed on a couple of occasions for trying to escape; he's also given stigmata-like wounds that enhance the Christ parallels. When he finally succeeds, freeing other wolves and infected humans in the process, his taste of liberty doesn't last very long because he's compelled to return for his bloodsucking lover Sonja. Having discovered their secret, Viktor banks on this eventuality and is prepared. Still, he comes to regret not snuffing out Lucian when he was a baby.

For his part, Nighy is a gas to watch and listen to. He makes a meal of every word, putting a delicious emphasis on consonants and making lines drip with sarcasm. He's hilariously malevolent and without him, the movie would suffer.

Patrick Tatopoulos matriculates from design and special effects work to his first directing gig. Even allowing for the fact Vampires are nocturnal and must avoid sunlight, the major knock on the production is its lack of illumination. Cranking up the lighting by a few degrees would be a major improvement and it would still be a dark movie. Similarly, is there any good reason the digital action can’t be slowed down for viewers to savor?

Clarity aside, there are plenty of cool sequences and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is far from a monstrosity. Sheen and Nighy inject too much class and the franchise had nowhere to go but up.

(Released by Screen Gems and rated "R" for bloody violence and some sexuality.)