This movie was a conceptual terrible rip-off, intentional or otherwise, of the bad Image Comics title “Wetworks”.
There was science in this movie? When? 
There was acting in this movie? When? 
Ah, yes, Kate. She doesn’t actually do much for me in black leather body suits, as she needs to eat a cookie or twelve. I have to edit the movie in my head by pretending it’s Kate WINSLET in the role, slumming to amuse herself, investing the story with actual humor and boundless hotitude. 
It was actually the sequel that made my wife and I look at each other and ask, “why did we enjoy the first one again?” We immediately re-watched the first, and came to the conclusion that either they used different ghost writers, or the first one simply had more time to develop the screenplay.
The thing from the first movie that really impressed my wife was that it had a complex, internally consistent backstory/mythology behind it. There were actors bigger than the current story which were never seen on-screen. The movie seemed to rely less on action and more on character to drive it.
In the sequel, on the other hand, felt like the opposite. Where the first movie had complex characters, the sequel had extended stunt scenes and way too many partial decapitations (hey producers: weak imagination alert!) Where the first movie was framed by the larger story, the second movie brings all the big players to the front.
Not to mention that the second movie killed every legend in the story. Every single larger-than-life character created for the mythos, except for the protagonists, was killed. Not a good thing in the second of a planned trilogy. What the hell are they going to base the third movie on?
We’re a bit concerned that it’ll be the unexpected adventures of the vampire/werewolf couple trying to blend in to a middle-class Hungarian neighborhood and dealing with its quirky neighbors, all the while raising a mischevious hybrid vampire/werewolf messiah child who has a heart of gold. I can’t envision the follow-up not involving a laugh track.
I read that it is going to be a prequel.
While the “good guys are really bad and bad guys are really good” twist is pretty common, I can’t recall a movie, certainly not a popcorn action flick, that kept the state of affairs ambiguous till so late in the film. The audience and the protagonist are in the dark till almost the last five minutes.
I also liked that how it played with a cliche. It gives the stereotypical cowardly devious character who the audience knows is gonna betray the protagonist and turn out to be a pathetic weasly bad guy (his name is Craven for Pete’s sake). And indeed that’s what happens, except we find out at the end he’s actually on the right side and the protagonist is the one that’s a tool of the bad guys.
In anycase, this facet of the film was interesting enough to make it a decent movie despite all the cheese.
I generally like a good vampire story. And I love Bill Nighy. And Kate Beckinsale is hot.
I hated Underworld.
Basically, what the movie was to me was just one long burst of automatic weaponry. That’s it, just freaking shooting all the time. And it was so goddam noisy. More like being at an automatic shooting gallery than in a movie.
Vampire stories are supposed to have some atmosphere, tragedy, suspense, something. This was just one big decibel fest.
Faugh.
I agree. I liked the twist, and I liked Craven’s character. I was disappointed when they killed him off immediately in the sequel.
I own this movie too, so I’d vote to keep it. I didn’t like the sequel enough to buy it.
I also have a copy of Pitch Black, which is fun to watch if you’re in the right mood, and I’ll probably pick up **Riddick **some time. The animated short Dark Fury is worth renting.
I tried the **Blade **movies, and didn’t like them at all.
Worst … vampire stories … ever. Ugh. Written in the style of the Babysitter’s Club only with sex and violence.
I liked the movie a lot, even the goth poseur aspects. Liked it enough to buy it and re-watch it occasionally.
The main thing I’d fault if for was the same thing I fault Blade and lots of other vampire type movies - a seeming inconsistency of vampire abilities. They can jump from tall buildings and land with nary a knee-bend, they can cling to ceilings, apparently somehow defying gravity, but when it comes time to duke it out in the sewers, they suddenly move & fight like regular human commandoes. Not particularly well-trained commandoes at that. The fighting should have been a bit more three dimensional and I saw no reason why a vampire couldn’t fight a lycan fang & claw. All the guns were cool, though.
Pluses:
Bill Nighy
The closest we’ll ever get to a Legacy of Kain movie (really, Whitewolf wwasn’t the only property ripped off)
Kate Beckinsale in tight leather
Minuses:
Scott Speedman. Ugh.
Mindless popcorn flick
The movie (and especially the sequel) were way too blue, and I don’t mean sad. Whoever chose the palette (cinemetographer? beats me) went for a stylish dark look and it annoyed me. I don’t think there was a bright color in the entire movie- even the blood was dark.
I’m also not thrilled with the CGI special effects, I find them distracting. Sorry I don’t have any specific examples, it’s been a while since I’ve seen it. I just remember being botherd by some of the CGI.
The thing that ruined it for me was seeing the trailer, featuring plenty of excellent shots of Beckensale’s ass in tight leather, then going to the movie where it wasn’t featured hardly at all. You know going to see a comedy and the only funny jokes are i the trailer? Same kind of idea there.
Oh, and also something that might help ruin it is knowing that Beckensale is married to the director or producer or something.