January 23, 2009 -Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, the third film in the vampire vs. werewolf franchise, takes place over a millennium before the events of the first two installments and chronicles how the war between the aristocratic Vampires and the barbaric Lycans began.
Although vampires, under the rule of the despotic Viktor (Bill Nighy), control the wilderness of eastern Europe, they live in fear of the mindless but more powerful werewolves. No matter how smart or slick they become, vampires still aren't much of a match for werewolves in the brute force department. That's why the vampiric Death Dealers must also rely on crossbows, swords and spears while patrolling their territory.
The advantage the civilized vampires had over the savage werewolves shifts when a captive female werewolf gives birth to a seemingly human child. The boy, who grows up to be the blacksmith Lucian (Michael Sheen), has the power to take the form of either man or beast at will. Lucian is raised by Viktor, but he's a prisoner in his castle and must always wear a "moonshackle" around his neck to prevent him from transforming into his Lycan form. Viktor also uses Lucian's bloodline to create a new breed of slaves for the vampires to exploit.
If there's anything that Lucian desires more than his freedom, however, it's Viktor's beautiful but fiery daughter Sonja (Rhona Mitra). Lucian and Sonja carry on a secret love affair, tempting death if Viktor were to find out. Of course, he eventually does (otherwise, there'd be no movie). Springing his fellow Lycan slaves from Viktor's dungeons, Lucian leads them in a rebellion against the vampires even as he hopes to start a new life with his beloved Sonja. Viktor, however, has a less happy future in mind for them.
