With its fifth sequel, Underworld is the franchise Highlander should be. There can be only one, but if we have to have more, why not? Vampires and Lycans (the pretentious name for werewolves) have been at war for centuries, and Kate Beckinsale is still the prettiest Death Dealer the bloodsuckers have to throw at the flea-biters. Now, a more powerful Lycan threat, Marius (Tobias Menzies of “Game of Thrones” and “Outlander”), rears his head, and another vampire, Semira (Lara Pulver), is apparently worse than the rest. 

Ummm, what else? Underworld: Blood Wars, which should simply be called Underworld 5, is better than its predecessors, but that compliment is not saying much; the previous Underworlds are terrible. I’ll remain disappointed until the filmmakers make good on the original’s promise of Romeo and Juliet with vampires and werewolves.