Critical reception

The film received generally negative reviews from film critics. As of January 23, review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 27% based on 37 reviews. It's consensus is "There's more vapid action and less story in Underworld Awakening than previous installments, making the whole affair feel inconsequential". Movie review website The Filtered Lens gave the film a negative review citing that "if you try and pay attention to the plot you will get a headache". However, they did note that the action was well done and said it was the goriest of the series.  Film critic Chris Pandolfi viewed the film positively, especially compared to the first two in the franchise, saying "although it’s about as lasting as dust in the wind, I think it represents what the series should have been right from the start: An escapist supernatural action thriller that gives us license to put our brains on autopilot."