Ultraviolet

[KLAXXON]

“Hello. My name is Violet and I was born into a world you may not understand.”
From the writer / director Kurt Wimmer, who brought us the excellent Equilibrium comes this stylish and action packed sci fi masterpiece starring the wonderful Milla Jovovich and Cameron Bright. It is the future and a war is raging between humans and an infected group called haemophage (blood vampires). Initially the infected were forced to wear armbands, then they were isolated from the community and then eventually they started to disappear. The survivors fight to stay alive against a corrupt human government, obsessed with the idea of being infected and who are determined to kill them all.

Milla Jovivich stars as Violet, a haemophage who is sent to infiltrate a Government building and pick up a case containing a weapon that is supposed to be the answer to destroying the remaining haemophage survivors on Earth who are on the verge of extinction. She manages to recover the case but opens it against orders. Inside, she discovers a human child (Cameron Bright), an innocent in the struggle but who’s blood may hold the answer to end the war once and for all. When her people try to kill the boy, she protects him and in doing so, she is forced to go on the run from both her own people and the corrupt and vicious government determined to get him back.

Violet is assisted by her friend and fellow haemophage Kurt (William Fichtner), a vampire scientist who clings to the hope of finding a cure to this form of vampirism. Together, the two of them they try to uncover the truth about their disease and to stop the destruction of their people.

“I have seven hundred soldiers here with me. What do you really think you can do against that many men?”

Writer and director Kurt Wimmer has done a terrific job yet again, allegedly based on the 80s flick Gloria and written with Milla Jovovich in mind. Ultraviolet is one of the most stylish movies to have come out of Hollywood in a long while and a worthy successor to Equilibrium. Like his previous movie, the film’s lead uses a variety of swords, guns and martial arts to fight her way through legions of enemies, in a mixture of Eastern and Western styles. Wimmer’s take on vampirism is different to the norm – it is a disease that accelerates the user to the point that they have superior abilities but a shorter lifespan (12 years from point of infection). It is this refreshing mix of storytelling and incredibly stylish action that make this film so great.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not as good as 2002’s Equilibrium; like that movie, this is an action-packed treacle-coated guilty pleasure but one which is simply a joy to behold. The action sequences alone make this film worth watching – if only to see how intricate and cool they all are… quality. If you enjoyed Aeon Flux or Equlibrium, you’ll love this.



If "Ultraviolet" had subtitles and starred someone like Maggie Cheung or, say, Elina Löwensohn about ten years ago, it might get a fairer shake. The movie is blathering sub-pop nonsense from scalp to toes, but, damn, is it fun to look at. Forget the subtitles, even — just turn the sound off, put on the techno or classical music or whatever soundtrack of your choice, and coast on the visuals. Writer/director Kurt Wimmer may not have two original ideas to rub together, but he sure as hell has an eye.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that Milla Jovovich can act, but she has a surly supermodel presence and looks comfortable spinning around and waving sharp objects; in this film, that's just about enough. Milla plays Violet, a "hemophage" (vampire) who takes it upon herself to protect a boy (Cameron Bright) carrying lethal antigens in his blood. This involves lots of costume changes, and since Violet is a busy woman, the movie helpfully changes her costumes for her via computer coloring. Sometimes her hair changes too. If you don't like how Milla looks at any given time, wait two minutes and she'll reboot for you.

Ultraviolet frequently lost me; it has the kind of simplistic yet convoluted plot that becomes white noise to my brain. But Kurt Wimmer, whose equally derivative yet eye-boggling Equilibrium was hailed by some (mostly the folks at CHUD) as the greatest thing since bullet-riddled bread, seems to have dedicated himself to making the prettiest pulp ever. Literally every frame has a burnished sheen, and the close-ups are digitally airbrushed — it looks like a high-end comic drawn by Richard Corben or Pete Von Sholly. A scene in which Violet and the boy share a rare moment of respite during a fireworks display — the colors and lights playing moodily on their faces — is gorgeous visual poetry. Directors have been lionized for far less.

Of course, to fully enjoy Ultraviolet you have to agree to overlook its story — which is eminently overlookable — and let it have its way with your eyes. I sympathize with the many charges against the film. "Idiotic," some have said. "Hollow," others say. "How the hell does Milla Jovovich keep getting film work," ask still others. Apologies, but these objections are beside the point of the movie and beyond its purview. It wants only to catch Milla in a variety of poses against lovingly stylized backdrops while she handles weaponry and looks fetching in sunglasses. Which also change color.

This is the kind of movie that makes me glad there's a "Worth a Look" rating here. "Ultraviolet" is absolutely worth a look — if not a listen or a thought.




Milla Jovovich ... Violet
Cameron Bright ... Six
Nick Chinlund ... Daxus
Sebastien Andrieu ... Nerva
Ida Martin ... Young Violet
William Fichtner ... Garth
David Collier ... BF-1
Kieran O'Rorke ... Detective Cross
Digger Mesch ... Detective Endera
Ryan Martin ... Detective Breeder
Steven Calcote ... Young Daxus
Ricardo Mamood-Vega ... Violet's Husband (as Ricardo Mamood)
Mike Smith ... Hospital Hemophage
Clay Cullen ... Rebel Hemophage
Jennifer Caputo ... Elizabeth P. Watkins





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