Ultraviolet (2006)

The all too common trait of "style over substance" strikes again. Except this time there is absolutely no substance in what is an instantly forgettable generic plot. But I'll be damned, what a euphorically surreal ride this was! I'm certain my eyes were bleeding afterwards. A woman infected with a vampiric disease plans to overthrow a futuristic government before her kind are exterminated. How does she do it? Advanced martial arts, obviously! She doesn't just tackle twenty armed individuals atop an imposing needle skyscraper. Oh no, she singlehandedly wrecks an entire army of seven hundred, with just a sword and a plethora of firearms. Only director Wimmer could capture the technique of "Gun Fu" whilst creating a vividly imaginative dystopian environment. Alas, the film is awful. There's no escaping this entirely subjective view. Anyone who watches this will immediately feel nauseated by the obnoxious style Wimmer forces upon us. From low octane inexplicable action sequences to visual effects resembling a retro PlayStation game. The exaggerative aesthetic appeal masquerades a deceptively thin plot with minimal character development and a basic narrative structure. Action, exposition, action, exposition, final showdown, the end. The acting was bland and monotonous, aside from Jovovich who is always a pleasure to watch...and her stomach, where every single frame resembled Darude's 'Sandstorm' music video. Yet, somehow beneath my thick film critiquing skin, I succumbed to the absurdity. Motorcycling through a helicopter mid-air, flaming sword fight, constant hair and clothing colour transitions for no apparent reason, gravity belt for both herself and the motorcycle, "3D me" and technology so outrageously unique that my eyes glistened with delight. Possibly the weirdest film experience ever. So visually blinding, that you begin to question if the horrific style was actually on purpose. Did I really witness a hidden stylised masterpiece? No, don't be stupid. Forgettable and laughably executed. Shame, Jovovich deserves better...

With the overly saturated usage of CGI animation, "Ultraviolet" could potentially pass off as sequel to the 1982 classic, "Tron." It's quite obvious as to why Milla Jovovich was intrigued to star in this vehicle. All she had to do was simply abide through green screen and voila! There was really nothing to it. And I mean that in a literal sense. There was really nothing to it except lots of violence and over excessive CGI. I can be more entertained getting out my Playstation and feel more of a sense of seeing anything meaningful than to sit though this movie again which in this case is highly unlikely.At first glance, the lively animation looks very awesome, but then they rapidly start to wear out its welcome to the point where it begins to be overwhelmingly aggravating. By the first five minutes it becomes clear that the movie was clearly intended for two types of audience members: one for the fans of the science-fiction genre and the second for those who have short attention spans. Jovovich stars as Violet who has an illness called hemoglophagia which gives her super human strength which makes a hemophage who must protect a boy names Six (Cameron Bright) as she goes into battle against strange humanoid minions led by the evil Ferdinand Daxus (Nick Chinlund) who seem to wear weird looking salt shaker tubes up their nostrils. Even though it pans off as a simple and by-the-numbers sci-fi action film, "Ultraviolet" has a reputation of being both complex when it really shouldn't and very repetitive in its action scenes. And while Violet looks sexy in her leather-clad apparel and her Veronica Lodge hairdo, we have to truly care about the characters both heroes and villains to get a better understanding of them to really invest into this movie. In the nearly 90 minute film, Violet in green-screen glory, is battling Daxus' hordes of minions who look tough and menacing from eye reach, but then thy just stand there like numbskulls and wind up getting decapitated. Where's the challenge? Because of its PG-13 rating, we don't see any bloodshed. Unless it was from a distance so that the kids watching won't run from the theaters. It must've been a hefty budget to make this movie due to the amount of special effects utilized. If that's not enough, writer/director Kurt Wimmer hires a greener than an evergreen young thespian like Cameron Bright, who seems dazed and expressionless the whole time through. I often wondered if this Six character was a human or a cyborg? In the end what difference does it make?For Wimmer there was very little in scripting to even care what was happening. There are some shades of "Minority Report" touches in this dystopian society all the video game come-to-life action emanates. In this world there only appears to be three occupations you can pursue: either an evil corrupt corporate executive, a scientist, or an enforcer. Sure that may sound simple, but the dialogue unashamedly is anything but. There's a plethora of high-tech incoherent gibbering about antigens, antidotes and little manifestations that if you take their whole diatribe seriously and try to make sense of it, you will likely give yourself a migraine. It tries to have that same aura as that of "The Matrix", but it's nowhere near that classic film series. The first fifteen minutes were very captivating, but after a while, it just gets done to death and all the originality gets drained out making the movie quite uneventful. You have a platoon full of baddies surrounding Violet and with her powerful sword annihilates them in one swipe or a few shots of gunfire. I'm guessing, being an enforcer is the hardest job there is.The ending is very convoluted as were invited to a flaming sword battle taking place in the dark which feels like there's a bit of "Highlander" going for it only less exciting and dramatic. In spite of the film gratuitous violence and coarse language, "Ultraviolet" is anything but an eventful night out for anyone. Between the overdone action sequences and the over abundance of CGI and very little character development, this movie has every chance of winning the Oscars as Wimpy from Popeye's gives up hamburgers.

{movie gets a 7, because Milla IS the movie, anyway. Milla herself is not a Ten, but an Eleven, no, an Eleven + ... And I'm sure everybody will agree}I saw the trailer some time ago. Wow, I saw, I wanted. Just for the hell of it, read some reviews, and was dismayed to find that most people didn't like it, that, summed up, the trailer's the best thing about it. I looked at the trailer again with different eyes and spotted lots of warning signs. Yes, a bunch of drawings, computer animations. Movie is most likely going to be not much more, one hell of a disappointment. But, I do collect, after all, and it's Milla Jovovich, the little kid in TWO MOON JUNCTION I had predicted would one day be a star, and then she grew up (delightfully, ever so delightfully, pardon my slavering, I'm only a guy) and was in RETURN TO THE BLUE LAGOON, so, I got me this one, to check out for myself.I'm glad I did.Currently, 4.4? People, come on! It's supposed to look like a graphic novel come to life, with this dazzling heroine, and Milla, bless her cute little heart, fits the bill wonderfully.She's bright and bubbly (and incidentally, I generally hate commentary tracks, but her commentary on the DVD is fun) and then, of course, she is long- limbed and has those wonderful eyes and the glossy hair. Okay, just learned it's a wig. Never mind. I'm talking on-screen presence. Now THAT'S a fantasy heroine. The movie might be in a lesser class than UNDERWORLD and Milla's RESIDENT EVIL, but if there's an IMDb poll where I have to choose the prettiest kick-ass action girl, ULTRAVIOLET would be the main contender. Did I mention those angel eyes and the raven hair with the halo and that the length of those legs measured with a matchstick... Okay, I'll shut up now. Sorry. Like I said, I'm only a guy.What's up with all the religious iconography, the cross motifs? Once they start, they're everywhere, that large building seen from the sky, at the end of corridors...Good idea: Nazi Germany coal-scuttle helmet soldiers wearing gas masks, and later STAR WARS Imperial Stormtroopers, are the very symbol of Fascist oppression. Bad acting: Cameron Bright as Six. Should have been rather a little girl. Like Milla back at the start of her career. Six looked autistic. Six was absolutely sluggish and no fun, not worth the story arc bother, brought the movie down. So too that Nerva guy, had the look, but couldn't act.To sum it up though: The notion that the trailer is better than the movie itself: Well, that has SOME merit, 'cause it's a helluva good- looking trailer. But for Milla fans, for fans of drop dead gorgeous actresses: You need to see this!If you'd go into the movie with a sense of humor, it is a whole lot of entertainment. Okay, the special effects is a lot of drawings, but Milla's not a drawing, and the movie works out a lot better than I expected. Ooh, of course, had it been somebody less attractive in the lead, I'd not have bothered in the first place. But it's model-perfect Milla. Yaaayyy!

'Ultraviolet' is an odd film to describe. Many would probably just say 'rubbish,' but I think that's a little harsh (just a little, though). I read that the studio didn't like the final cut and re-edited it from two hours to less than ninety minutes. This – apparently – made it more 'action orientated,' taking out the emotion and storytelling aspects of the tale. The tale. It's set in the future during a war between humans and vampires (although they're called 'hemo-phages' or something).Mila Jovovich plays the titular character who's a vampire (I'm just going to call them vampires from now on), intent on stopping the 'evil' humans from wiping her kind out. However, when she's ordered to kill a child, crucial to the wicked humans' plans, she refuses and turns on... well, pretty much everyone.It's never really explained how Violet gets her – borderline superhuman – powers. She seems to find it pretty easy to wipe out huge armies of armed soldiers without breaking sweat. She just does. It's things like this, not to mention a few blatantly humorous lines, that make me wonder whether this film was supposed to be a bit 'tongue-in-cheek.' However, there's not enough humour in it to really show that it's supposed to not be taken seriously. For the most part it's played straight, forcing you to suspend your disbelief more than you ever have in order to believe what's happening before your eyes.But it's not all bad. Despite the new Playstation 2 special effects (seriously... some of the backdrops look like they're straight out of a computer game's 'cut scenes'), the sets are actually quite well-designed and colourful. It certainly does have its own 'look' and is quite atmospheric when it's at its best.I wonder whether Ultraviolet was supposed to be the start of some sort of franchise that never took off – something like the Resident Evil or Underworld series. Basically, it could have been at least fun, if it knew what it was. But the plot is just 'tell not show.' The characters say things that are blatantly there to just let us – the audience – know what's happening. The fight scenes are cool and Milla is possibly even sexier than ever. So, if all you're looking for is hot girls killing hordes of bad-guys then you'll find what you're looking for here. Anything deeper and you'll be left wanting more. Much, much more.