Customer Reviews

Ultraviolet (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(54)
2 star:		(66)
1 star:		(75)

 

 

The Amazon review stated, "As an overdose of eye candy, Ultraviolet can be marginally recommended as the second-half of a double-feature with Aeon Flux. Both films are disposable adolescent fantasies featuring an ass-kicking babe (in this case, the svelte and sexy Milla Jovovich) in a dystopian future, and both specialize in the kind of barely-coherent, video-game storytelling that's constantly overwhelmed by an over-abundance of low-budget CGI."

My question is, "Is there a problem with this?"

Ultraviolet was a fun 'comic book movie' with a touch of Anime feel, a touch of 'Brave New World' and a very interesting blending of CGI that was (in my opinion) not "low budge" but quality controled to straddle the line between the comic book world and the 'live action world. A reasonable "graphic novel" plot... lots of action... nice parody twist on the "guns... lots of guns" bit in Matrix... plot doesn't drag... action doesn't slow down... minor moralizing (just enought to stay true to the genra)... sheesh... what's not to like?

It ain't "Gone wiht the Wind"... but then... wasn't intended to be... If ya' like you're comic-book movies to be comic-book movies you'll love "Ultraviolet"... if ya' want something deep and meaningful... watch "Lord of War"...

There are many reasons why I liked Ultraviolet but first and foremost I liked it for the intense, graphic and innovative fight sequences that splattered my screen from the second I pressed play. In books I expect the story to stir up the images but in movies it's the visuals that rock my world, and the story follows closely behind.

This movie surely had my eyes and my mind captivated from start to finish. The story as far fetched as it was didn't throw me off, as I followed Violet, played by Milla Jovovich who in my mind was born to play quirky high combat characters, and her team of friends and foes as the so called, Blood Wars fed life cycles of modern Earth. She is on a mission which I will not give away, but that mission makes her angry, unstoppable and out for blood as she flew, drove , kicked, shot, sliced though and propelled herself again st laws of gravity towards her goal. The colors, liquid metallics, flying scraps of matter, bullets, heart stopping stunts and her motorbike skills left me with my mouth open and my brain entertained in a way that is hard for most movies. I have never seen the Ultraviolet comics but this movie was swimming in special effects so collaborative that all fantastic movies now have more to struggle against as this set new standards .


I know I might have more unusual liking for movies than the majority, and as many people didn't seem to like it, I have to say that this was wonderful and intense beyond what I expected. The music by Klaus Badelt was just as magnificent and will have to go on top of my movie scores list. Great movie, as long as seen with an open mind and total openness for some fantastic butt kicking as it blends Kill Bill, The Matrix, Aliens and all my favorite super heroes into one.

I was one of the few who actually thought this was a decent movie, and it may be because I knew what was cut out of the film and what will hopefully be restored in this Unrated DVD. About 30 minutes was cut which told the viewer much more clearly why things were the way they were and why certain characters were doing certain things. As it was, the movie was VERY hard to understand without this footage - and thus it is no wonder it floundered at the Box Office!

Also, there should be some nifty violence re-added as well! Can't wait to see the original vision!

"Hello. My name is Violet and I was born into a world you may not understand." That's the first line of dialog heard from the film Ultraviolet (2006)...after watching the movie last night, I think the following would have been more appropriate..."Hello. My name is Violet and I was born into a movie you may not understand (or even like)." Written and directed by Kurt Wimmer (Sphere, Equilibrium), the film stars Milla Jovovich (Dazed and Confused, The Fifth Element, Resident Evil). Also appearing is Cameron Bright (X-Men: The Last Stand), Nick Chinlund (Con Air, The Chronicles of Riddick), Sebastien Andrieu, and William Fichtner (Heat, The Perfect Storm).

As the movie, set in a messed up future (isn't that always the case?), begins we see some giant bowling balls dropped from the air into a building, and once inside the balls turn into deadly assassins...well, that's a pretty neat trick...anyway, some stuff happens, which leads into a lengthy flashback with voiceover by Jovovich. Apparently, some time ago, a nasty virus was found in Eastern Europe, one which Western powers tried to modify in order to create super soldiers or some such thing, but all they really ended up doing was creating a nastier form of the virus, one which gives it's victims sharper eyesight, acute hearing, enhanced strength, superior healing abilities, and vampire fangs...so what's the downside? Well I tell you...the victims are generally sensitive to light and have an extremely shortened lifespan. Seems those affected, known as Hemophages, were then rounded up by the norms and put into camps for experimentation, and those still on the loose formed an underground resistance movement, of which Violet (Jovovich) is a member. All right, as the flashback/background stuff comes to a close, we find out Vice Cardinal Ferdinand Daxus (Chinlund), the egomaniacal tyrant ruler of the norms has developed a new super weapon, one that supposedly will eliminate the Hemophage threat once and for all, but Violet nicks it through a lengthy and involved series of high-octane action sequences. As it turns out, the weapon just happens to be an idiot child named Six (Bright), whose blood, while deadly to Hemophages, may also contain a cure. Violet soon finds herself stuck in the middle as the leader of the Hemophages, some Euro trash named Nerva (Andrieu) wants the kid dead, while the Vice Cardinal wants back what's his...what follows are numerous dead end scenes between Violet and the kid, lots of running around, some fight sequences, some back door dealing, and ultimately a final showdown as Violet battles her way through an army into the belly of the beast (the Arch Ministry building) to face off against the Vice Cardinal himself, who has some serious secrets of his own...

By the end of this film I was somewhat aggravated...why? A number of reasons, but the main one being it seemed like the story was a patchwork of ideas and concepts, none of them developed particularly well. I did like all the action sequences up front, but once those passed, we were left with having to sit through a whole lot of rotten acting and goofy dialog, the latter being the weakest element of this film, for me, at least. One example in particular happens after Violet liberates Six, and is on the run. After a close encounter with armed authorities, Violet asks Six "Are you damaged?" Why not just ask "Are you hurt?"...I'll tell you why...because it's the future and asking someone if they're `damaged' sounds a lot cooler than asking them if they're hurt, at least in Wimmer's mind, I think. In my mind it just came off as idiotic...I've read the studio re-cut some of the film prior to its release, and even removed some sequences (I read the original film ran about a half hour longer). Did this meddling hurt the movie, resulting in a less than desirable end product? I don't think so, as the flaws seemed ingrained regardless of any tinkering (for a prime example of this go rent the theatrical and renegade DVD releases of the 1991 film Highlander II: The Quickening and tell me which is better). I liked the exteriors, some of the special effects were pretty spiffy (some seemed ridiculously phony), and the fight sequences, for the most part, were fairly engaging, but the slower moments in the middle really caused the feature to drag out. I found it rather annoying near the end when Violet, the one woman army, was invading the Arch Ministry building, and we'd see her come up against a whole mess of guards, only to cut to a scene with her coming through a door, and beyond the door we see the guards from the previous scene lying dead. I did learn a lot from this film, including the following...

1. Milla Jovovich sure likes to show off her midriff (and I like to see it).
2. Body armor in the future is pretty ineffectual given it's tendency to shatter like glass when struck.
3. Germophobia runs wild in the future, to the extent of affecting fashions as people don designer air masks and surgical gowns.
4. In the future you'll be able to carry small to medium sized children around inside fancy, fashionable briefcases that double as backpacks.
5. Uzis fitted with blades that stick out from the bottom seems like overkill (and kinda dumb).
6. Extremely long hair can be detrimental to its owner during hand-to-hand combat.
7. The biohazard symbol seems an awkward and impractical design for a building.
8. In the future most all interiors will be designed to look like bad discothèques.
9. Milla Jovovich's character seems the only one who actually knows how to fight.
10. Milla Jovovich's character can literally pull futuristic gizmos and weaponry out of her ash.
11. Sword usage returns to fashion in the future.
12. What's the only thing cooler than a sword fight sequence? A flaming sword fight sequence!

All in al the film is very slick, stylish, and colorful, laden with a good deal of flashy action sequences (wire work galore) and special effects, but hamstrung by poor performances, terrible dialog, and not a lot of substance. By the way, I've got the `Unrated, Extended' version, which runs about six minutes longer than the theatrical release, but I seriously doubt anyone who only saw the original release is missing much as I doubt those six minutes included anything critical or even worthwhile to the actual film. More or less labeling this the `Unrated, Extended' version was just an attempt by the studio to breathe new life in the aftermarket into a film that died in the box office.

The picture, presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1), looks very sharp and the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio comes through fine. Skimpy extras include an uninteresting commentary track with Milla Jovovich by herself (where the heck is Wimmer?), a featurette titled UV Protection: The Making of Ultraviolet, and English subtitles. Also thrown in are previews for other Sony DVD release including Final Fantasy: Advent Children (2005), Mirrormask (2005), Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005), The Fog (2005), The Benchwarmers (2006), and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006).

Cookieman108

I loved Equilibrium and therefore loved this film, which is essentially the director's version of Equilibrium with evolved concepts from that film and featuring the directors take on what makes life meaning for a girl rather than a guy. Incidently, the answer of course is the same--a life without love is not a life at all. You are just waiting to die. I thought that was really neat.

Anyway, this is no Oscar contender (nor was Equilibrium) but it is very slick and features some very interesting premises on the future. The art direction is gorgeous and the use of white light really helps to convey the sterility of this future world.

The villain is interesting and entertainingly played by the actor. I loved the showdown at the end.

Milla does such an amazing job. We have seen her do physical stuff before so that is no stretch. However, what makes her performance here so singular is the emotion she brings to the character and the fact that she is allowed to be beautiful and more feminine. All the toughness and such are there as well, but this time her character is more balanced.

I loved the concepts, music, and special effects of the film. I am glad that they looked different. I hate it when things are cookie cutter effects-wise. Thus I appreciated this film's highly stylized vision of the future and of fighting.

A fun diversion.

No, the CGI isn't as good as that in THE MATRIX, but Milla can out-act Keanu any day of the week ( of course, that can be said of most corpses... ). True, the story is a rather pastiche affair, and the dialogue can sometimes be a bit over-cooked, but damn!- Milla is fun to watch! Oddly enough, I was apparently one of the few that viewed this pic without expecting it to be on a par with CITIZEN KANE ( though I am a huge fan of Welles' classic ). If you enjoy watching fun, somewhat over-the-top fight scenes, with a very easy-on-the-eyes, kickass heroine, good color, and non-stop action, this might be right up your alley. If, however, you're looking for Lawrence Olivier's version of HAMLET, this ain't it.

My comments only concern the DVD versus Blu-ray issue.

I have the unrated extended cut of the DVD version and the PG-13 theatrical cut of the Blu-ray version. My experience has been that DVDs mastered in high definition look identical to the Blu-ray version (either on a Blu-Ray player or an upconvert DVD player). Ultraviolet is no exception. Moreover, the look of the film seems to soften details, which really defeats the point of Blu-ray.

Aside from no improvement in the look, the Blu-ray version has no more special features than the DVD, and the extended cut DVD has seven additional minutes. Go with the DVD version on this one.

I actually really liked this movie, I had been wary about watching as it as it was panned by so many people but I thought it was great, amazing special effects, fabulous fight sequences, and a reasonably good plot that yet perhaps could do with a bit of tightening up but all in all it was worth watching.

Take a future city, filled with humans and Vampires, only they aren't called Vampires, they are known as hemophages, and they are faster, and stronger than your average human but they are also hated and feared by humans and have all but been hunted into extinction. Add to this concoction a beautiful hemophage called Violet , Milla Jovovich in her scantily dressed best whose fighting skills are legendary, a megalomaniac leader with a deadly secret, a human child known as Six whose very body is a weapon and who brings out the maternal instinct in Violet and a gentle but scientifically gifted hemophage played by the delectable William Fichtner who loves Violet and will do anything to save her.

The movie is non stop action from beginning to end, and is quite amusing in parts too, like when one of the Vampires warn Violet that they are as fast and as strong as she is, but she points out that she is far more pissed off than they are, not only that but her maternal ire is up and she will do anything she can to save Six a child who is slowly dying from whatever has been added to his blood but with whom she shares a bond of loss, pain, sorrow and possible redemption.

Despite the critics and reviewers panning this movie I give it a quality five out of five based on a high enjoyment factor of the fight scenes, the scenery, the drop dead gorgeous costumes that Violet gets to wear, the state of the art special effects and the quirky dialogue.

I wish I had seen it on the big screen though, it must have been a sight to behold!

Seriously, I dont know why anyone would think this movie was bad. For me it was a visually stimulating, actioned packed movie with at least an interesting plot line and for god's sake it has Milla. I really like her, I think she has an interesting style and she can actually act.

This movie reminded me very much of Equilibrium (Christian Bale and Taye Diggs). The dystopian society is an obvious corrilation. More than that though it was almost like they were directed by the same person. The imagery and sets and fighting style were so similar. UltraViolet was much more colour infused but on the whole I was having major dejavu through the movie.

So, if you like Equilibrium you will like this movie. If your expecting earth shattering, mind blowing commentaries on the nature of society and the human condition your expecting too much. This movie covers pretty much the same gound as others have before. If you want a cool movie to relax and eat popcorn in front of, this is your bag.

I thought it interesting how the reviews of this movie are almost evenly split. Loved it, hated it, . . . ehhh it was okay. Interesting to me how 2 butt kicking comic book characters were brought to life in film around the same time. Aeon Flux and Ultra Violet. I think that you have to be a fan of comic book reading and science fiction to really appreciate this film for what it is and it doesn't hurt to enjoy girl butt kicking movies, . . .all of which I do. So of course ask me and I have to say that I found this movie very enjoyable. Enjoyable enough to add it to my collection. Mila is very convincing as the comic book character Violet. She flips, kicks, and twists, . . punches and kills, . . a whole load of people. The story line was a little all over the place. I think that it was compromised a little to save time for all the fighting scenes but the fighting scenes, . .boy did I REALLY enjoy the fighting scenes. I thought that they were really well choreographed. I only wish that they showed more on the special features about the fighting scenes. This movie is apropriately visually stunning and really takes you into the future. The costumes are AMAZING. Everything about this movie from costume, to the cars, weapons, architechture, . . exude an almost attainable realisim that we may just very well see in the near future. Story line wise I would have to say that I liked Aeon Flux better, but visually this movie really rocks and is well worth a look into. You just have to put on your science fiction thinking cap on and appreciate it for what it is a beautifully put together film that is extremely entertaining.