More about this DVD  •  DVD Info  •  Movie Main Page  •  Message Board

As Ultraviolet spooled before me, I was struck by its similarities to Aeon Flux.  Both films were filmed in exotic locations that feature impressively modern architecture.  Both SciFi flicks are set in the future.  Both fictional societies are inflicted with a fatal disease.  Both films feature a nearly indestructible heroine who dispatches most of her opponents with entirely too much aplomb.   Both heroines are highly capable assassins working for a resistance movement.  Both films feature opponents who can’t seem to shoot straight.  And both films rely perhaps too heavily on CGI and, tragically, less heavily on a good script. 

That last criticism may be unfair.  Reports indicate that Ultraviolet was taken away from writer/director Kurt Wimmer and completely re-edited by the studio.  That may explain why the film feels like there are great gaps in the storyline that cannot be filled by the six minutes of additional footage found in the uncut version released to DVD.  (Although since I was given the theatrical cut to review, I may never know for sure.)

This highly technological society has all but vanquished disease.  There remains one unfortunate affliction, an organism that transforms its victims from human to vampire and greatly reduces each victim’s lifespan.  (Even though this was explicit in the exposition, the film was utterly devoid of any vampiric behavior.  Very genteel transfusions seem to have taken the place of a more personal means to satisfy bloodlust.)  Our bare-tummied heroine, Ultraviolet (Milla Jovovich looking very foxy indeed), has been dispatched to infiltrate the Arch Ministry and take delivery of the film’s Macguffin.  Initially described as the ultimate biological weapon designed to destroy Ultraviolet’s kind, the Hemophages, it turns out to be quite something else.  Regardless, humankind as personified by the powerful and evil Daxus (Nick Chinlund) want that package as much as the Hemophages do, since it’s ostensibly the key to the genocide of the afflicted.  But when Ultraviolet becomes aware of its true nature, she is reluctant to hand it over to either side.

This sets up a relentless series of pursuits, battles, swordfights, and firefights in which Ultraviolet is revealed to have Matrix-like powers, able to dodge bullets and move with a rapidity that makes all resistance futile.  By implication, the Hemophages are somewhat superhuman.  The film’s pace is brisk, the fight choreography impressive, and the slick appearance is mostly appealing.  Many scenes are imparted with a Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow kind of stylized vague soft sheen, but in others the level of detail ramps up considerably.  Just consider Milla Jovovich’s face.  In many scenes she glows; her skin is so flawless it could only have been created in Photoshop.  In other scenes, her skin texture is revealed with normal subtle human imperfections (while she remains quite gorgeous).  Similarly, the CGI varies from creatively convincing to quite artificial.  I don’t understand the inconsistencies.

The film is much flash and little substance.  It’s the kind of mindless fun that one has to be in the mood for.  I suspect that there is far more footage out there, tucked away in some vault, collecting dust.  Perhaps there’s even enough to make the overall Ultraviolet experience a little more coherent.  (This is a film that cries out for some gratuitous violence and nudity.)  I can’t help but wonder if Wimmer had been left alone, the result might have been more satisfying. I wonder if we’ll ever get to see the original R-rated version.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is presented in anamorphic video.  Film was shot with a Sony HDW-F900 in high definition and I suspect this was a direct digital transfer; the DVD has the appearance of a very good Superbit release.  But as I previously mentioned, the level of detail seems to have been reduced frequently, imparting a stylized smoothness.  Edge halos have been almost completely banished.  In some scenes they are simply not present.  In a few, they exist at very low amplitude.  They never intrude.  Small object detail remains excellent and finely grained textures are sometimes superb, sometimes suppressed.  This is a very vivid film, with a strong palette that is manipulated to establish mood.  Color accuracy is quite good based on natural skin tones.  Shadow detail is good but not great.  Contrast is kicked up above average and there is a slight bit of black crush.  I didn’t notice any macroblocking or mosquito noise. 

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is very energetic.  The viewer is immersed in a sea of sound as the surrounds become active with discrete cues.  EX decoding helps create a more stable audio landscape.  Deep bass and a great dynamic range punctuate gunfire and explosions, and there are quite a few.  The sound effects galvanize the action.  You will not be humming any themes from the score by Klaus Badelt; it is designed simply to set moods with an odd mix of orchestral and rock riffs.  The music’s fidelity and spatial sound field are both quite nice.  The dialog is distortion-free throughout.

The alternate language is in French, presented in Dolby Digital 5.1.  Optional subtitles are in French and English, for which Closed Captions are also included.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

First up is a featurette entitled UV Protection (30:50).  It’s organized into four chapters: The Beginning, Turn of the Wheel, Through the Lens, and Fighting Stance.  They may be played individually or as a coherent whole with the Play All option.  As you might expect from the titles of the chapters, this making-of featurette describes the origins of the film, the stunts and the bike gags in particular, the cinematography and location shooting, and the fight sequences.  The principal cast and crew participate but, not surprisingly, writer/director Wimmer is noticeably absent.  An odd blend of reasonably informative and superficial, I found it to be moderately worthwhile.

Milla Jovovich may be heard in a feature-length commentary.  She seems comfortable and open, but I’m sorry Milla, once in a while I was reminded of inane Paris Hilton interviews on the Letterman show (“rad” and “cool” replace “hot”).  She shares anecdotes from the set and discusses the nature of some of her scenes.  She gives credit to her stunt double and describes the difficulties of the fight scenes.  Be prepared for long stretches of silence.

The disc offers trailers for Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Mirrormask, Marilyn Hotckiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School, The Fog, The Benchwarmers, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. 

The 87-minute film is organized into twenty-eight chapters.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.