Weekly Review -- Ultrastyle

Ultraviolet (2006) -- Not many films can claim that they have re-invented the vampire sub-genre. Two of the most successful ones in recent years, Blade and Underworld, have offered new perspectives on the old mythology. Blade was a stylish, techno take on the lore, while Underworld was praised by its fans for artfully combining the vampire and werewolf mythologies in a cool-as-ice story. Both films have spawned popular sequels. As flawed as it is, though, I found Ultraviolet to be much more intriguing than Underworld, not to mention more coherent. The world of the late 21st century is a bleak place, ravaged by hemophagia, a disease which turns humans into vampire-like creatures. Violet (Milla Jovovich) is a woman who has lost everything due to the disease and who is now part of the hemophages' underground movement, getting her assignments from Nerva (Sebastien Andrieu). Her next mission is to eliminate the dictator ruler, Vicecardinum Ferdinand Daxus (Nick Chinlund), who intends to exterminate the hemophages. However, Violet's mission is interrupted by the discovery of Six (Cameron Bright), a boy whose DNA may contain the cure for the virus. Torn between her hatred for humans, her motherly instinct and desire for survival, Violet races to uncover the mystery of Six with the help of scientist Garth (William Fichtner). Jovovich is convincing as the heroine, but some deeper moments between her and Bright are hard to buy. Chinlund is satisfyingly sleazy as Daxus, although his character could have used more of a history. The rest of the cast are pretty bland. The effects and cinematography are stunning, but it feels like the film has eschewed most of the plot and character development in favor of esthetics. The fight scenes are impressive, especially the rooftop scene and the helicopter sequence. I loved seeing the Gun Kata fighting style again, after director Kurt Wimmer's previous film, the underrated Equilibrium. It also has to be said that the film's opening credits were the epitome of cool. Overall, the film is quite an attraction for sci-fi fans and, even though the execution often fails to parallel the concept, the story itself is interesting enough to warrant a viewing.

6/10