Ultraviolet (film)

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Ultraviolet

Promotional poster for the film Ultraviolet
Directed by Kurt Wimmer
Produced by John Baldecchi
Lucas Foster
Tony Mark (Executive)
Written by Kurt Wimmer
Starring Milla Jovovich,
Cameron Bright,
Nick Chinlund,
William Fichtner
Music by Klaus Badelt
Cinematography Arthur Wong
Jimmy Wong
Editing by William Yeh
Distributed by Screen Gems
Release date(s) March 3, 2006
Running time 88 min. (theatrical version)
94 min. (extended version)
Language English
Budget $30,000,000 (estimated)

Ultraviolet is a 2006 science fiction / action film. It was released in North America on March 3, 2006. The film was written and directed by Kurt Wimmer and produced by Screen Gems. It stars Milla Jovovich as Violet Song jat Shariff and Cameron Bright as Six. The film was released onto DVD and Blu-ray Disc on June 27, 2006.

The film uses the basic premise of John Cassavetes's 1980 cult classic Gloria,[1] about a woman and a young boy on the run from the mafia, and transposes the story to a dystopian futuristic setting where genetically enhanced mutants are fighting a guerrilla war against a totalitarian government dictatorship. Many comparisons have been made between Ultraviolet and Equilibrium, Wimmer's previous film.

The opening credits is a montage of comic book covers, indicating that the atmosphere of the film is heavily inspired by comic books and manga. The impression of the movie as a live-action comic book or anime is further reinforced by the extensive use of bright-hue colors, as well as soft-focus on close-ups to give the faces of the characters a blurred, air-brushed appearance.

A novelization of the film was written by Yvonne Navarro, with more back-story and character development. The novelization also differs from the film in a number of ways, including a more ambiguous ending and the removal of some of the more improbable plot twists.

An anime derivation entitled Ultraviolet: Code 044 is currently being produced by the Japanese anime satellite television network Animax, and animated by Madhouse.[2]

Contents

[edit] Plot

Ultraviolet takes place in the year 2078, in the years following a global pandemic of a blood-borne, highly infectious disease known as hemoglophagia. Those afflicted with the disease are referred to as "hemophages", and have many super-human attributes similar to those of the vampires of legend. When the media began drawing comparisons, fear consumed the population. This led to the rise of the Arch-Ministry, a militant medical establishment which took control of the government and began rounding up and exterminating all infected citizens to contain the virus.

The heroine of the film is Violet Song jat Shariff (Milla Jovovich), a young woman who was infected with hemophagia, in the process losing both her husband and her unborn child. Violet is now an emotionally dead killing machine, hired by an underground resistance movement of hemophages waging a guerrilla war against the Arch-Ministry and its megalomaniacal, mysophobic leader, Vice-Cardinal Ferdinand Daxus (Nick Chinlund).

Infiltrating a government laboratory, Violet steals a weapon developed by the Arch-Ministry to exterminate all hemophages on the planet, only to discover the "weapon" is a child named "Six" (Cameron Bright), a young clone of Daxus (sixth out of a series of eight). Six is believed to be a carrier for cultured antigens developed to target hemophages, which Violet's fellow hemophages want destroyed. At first Violet seems to regard the somewhat catatonic Six as merely a lab sample, but as Six begins to show increasing signs of personality a bond begins to form between the two. Her softer emotions begin to awaken once more as she grows fond of the boy, and he of her.

Violet breaks ranks with the hemophages and flees with the boy, believing that a cure for the disease can be reverse-engineered from the antigens. On the run from both the government and the hemophages, Violet's only ally is Garth (William Fichtner), a hemophage scientist who is secretly in love with Violet. Garth, upon analyzing a sample of Six's blood, tells Violet that the child has not been infected with anything that can kill or cure hemophages. However, whatever he has been infected with will kill him in a few hours.

Daxus recruits the other hemophages to retrieve the boy, revealing to them and Violet that the antigens in his blood are actually deadly to humans. With the hemophages nearly exterminated, the Arch-Ministry intends to engineer a new plague, to which they possess the only cure. This is being done to maintain their power, supposedly to prevent society from collapsing into anarchy if the Arch-Ministry becomes obsolete. Violet easily kills the hemophages, then demands the cure from Daxus. He refuses, instead offering to make her a duplicate of Six if she will give him the genuine article. Violet is not swayed.

Both Violet and Six are dying from their respective ailments, so rather than fight a futile battle against Daxus, Violet takes Six to a playground where the two spend the last few moments of Six's life in an idyllic setting. Daxus and his men arrive just as Six died. He shoots Violet and orders Six be taken to the Arch-Ministry's headquarters, where he will be disassembled and any helpful elements salvaged to aid in recreating the antigens.

Garth manages to revive Violet, but now that she is grief-stricken over Six's death, she has no desire to resume her life as an unthinking killing machine. However, she is alerted by Garth to a newscast showing the day's events, and when Violet sees the news footage of herself weeping over Six's body, she recalls a tear dropping onto Six, realizing that he may not be truly "dead" after all. She mounts an assault against the Arch-Ministry's headquarters to retrieve Six's body. After loading her suit with enough ammunition to wage a small war, Violet enters the Archministry and forces her way deep in the building, just as Daxus and his men are about to dissect Six.

In the lab where Six is kept, Violet has a final showdown with Daxus. Daxus attempts to use a flamethrower, which Violet defuses by extinguishing the pilot light with her own blood. He tips the odds in his favor by drawing a sword and blocking out the light from the windows. Daxus explains that he was one of the original lab technicians researching the hemophage virus, and after an accidental exposure, used the enhancements he gained from the disease to aid in his rise to power. Violet manages to level the playing field by igniting her sword with fuel from his flamethrower, sprayed on it when she first disabled the flamethrower, and spreading the flame to his blade. She finally emerges victorious when she sets Daxus on fire with his own discarded flamethrower and slices him in half.

In the end, Six is brought back to life by the hemophage virus, which was carried in her tears, the virus having immunized him from Daxus' anti-human virus. Six reveals that he knows the cure for hemoglophagia, which can save Violet's life. The two of them drive off into the sunset as the Arch-Ministry's headquarters burn. Violet states that she is uncertain if she will die from her wounds or her terminal-stage hemoglophagia, but that evil-doers had better beware if she does not.

[edit] Fictional technologies and concepts

[edit] "Hemoglophagia"

Hemoglophagia, otherwise known as the Hemoglophagic Virus or HGV, is a blood disease (possibly comes from the Greek word "αιμοφαγία", meaning blood eating). This was once a rare pathogen allegedly responsible for historical accounts of vampires, but was then modified through genetic engineering by the U.S government as part of a project to create superhuman soldiers. These modifications also made the disease far more contagious, and it soon escaped into the general populace, where the media labeled its carriers "vampires" to increase ratings. This whipped the tragedy into a constant atmosphere of superstition and fear. To help suppress the fact that the quarantine procedures are actually a witch-hunt, the authorities have discouraged the use of the term vampire in favor of labeling carriers of the disease Hemophages. However, there can be no doubt that the authorities are engaged in a witch hunt; in the opening scene a detective cuts his finger on a Hemophage fang and is immediately executed by his partner.

Hemophages are biochemically affected by the disease in different ways and to different degrees, resulting in a remarkably wide range of abilities. All hemophages display enhanced strength, reflexes, and healing ability. Their bodies produce more calcium, extending their canine teeth into tell-tale fangs. Enhanced senses are also common, but vary in degree and often make them hypersensitive to light, contributing to the "vampire" label. Garth, and perhaps Daxus, gained enhanced intelligence. All these abilities come at the cost of an accelerated metabolism, which kills them within twelve years of infection.

[edit] Dimensional compression

See also: Magic satchel

Sometimes referred to as Flat-Space technology, dimensional compression is used to store objects in a pocket dimension. Simple objects are stored/retrieved and more complex ones systematically deconstructed/reconstructed in a flow of sparkling lights. A significant number of items can be stored for easy retrieval without burdening the user with either weight or size. The technology mainly takes the form of easily overlooked wristbands, although one-inch scabbards holding 42-inch swords are also seen. Handguns (some with 18-inch bayonets stored in their six-inch grips), and ammunition are also hidden in this manner (the bullets flying from the wristbands into the magazines on command).

The technology is also used to create habitable pocket dimensions, such as the briefcase/backpack used to transport the ten year old Six and the semi trailer with the internal dimensions of a warehouse (containing Garth's research lab and armory).

Dimensional compression is the basis of one of the light hearted scenes in the movie. A security scanner checks Violet, saying "Number of weapons found:", pauses shortly as Violet's weapons are displayed, and says "many", in an astonished voice, as it is unable to calculate the exact number.

During the final battle, Daxus pulls out a sword from nowhere. This might be a result of editing, but judging by the size of Violet's pocket dimensional wristbands, Daxus's ring might have been a dimension container.

[edit] Gravity leveling

Gravity levelers are devices about the size of combination locks that redirect (rather than nullify or reduce) gravity, enabling a person to stand and maneuver on walls, or even ceilings. Violet uses her personal gravity leveler to ambush a squad of guards, firing on them from within a ceiling air vent. Her motorcycle is also equipped with one of these devices, enabling her to engage in a firefight with a helicopter gunship by driving up the side of a high-rise building.

[edit] Printed phone

In the film Violet buys a printed phone. The paper device has the ability to produce holographic images when attached to an extra peripheral. When combined with the extra peripheral, the printed phone is also able to trace the connection of the person on the other end. It is inconclusive, however, if this ability is of the printed phone itself or from the peripheral. Another ability from this technology is that when it is connected to the wheel of a car, it also has the ability to autopilot the car to a predestined location. This technology has a basis in reality. In the early 21st century inkjet printer companies such as Epson demonstrated their ability to create functional circuit boards using printer technology.[3]

[edit] Colour-changing materials

In early scenes, Violet changes her hair colour from blue to black to purple and back to black. Also, Violet frequently wears clothes which she appears to be able to alter the colour of at will. In the fight at the Arch-Ministry's headquarters, Violet changes her suit colour from white to red by the addition of blood on the palms of her gloves (which spreads over her suit).

[edit] General technology level of fictional universe?

There is some confusion as to how widespread these technologies are within Violet's world. The introductory comic on the official website refers to both Dimensional Compression and Gravity Leveling as Garth's personal inventions. However, investigators in the opening scene of the movie are surprised to find flat-space technology in the enemy's possession, and Six is transported in his own personal flat-space zone. Later, police forces are equally surprised by Violet's possession of a gravity leveler.

[edit] Other technologies

In an early scene, Daxus is seen breaking a seal on, and then drinking, a hot drink from a self-heating mug. Self-heating products, both foods and drinks, have been available in the real world for some years now, most of them using an exothermic chemical reaction to heat their contents.

[edit] Cast

Actor/Actress Role
Milla Jovovich Violet Song jat Shariff
Cameron Bright Six
Nick Chinlund Vice-Cardinal Ferdinand Daxus
William Fichtner Garth
Sebastien Andrieu Nerva
Ida Martin Young Violet Song jat Shariff
Ricardo Mamood Mr. Shariff, Violet's Husband
Jennifer Caputo Elizabeth P. Watkins
Katarina Jancula Shariff's New Wife (does not appear in the 88-minute version)
Duc Luu Kar Waia
Ryan Martin Detective Breeder
Digger Mesch Detective Endera

[edit] Response

Ultraviolet was released in North America on March 3, 2006, with Screen Gems deciding not to screen the film for critics. The film was universally panned by critics, with a freshness of only 8% (6 out of 72 reviews are counted with a fresh rating) on the critical aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.[4]

[edit] Criticisms

Critics have taken issue with some of the movie's fight scenes, claiming them to be unrealistic and confusing. Specifically they mention the much-anticipated "Gun Kata 2.0" scene, which expands on the Gun Kata ideas created in Equilibrium. Although the scene is true to the original style, excessive use of CGI and shaky camera movement cause some to find the sequence hard to follow. Others,[who?] however, have said that the scene is realistic to the world portrayed in the film.[citation needed] Other complaints include issues with the actual choreography (with some pointing out that it is unrealistic for soldiers to be incapacitated by a broken arm).

One flaw that may have been responsible for Ultraviolet's poor reception by movie critics[5] is its plot, which appeared to be very thin in the final release print. Ultraviolet had doubtlessly inherited many core plot elements from movies like Resident Evil (which Wimmer is said[who?] to have watched immediately before writing the movie, and which also stars Milla Jovovich) and Doom, in which a secret lab discovers a way to genetically manipulate human beings. These plotlines have already been developed extensively, and thus Ultraviolet was mocked as being exceedingly unoriginal.

Another view is that the plot could have carried Ultraviolet more had it been better executed. The backstory was not fully explained until the end of the movie, while some subplots were still left to viewers to piece all of the information together. It is possible this was a deliberate device aimed at making the film open-ended by allowing the audience to make up their own minds about the story. Violet's motives in the movie are not clearly (or fully) explained as some of her actions can be seen contradicting each other. It is also not made really clear how Six knows that Violet can be cured of her disease.

Criticism has also been aimed directly at Screen Gems, who are said to have edited the fight scenes for content and eliminated some of the plotline by cutting more than half an hour from the film (which was later restored in the novelization). Comparisons made of a rough cut version screened in the spring of 2005 and theatrical cut of the film show that segments had been cut. The original edit was more focused on Violet's desire for a family and suggested that she was merely swept up in the plot rather than the pro-active operative she appears in the theatrical release, which focused on her illness and imminent death.[6] The unrated DVD restored approximately 7 minutes worth of footage from Wimmer's cut, clocking in at 94 minutes, versus the theatrical release's 87 minutes.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, Milla Jovovich was not pleased with the PG-rated release print, saying that she and Wimmer had been locked out of discussions of the film in the editing stages, and had not been allowed to see her own performance, which she felt, might have been improved if she had had some input.[7]

[edit] Trailer reaction

In 2005, the film's trailer was leaked over the Internet. Kurt Wimmer then visited several message boards and demanded all clips be removed in order to keep the film's plot a secret. The online fan community responded well to this, and all the clips were removed from distribution until the theatrical trailer was publicly released in January 2006. It uses "Clubbed To Death (Kurayamino Edition)" by Rob Dougan as the soundtrack[8] as well as "24" by Jem.

Upon its announcement, Ultraviolet was met with equal criticism and anticipation through various forums and movie websites. Some viewers of the teaser trailer (released on UGO.Com), referred to the film as "Resident Evil on steroids"[citation needed][9] because of the quotation:

It all started when a Government lab discovered a virus that caused genetic mutation

Other resemblances were noted between Ultraviolet and Æon Flux.[10] The trailer also suggests Jovovich's character to be a super-soldier, suggesting a similar plotline to Soldier (that of a government trying to exterminate her).

[edit] Box office performance

As of August 30, 2006, the film has grossed $31,056,644 USD in worldwide box office totals. The budget for Ultraviolet was estimated at $30,000,000. Although the film beat its budget, it wasn't successful in the North America market.[11]

[edit] Production

Scene featuring Six (Cameron Bright) underneath the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai, China.

Production for the film began in early February 2004 and was shot in various cities across China, most notably Hong Kong and Shanghai. Production was finished in late June 2004. The movie was shot digitally on high-definition video using a Sony HDW-F900.

[edit] DVD

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on June 27, 2006 in North America.[12] The film was not shown in cinemas in Australia due to poor box office response in North America[citation needed], but instead went directly to DVD in August 2006. There are two versions of the film, an unrated version (94 minutes long) and a PG-13 version (88 minutes long). The North American, European, South American, Hong Kong, Korean Blu-ray is the PG-13 version of the film. However the Japanese Blu-ray contains the Unrated version of the film.[1] The film performed quite well in the DVD market, grossing over $35.1 million in rental sales.[13]

[edit] Special features

The DVD version includes two special features.

[edit] Extended version

The extended DVD version includes additional footage, increasing the running time and adding more to the storyline / plot. In this release there are additional scenes which include:

  • A scene giving more in depth information on hemophagia. Including how it improves strength, speed, vision, hearing, bone strength and healing, but reduces lifespan to approximately 12 years.
  • A scene (near the opening of the film) which explains that Violet has reached the end of her lifespan, and has only 36 hours left to live. A later scene shows Violet's reaction to her estranged husband's creation of a new life.
  • The level of blood and gore is also increased by a small amount.

Some critics have pointed out that in the 88-minute cut, it seems (according to the flashback) as if Violet's husband had been shot and killed in the sequence which shows how she was infected with the hemophage virus. This may or may not have been the result of bad editing; it may also have the intention of the studio after they decided to release the film in an edited version. However, this would directly contradict the scene (included on the extended, unrated DVD) in which Violet discovers that her husband has remarried believing her to be dead.

The unrated version is not available on Blu-Ray in the US, due to a stipulation by Sony that all Blu-Ray licensees were forbidden from releasing unrated or NC-17 rated fare on the format. Although Sony has since reversed their position, it is highly unlikely that an unrated version will be released on the format due to its poor performance.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ See Ultraviolet at Rotten Tomatoes, where the synposis details the links of the film to the book
  2. ^ "Ultraviolet Anime Announced". Animekon. http://www.animekon.com/news-472-Ultraviolet-Anime-Announced.html. Retrieved on 2008-03-18. 
  3. ^ The concept is discussed at length in the non-fiction book Fab by Neil Gershenfeld.
  4. ^ Ultraviolet profile at Rotten Tomatoes
  5. ^ Critical reviews at Rotten Tomatoes
  6. ^ Unofficial Equlilibrium Fan Site Article detailing the differences between the rough cut and the final cinema version
  7. ^ ROTTEN TOMATOES: Milla Jovovich On Resident Evil And Her Ultraviolet Beef
  8. ^ Which also features on The Matrix soundtrack (though not in the trailer)
  9. ^ A similarity increased by the fact that Jovovich also narrates the film in a similar way to how she narrates parts of Resident Evil: Apocalypse
  10. ^ http://www.avrev.com/blu-ray-movie-disc-reviews/sci-fi-fantasy/on-flux.html
  11. ^ Figures from the film summary (which includes boxoffcie totals, gross etc.) on boxofficemojo.com
  12. ^ Movies.go.com profile page detailing North American release date
  13. ^ Rotten Tomatoes list of top grossing DVD rentals where Ultraviolet is featured at 37 as of September 17, 2006 (grossing $35.1 million)

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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