Ultraviolet: Movie, DVD, Blu-ray disc Review (2006)

Kurt Wimmer's new cartoon action fantasy, "Ultraviolet," is exactly the movie it set out to be--slight and kinetic, a silly yet surprisingly diverting film patterned after a wealth of other movies backed by more substantial budgets.

It's a video game made for the big screen, more than happy to stick within the boundaries of formula and never break from them, yet it's better than most critics will admit. Few coming to this movie will seek greatness, though they will expect fringe, underground entertainment that comes through with compelling, well-choreographed action. For the most part, "Ultraviolet" delivers.

The film, which Wimmer based on his own script, follows brooding Violet (Milla Jovovich), a chameleon-like powerhouse with killer shades, killer lips and a killer bod, which was infected years ago by a man-made virus that now has turned her into a Hemophage.

A Hemo what? A Hemophage. A Hemo who? Look, she's part-vampire and part-human, with the sort of superhuman powers that help her take out hundreds of armed men when the need arises. In "Ultraviolet," that need arises often, particularly since there is a government-run plot afoot to kill all Hemophages, whose toxic blood poses a deadly risk to the human race.

As the film begins, Violet is charged by a superior, Nerva (Sebastien Andrieu), to enter a maximum-security facility and retrieve what she believes is a weapon designed to rid the world of Hemophages. Instead, what she finds is a boy named Six (Cameron Bright), who might just hold the key to curing Hemophages of the deadly toxins coursing through their bodies.

Since the evil Vice Cardinal Daxus (Nick Chinlund) wants Six back, a war between him and Violet ignites, with Violet essentially turning into a Cuisinart as she whirls about the screen in an effort to protect Six from Daxus' henchmen.

What ensues is mindless fun, a film best enjoyed on a visceral level. Several sequences look as if they were designed less for the screen than for the new Xbox 360, which isn't so bad if you've seen what that machine can churn out. Klaus Badelt's driving techno score and William Yeh's slick editing give the movie added life, which is a good thing since too often it recalls better-known films, "Blade" and "The Matrix" series chief among them.

Grade: B-

(Also available on Blu-ray disc)