Ultraviolet is a 2006 science fiction/action film. It was released in North America on March 3, 2006 (after being pushed back a week from its original release date of February 24). The film was written and directed by Kurt Wimmer and produced by Screen Gems. It stars Milla Jovovich as Violet 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, 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 guerilla war against a totalitarian government dictatorship. Many comparisons have been made between Ultraviolet and Equilibrium, director 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 Japanese manga (although the film is not actually based on an existing comic book or 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 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 much more ambiguous ending and doing away with some of the film's more improbable plot twists.

Ultraviolet takes place in the late 21st century, in the years following a global pandemic of a blood-borne, highly infectious disease known as hemophagia. Those afflicted with the disease are referred to as "hemophages", and have many super-human attributes akin to vampires. Using fear of the contagious disease to seize power and keep the population in check, a militant medical establishment known as the Arch-Ministry takes control of the government and begins rounding up and exterminating all infected citizens.

The hero 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, a member of an underground resistance movement of hemophages waging a guerilla war against the Arch-Ministry and its megalomaniacal, germaphobic leader, Vice-Cardinal Ferdinand Daxus (Nick Chinlund).

Infiltrating a government labratory, 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 (six out of a series of eight).

Violet's fellow hemophages attempt to kill Six, believing that his body contains cultured antigens developed to exterminate all hemophages. Violet breaks ranks with the hemophages and flees with the boy, believing that a cure for the disease can be reverse-engineered from his genetic material. 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.

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.

Violet ultimately learns from Daxus that the disease in Six's body is designed not to kill hemophages, but rather to kill humans. With the hemophages nearly exterminated, the Arch-Ministry needs a new threat to "protect" the population from so that they can maintain their hold on power. Daxus plans to infect the world with the antigen, then control the population by selectively distributing the only cure.

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 their lives in an idyllic setting.

However, Garth manages to bring Violet back from the dead because of his feelings for her, and she ultimately launches a final assault against the Arch-Ministry's headquarters to retrieve Six's body. After slaughtering her way through Daxus' private army, Violet finally confronts Daxus himself in a duel with flaming swords. Daxus matches Violet blow-for-blow and reveals that he is also a hemophage (in the past, Daxus was one of the original lab technicians researching the hemophage virus, and manipulated his way into power after accidentally exposing himself to the virus). Nonetheless, Violet manages to set him on fire and slice him in half.

In the end, Six is brought back to life, and Violet reveals that he was resurrected with one of Violet's tears, containing the hemophagia virus (which immunizes him from Daxus' anti-human virus). Six himself reveals that he knows the cure for hemophagia, which can save Violet's life. The two of them drive off into the sunset. Violet states that she is uncertain if she will die from her wounds or her terminal-stage hemophagia, but that evil-doers had better beware if she does not.

Apparently the plot of the movie was substantially cut for theatrical release, and genetic mutation was originally secondary to Violet, yearning for a family, getting accidentally caught up in a series of government conspiracies to use biological weapons as political tools. The only remaining nod to this plotline is Daxus's plans for Six, which are to use the disease in his bloodstream to start anew the cycle which stole everything Violet had.

Hemophagia, otherwise known as the Hemoglaphagic Virus or HGV, is a blood disease (possibly comes from the Greek word "αιμοφαγία", meaning blood eating). It was once a rare pathogen responsible for historical accounts of vampires, but was then modified through genetic engineering by the U.S government to give individuals superhuman abilities. These modifications also made the disease far more contagious, and it soon escaped into the general populace, where the media whipped it into a disease-based state of 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-he 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. Some of the abilities exhibited by hemophages are:

Increased strength, speed and stamina. This could be the result of an increased level of natural hormones similar to anabolic steroids, as well as altered epinephrine (adrenalin) and norepinephrine levels. As the latter would produce an aggravated fight-flight response, this could be the reason for the hair-trigger temper of the more combat-oriented Hemophages.

A rare few such as Garth develop enhanced intelligence, perhaps by increasing the potency of neurotransmitters responsible for memory and cognition.

A similar process may be responsible for the seemingly common phenomenon of enhanced senses. Violet, for example, has extremely sensitive hearing, shown to great effect during her duel with the Blood Chinois atop a skyscraper.

One important plot point is that many hemophages have an inconveniently high sensitivity to light, accompanied by equally keen night vision. This forces them to wear heavily-tinted sunglasses. Violet does not have this particular trait, enabling her to move about more freely.

However, every hemophage exhibits the following two enhancements:

Massively increased density of bone and dentin throughout the body results in slightly elongated canines, the cliched 'fangs'. These canines are slightly elongated, but certainly not the wolflike teeth of legend.

An accelerated metabolism that speeds healing.

Although the disease has many benefits, it has two side effects: one inconvenient, one devastating:

Hemophagia cripples the body's ability to regenerate blood cells. As a result, Hemophages are are pale and anemic, and they require frequent blood transfusions to stay alive.

All the increased cellular activity takes an unwanted toll on the carrier's body. With their metabolisms speeding along at unprecedent rates, the victims of Hemophagia have a drastically shortened lifespan. Even with the aforementioned frequent transfusions, the longest an infected individual has survived is 12 years.

The government uses the above traits to identify hemophages from the general human population. However, the 'fangs' can be filed down periodically and drugs known as meta-suppressants can be used to temporarily suppress the accelerated metabolism.

Hemophagia may also increase physical beauty through similar hormonal changes. Actress Milla Jovovich (Violet) and actor Sebastien Andrieu (Nerva) are both real-world fashion models. The part of Violet in the film is initially played by actress Ida Martin, only switching to Jovovich after the character is "reborn" as a hemophage. The switch may be intended as an implication that hemophagia can transform a girl who is already pretty into a supermodel (increased beauty is a common side-effect of vampirism in modern vampire stories). On the other hand, 12 years have passed between Violet's infection and the events in the film, so the switch in actresses more probably represents the traditional film shorthand for the passage of time.

Violet uses Gun Kata, a pseudo-martial art combining statistical analysis and shooting, to protect her from many adversaries, even when vastly outnumbered. Within the world of the movie, only Hemophages use Gun Kata. This makes a certain amount of sense, as in Equilibrium (also written and directed by Kurt Wimmer), Grammaton Clerics train from childhood to utilize the art. As the events of Ultraviolet only span a single generation as opposed to the decades-stable post-apocalyptic society of Libria, it is possible that Haemophage reflexes and stamina are necessary to perform Violet's version of the techniques.

While the scenes using Gun Kata are shorter than those in Equilibrium, some believe the sequences appear more realistic and less mechanical than those used by Cleric John Preston. Some critics, however, have taken issue with the editing, which damages the believability of some of the fights. (See criticisms below.)

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, knife-gun hybrids, 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 a briefcase/backpack capable of comfortably transporting the ten year old Six and a 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 jokes in the movie. A security scanner checks Violet, saying "Number of weapons detected:", pauses shortly as Violets weapons are displayed, and finishes "many".

This technology is what drives several of the most intense action scenes in the movie. Gravity levellers are devices about the size of combination locks that redirect (not nullify, not reduce, just redirect) gravity, enabling a person to stand and manoeuvre on walls, or even ceilings. Violet uses her personal gravity leveller 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 get up-close and personal with a helicopter gunship by driving up the side of a high-rise building.

A phone is printed on demand from a machine on the street. It has the ability to produce holographic images when attached to the proper peripheral device.

The phone has some basis in reality. In the early 2000s inkjet printer companies such as Epson demonstrated their ability to create functional circuit boards with printer technology. The concept is discussed at length in the non-fiction book Fab by Neil Gershenfeld.

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 Levelling 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 leveller.

Perhaps the best compromise between these two sources of information is that Hemophage scientists belonging to the resistance developed these technologies with the help of their enhanced abilities, which were then confiscated during raids. However, the government had difficulty reverse-engineering the technology. Now that the extermination programme is nearly complete, most of these scientists are dead, therefore all of these technologies are extremely rare.

This is stated explicitly in a conversation between security personnel at the lab where Violet acquires Six.

Violet somersaults onto the ceiling and shoots a group of guards from above
"How did she do that?!"
"She must have some kind of gravity leveller!"
"Well, whatever it is, it's ours now! She's not going to make it out of this complex alive!"

The film was released in North America on March 3, 2006, with Screen Gems deciding not to screen the film for critics. The film has so far received negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes with a freshness of only 10% (6 out of 61 reviews are counted with a fresh rating).

Many people have taken issue with the fight scenes, claiming them to be unrealistic and hard to follow. Many specifically mention the much-anticipated "Gun Kata 2.0" scene, which expands on the Gun Kata ideas created in Equilibrium. Although it is true to the original ideas, the excessive use of CGI and shaky camera movement make it hard to follow unless the viewer knows what to look for. Those who knew what to expect have said that the scene is realistic in the world portrayed. Other complaints include issues with the actual choreography (many have mentioned that it is unrealistic for soldiers to be incapacitated by nothing more than a broken arm.), and the numerous starts of fights only to have the camera cut away to story development while only hearing the fight in the background.

A critical flaw responsible for Ultraviolet's poor reception by movie critics is its thin plot. Ultraviolet had doubtlessly inherited many core plot elements from movies like Resident Evil (which Wimmer is said to have watched immediately before writing the movie) 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 exceedingly unoriginal.

One common view is that the plot could have carried Ultraviolet more had it been better executed. Viewers were left partially clueless or at least having to guess about the story up until the very end of the movie, where it relied on viewers to piece everything together themselves. Violet's motives in the movie may not be fully understood by the viewer, as her actions can often be seen contradicting each other. People also derided the dialogue, which was either badly written or gleefully satiric, depending on whom you ask. One line in particular ("It is on," delivered by Daxus) has been defended as being deliberately badly delivered to effect humor; most detractors respond that it is a bad line as well as badly delivered, and therefore has no merit.

Many of these criticisms are aimed directly at Screen Gems, who are said to have edited the fights for content and eliminated the main plotline by cutting more than half an hour from the film, which was restored in the novelization. This defense so far can only be substantiated by unofficial comparisons made of a rough cut version screened in the spring of 2005 and theatrical cut of the film. 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.

In 2005, the film's trailer was leaked over the Internet, Kurt Wimmer requested all clips be taken off in order to keep the film a secret. In January 2006, the theatrical trailer was released.

Upon its announcement, Ultraviolet was met with equal criticism and anticipation through various forums and movie websites. Many who viewed the teaser trailer on UGO.Com, called it "Resident Evil on steroids" because of the quotation "It all started when a Government lab discovered a virus that caused genetic mutation"; Jovovich also narrates the film in much the same way as she narrates parts of Resident Evil: Apocalypse (see trivia, below). Others were impressed by the action sequences and the stylish world-view. Though Ultraviolet's filming dates are prior to that of Æon Flux some have commented on the resemblance between the two films. The trailer makes Jovovich's character out to be a super-soldier, thereby making the plotline about the government deciding to exterminate her resemble that of Soldier. The trailer uses "Clubbed To Death (Kurayamino Edition)" by Rob Dougan which is featured on the The Matrix soundtrack (though never in the trailer) as well as "24" by Jem.

As of August 09, 2006, the film has grossed $30,945,963 USD in worldwide box office totals. The budget for this movie was estimated at $30,000,000.

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.

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on June 27, 2006 in North America. The film hasn't been shown in cinemas in Australia due to poor box office response in North America, but instead will go 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). As of August 6, 2006, the DVD has grossed $28.3 million in rental sales.

Special Features:
The special features included are:

A four-part documentary: "UV Protection: The Making of Ultraviolet," with chapter stops.
Audio commentary with Milla Jovovich.

Extended Version:
The extended version restores exposition which dramatically improves story comprehensibility:

We learn that hemophagia improves strength, speed, vision, hearing, bone strength and healing, but reduces lifespan to 12 years maximum.
When the film opens Violet has reached the end of her lifespan, and has only 36 hours left to live. * We also learn that Violet's husband has created a new life and we see Violet's reaction.
There is also increased blood and gore, however it is quite a small amount added.