Ultraviolet (film)

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UltraViolet
Promotional poster for the film Ultraviolet
Directed by	Kurt Wimmer
Produced by	John Baldecchi Lucas Foster
Written by	Kurt Wimmer
Starring	Milla Jovovich Cameron Bright Nick Chinlund
Music by	Klaus Badelt
Cinematography	Arthur Wong Jimmy Wong
Editing by	William Yeh
Distributed by	Sony
Release date(s)	March 3, 2006
Running time	88 min.
Language	English
Budget	$30,000,000 (estimated)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

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,^[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 guerilla 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 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 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 much more ambiguous ending and the removal of some of the more improbable plot twists.

Contents 1 Story 1.1 Plot Summary 2 Fictional technologies and concepts 2.1 Hemoglophagia 2.2 Gun Kata 2.3 Dimensional compression 2.4 Gravity leveling 2.5 Printed phone 2.6 General technology level of fictional universe? 2.7 Other technologies 3 Cast 4 Response 4.1 Criticisms 4.2 Trailer reaction 4.3 Box office performance 5 Production 6 DVD 6.1 Special Features 6.2 Extended Version 7 Common elements with Equilibrium 8 Cultural References 9 Trivia 10 Footnotes 11 References 12 See also 13 External links

[edit] Story

[edit] Plot Summary

UltraViolet takes place in the late 21st century, 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. After the media began actually referring to carriers of the disease as "vampires" to increase ratings, superstition and fear began to rule the population. 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, 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).

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 tissues. 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. Her skills are awe-inspiring; she is barely slowed by the hundreds of faceless soldiers Daxus sends to kill her. After slaughtering her way through his private army, Violet finally confronts the dictator in his sanctum.

At first her victory seems sure, as she easily neutralizes Daxus' intital attack with a handheld flamethrower by extinguishing its pilot light with a spray of her own blood and deflecting the stream of fuel with her sword. However, Daxus draws a sword of his own and matches Violet blow-for-blow in a vicious duel; he is also a hemophage. Daxus, smirking, explains himself-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 in his rise to power. He then shutters the windows, plunging the room into darkness-although he lacks Violet's strength, Violet lacks his excellent night vision. He inflicts several wounds on his enemy before Violet ignites her fuel-soaked sword upon the stone floor, evening the odds once more. Violet and Daxus then duel once more with flaming swords. Finally, Violet manages to set him on fire with his own discarded flamethrower and finishes her enemy by slicing 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 hemoglophagic virus (which immunizes him from Daxus' anti-human virus). Six himself reveals that he knows the cure for hemoglophagia, 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 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). It 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", whipping 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. 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 number of neuronal synapses through brain cortex and parenchyma.

• 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. This may be caused by the increase of the neurotransmitter load at the synaptic cleft. In the book, she also develops an enhanced sense of smell, which lets her smell the cologne and sweat of Daxus far away.

• As seen in the L.L.D.D. inspection room, hemophages seem to have a faster pulse and respiration capability which is higher than that of a human.

• 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 in areas with vast amounts of light. In extreme cases, victims have to wear clothes and headgear that covers every bit of their skin. Violet only converted with mild photokemia, which enables her to move about more freely. Unfortunately, this, in turn, cripples her night vision.

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. When cut, a hemophage's body automatically begins repairing the wound at a microcellular level.

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 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 unprecedented rates, the victims of Hemophagia have a drastically shortened lifespan. Even with the aforementioned frequent transfusions, the longest an infected individual has officially survived is 12 years. The one unofficial exception is Ferdinand Daxus. Daxus, who was infected early on, had, up to his final duel with Violet, survived a lot longer than 12 years. This was possibly due in part to his germaphobic habits, although it is more likely that he used his intimate knowledge of the HGV virus as stated in the film, and later, increasingly unlimited access to blood and blood products, along with medical resources, to prolong his life. An alternative explanation that has been put forward for his unique long-term survival is that he had discovered a cure for HGV, or at least for its more terminal effects. This is based in part on remarks made by Six after his revival that he knows the cure that can save Violet-it was discussed often in the lab he was grown in.

The government, also known as the Arch-Ministry, 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. Hemophage warriors use meta-suppressants to allow them to appear human when they go on covert missions that are likely to require them to undergo close inspection by security personnel and/or systems. For example, Violet first uses the meta-suppressants when entering the Laboratories for Latter Day Defense (L.L.D.D.). After exiting the inner vault with the briefcase, she injects herself with a second drug with clears the suppressants from her body. If used over an extended period of time, the body of individuals suppressing their blood characteristics through use of meta-suppresents begin to react with the drugs, which may induce vomiting, shaking, and/or other symptoms not shown in the film.

[edit] Gun Kata

main article: Gun Kata

Violet uses Gun Kata, a fictional martial art combining statistical analysis and gunplay, to fight many adversaries at the same time, even when vastly outnumbered. Kurt Wimmer also uses this style of fighting in his 2002 film Equilibrium.

In the movie only Hemophages use Gun Kata, this follows Wimmers interpretation of the technique; In Equlibrium the 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 Hemophage 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, critics have commented that the sequences appear more realistic and less mechanical than those used by Cleric John Preston. Other critics have taken issue with the editing, saying it damages the believability of the scenes.

[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, 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 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 finishes "many".

During the final battle, Daxus pulls out a flamethrower and a sword from nowhere. This might be a result of editing, but judging by the size of Violet's pocket dimension, Daxus's ring might be one.

[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 manoeuvre 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.

Precisely how this technology functions is unknown. However, visual CGI scenes from the film seem to indicate that the internal systems of the device produce an extremely high density material that produces its own gravitational pull greater than that of Earth, thus redirecting the effective 'down' direction for the object it is installed in.

[edit] Printed phone

In the film a roadside machine prints Violet a phone. The paper device has the ability to produce holographic images when attached to an extra peripheral. 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 with printer technology.^[2]

[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.

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 leveler!" "Well, whatever it is, it's ours now! She's not going to make it out of this complex alive!"

”

An alternate possibility is that while the scientific basis for such devices has being established, practical devices that work outside a laboratory are still extremely rare, with Garth's devices being among the first practical examples.

[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	Daxus
William Fichtner	Garth
Sebastien Andrieu	Nerva
Ida Martin	Young Violet
Ricardo Mamood	Violet's Husband
Jennifer Caputo	Elizabeth P. Watkins
Katarina Jancula	Shariff's New Wife
Duc Luu	Kar Waia
Ryan Martin	Detective Breeder
Digger Mesch	Detective Endera

[edit] Response

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 7% (5 out of 62 reviews are counted with a fresh rating)^[3]

The film has also received a weighted average^[4] rating of 3.8/10 at the Internet Movie Database.^[5]

[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, however, have said that the scene is realistic to the world portrayed in the film. 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), and the fact that some fights cut away to story development whilst the fight sequence can be heard in the background.^{[citation needed]}

One flaw that may have been responsible for UltraViolet's poor reception by movie critics^[6] 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.

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, where some onus was still left on 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.

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 toward her family and was suggestive of her being merely swept up in the government plot rather than the pro-active operative she appears in the theatrical release. The genetic mutation and her illness (and imminent death) were apparently parts of a secondary storyline.^[7] 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.

[edit] Trailer reaction

In 2005, the film's trailer was leaked over the Internet. Kurt Wimmer then visited several message boards and politely requested 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 (although the latter was filmed after the former). 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.^[10]

[edit] Production

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.^[11] 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). As of September 2006, the DVD has grossed over $35.1 million in rental sales.^[12]

[edit] Special Features

The DVD version includes two special features.

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

[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.

[edit] Common elements with Equilibrium

Ultraviolet gave writer/director Kurt Wimmer the opportunity to revisit some ideas he had explored in his 2002 film Equilibrium which starred Christian Bale. Common ideas include:

• A single hero fights against a dystopian, totalitarian government in the near future.
• Huge numbers of soldiers wear motorcycle helmets/gas masks which make them appear faceless.
• The hero takes down an entire state through violence, working in conjunction with a marginalized group of rebels.
• The villain's architecture is often in the form of, or suggestive of, a crucifix.
• The hero often leaves enemy bodies arranged in aesthetically pleasing geometric shapes.
• The hero uses Gun Kata, a fictional art style developed by Wimmer.
• The hero must bluff their way through an extremely elaborate testing process in an all-white room.
• Presense of extensive gunfights in the dark (Preston due to Gun-Kata, Daxus due to vampire night vision)
• Primary villain attempts to talk the hero out of killing him by claiming to be unarmed; hero decides to kill them anyway.
• The hero's primary opponent is a patriarchal dictator who is ultimately revealed to be doing the very thing he seeks to outlaw.
• The thing the villain seeks to outlaw is derived from a basic part of human nature (emotions in Equilibrium and a disease in UltraViolet)
• The hero is such a deadly combatant that they dispatch all of their opponents almost instantly. The only character able to put up a fight against the hero lasting more than a couple seconds is the main villain, which is somewhat unexpected because the main villain is presented as a bureaucratic administrator rather than a soldier.

[edit] Cultural References

• The line "My name is Violet, and I was born in a world you... may not understand", is a possible reference to Resident Evil: Apocalypse where Jovovich's character says, "My name is Alice, and I remember everything".
• The muzzle flash on Milla Jovovich's (Violet) guns resemble a Biohazard logo. Kurt Wimmer also used logos for the muzzle flares in his 2002 film Equilibrium.

[edit] Trivia

• Before filming, Kurt Wimmer asked Milla Jovovich to punch him, in order to get a feel for the intensity she was putting in her action sequences. For the next several days, Wimmer directed the film with a black eye. This is a similar technique used on Jovovich by Alexander Witt (Resident Evil: Apocalypse) and Paul Anderson (Resident Evil).
• Screen Gems edited the film from its original length of 120 minutes to 88 minutes, against the wishes of director Kurt Wimmer. He was quite angry with this, and many fans agree that this decision lowered the quality of the film significantly.
• Screen Gems also edited to lower the rating of the film from the original R to PG-13. This is evident in the removal of many of the more violent scenes in the movie.
• Kurt Wimmer has a cameo appearance as the Speak-No-Evil Phage in the See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil scene (in which Daxus shoots Nerva's colleagues in the eye, ear and mouth).
• In the theatrical trailer, when Daxus punches Violet's hologram, the gun he is holding has been digitally removed from the scene (it's there in the movie). The reason for this is unclear, as the trailer otherwise features firearms quite prominently. One possible reason is to prevent the viewer from connecting this preview scene with the one just before it in which Daxus and his soldiers are firing at Violet. Connecting these preview scenes would spoil the full scene in the movie.
• There are several references to Hong Kong hidden throughout the movie: In one of the skyline shots early in the film, the Bank of China Tower (one of the most distinctive buildings in Hong Kong's skyline) can be clearly identified. Furthermore, the leader of the Blood Chinois is named 'Kar Wai', a likely reference to Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai though the language in which he converses is Vietnmese.
• Although the title sequence is composed of mainly comic book style artistry and comic book covers, no comic book was released to promote the film, nor was one released subsequently as follow up merchandise. Despite rumors to the contrary the film is not based on a comic book nor Japanese manga. The story and characters are original to Kurt Wimmer. (However, there is a British miniseries Ultraviolet that also deals with vampire-like themes.)

• Ultraviolet's Production Notes state that Kurt Wimmer was "inspired to retell John Cassavetes' 1980 cult classic Gloria as a comic book action-adventure."^[1] Gloria tells the story of a beautiful gun-toting woman who rescues a young boy from the mafia.
• The invented language used in the film is called Thaihindi, presumably a combination of Thai from Thailand and Hindi from India. The film's novelization refers to the spoken language as Thaihindi and the written language alternately as "Thaihindi script" or "Indo-Narai script." The prefix "Indo-" usually refers to India. "Narai" probably refers to King Narai the Great (1629-1688), former king of modern Thailand.
• Violet has tattoos on three fingers of her left hand: Thaihindi script reading comrade, lover, and wife. She was intending to get a fourth reading mother until she lost her child. Her tattoos resemble mehndi (sometimes called "henna tattoos" in the West), which are most typically used to decorate the hands and feet of women for their wedding ceremonies. The use of written language is atypical of mehndi designs and may be unique to the film.
• The novelization describes Violet as wearing "LCD" clothing and a "micro sheen of optical polyurethane" covering each strand of hair, so that her hair and clothes can instantly change to "more than seven million colors." Both can be either "set to reflect her mood" in the same manner as a mood ring or changed on command. The mood-colors used in the film do not match standard mood ring colors.
• In the scene with the Blood Chinois, they speak Vietnamese, whereas Violet speaks poor Vietnamese. "Chinois" is the masculine version of the French word for "Chinese," so why are the Blood Chinois Vietnamese? Wimmer may be referring to a cooking chinois, in which case "Blood Chinois" would mean "Blood Sieve."
• There is an uncanny resemblance between Violet and Violet Incredible from The Incredibles.

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b} See Ultraviolet at Rotten Tomatoes, where the synposis details the links of the film to the book
2. ^ The concept is discussed at length in the non-fiction book Fab by Neil Gershenfeld.
3. ^ UltraViolet profile at IMDB
4. ^ IMDB's weighted average and rating system explained.
5. ^ Full ratings breakdown at IMDB, including breakdown by ages, sex, nationality etc.
6. ^ Critical reviews at Rotten Tomatoes
7. ^ Unofficial Equlilibrium Fan Site Article detailing the differences between the rough cut and the final cinema version
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. ^ Figures from the film summary (which includes boxoffcie totals, gross etc.) on boxofficemojo.com
11. ^ Movies.go.com profile page detailing North-American release date
12. ^ 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

• IMDB sources: Film profile page (2006), Full film ratings (2006)
• Rotten Tomatoes, Ultraviolet Profile page (2006), Accessed 31/08/2006.
• Equilibrium Fansite Article, ULTRAVIOLET: Rough Cut vs. Studio Cut (2006), Accessed 16/10/2006

[edit] See also

• Competing films with similar plots
• Ultraviolet (1998 TV serial)

[edit] External links

• Official Website
• Ultraviolet at the Internet Movie Database
• Ultraviolet (film) at Yahoo! Movies
• Ultraviolet at The Movie Spoiler
• Ultraviolet at MovieWorld.ru (Russian)
• Box Office Mojo
• Bloody-Disgusting
• Coming Soon
• Counting Down
• Freeze Dried Movies
• HSX
• Upcoming Horror Movies

Promotional Sites:

• Ultraviolet @ Apple.com
• Trailers, TV Spots, & Clips
• Poster: USA One Sheet
• Violet's Myspace
• Production Notes

Fan sites:

• Ultraviolet @ Equilibrium Fansite
• Ultraviolet @ MillaJ

Miscellaneous

• Novelization Excerpt
• Ultraviolet cut out scenes at MovieWorld.ru (Russian)
• Ultraviolet Fan Made Movie Trailer by Guiboche in the Movie-List Forums

Films using Gun Kata
Director: Kurt Wimmer
2002: Equilibrium
2006: UltraViolet
Characters: John Preston | Violet Song jat Shariff