Movie Review: Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet is the movie Aeon Flux should have been. A hot action babe carving, shooting and martial-artsing her way through legions of bad guys.

Spectacular digital sets, funky future-tech gadgets, and lots and lots of samurai sword-fighting by a very, VERY fit Milla Jovovich, looking to reach beyond her "Resident Evil" franchise. It's just as bad as "Aeon," but at least it doesn't waste an Oscar-winner.

Best lines?

"You are never going to get down off this roof."

"Watch me."

"Please remove all articles of clothing and proceed to the scanner."

In a fascist future where vampires have really silly looking overbites that they never use, it's all come down to "Blood Wars." Ultraviolet is a super soldier agent of the rebellion, a "hemophage" who got infected and lost a child years before.

And when a small boy - played by Cameron Bright of Birth and Running Scared and creepily waiting for that next remake of Children of the Damned - comes into her care, she goes all maternal.

Well, ninja-maternal.

She has to hack/shoot/kickbox, motorcycle chase her way to the "truth."

The villain is a bit player from "Desperate Housewives." The "sidekick" is William Fichtner from "Invasion."

But we can't write it off because Ultraviolet looks so very cool. Kurt Wimmer did the underrated sci-fi Equilibrium. He creates a pristine world of disease and those who fear it, isolated, high tech and ordered. It's a dumbed-down and Simonized Twelve Monkeys.

And Jovovich, an inexpressive catwalk-strutting model-turned actress, all make-up and soft focus (she looks otherworldly and "perfect"), is right at home in it.

It's not bad enough to be funny, but it's not without its moments. Most of those come when Jovovich, not the best with a catch-phrase, answers some challenge with a put-down she should have practiced more in between personal trainer sessions.

"Watch me."

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