PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

rooprect If not for the 2003 reboot of Battlestar Galactica, I would say "Ultraviolet" was by far the best scifi TV show of the last 20 years. Indeed it has much in common with Battlestar, making me wonder if Battlestar creators were influenced by this great show. Foremost we are challenged with themes of moral ambiguity like never before. By that, I mean we are forced to question who are the "good guys", who are the "bad guys", and are there any limits to what injustices we commit in the name of war? For example, in one very jarring episode, we are faced with the conundrum: are the "good guys" justified in forcefully performing an abortion on an unwilling woman simply because her fetus could be a vampire hybrid?But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with the basic premise. It's the age old concept of vampires preying on humans and humans fighting back, except "Ultraviolet" delivers a very clear metaphor which other vampire tales only hint at. I'm speaking of the ecological metaphor of 1 species being at the top of the food chain and feeling the need to regulate & control all species below it. Sound like any species you know?I applaud the writer for not mincing words. Direct comparisons are made toward human use (and abuse) of cattle & other livestock. At one point one of the human characters summarizes the situation very clearly by describing how the vampires could have humans all in farms within the next 50 years, punctuating it with, "our free-range days are over."I think this is what has intrigued us for centuries about the classic vampire myth: the idea that there may be a super predator that feeds on us. Will it treat us the same way we treat the lifeforms we consume? Or will it strive for fairness, mutual benefit and true symbiosis with other lifeforms? After all, as one vampire points out, "we all share this planet." This is very progressive stuff, certainly far beyond the standard screamer flicks about bloodsucking monsters.Another point that makes this groundbreaking for a vampire story is that it's one of the earliest versions that puts a hi-tech scientific spin on the battle. No wooden stakes and garlic cloves here; instead the humans use carbon bullets and allicin grenades, allicin being a garlic derivative. Also, the word "vampire" is never uttered (it must be a British thing, like in the 1983 vampire film "The Hunger"). But traditional elements remain, such as vampires not casting reflections, and more interestingly, a complex antagonistic relationship with the Catholic Church. The church's role is never fully explained, but that's part of the show's charm. At one point the vampire killers' justice is referred to as the new Spanish Inquisition, again making us question who the good guys & bad guys are.I probably should've said up front that there isn't a ton of action in these episodes. So if straight up action is what you're after, you might want to look elsewhere. But suspense, tension, mystery, great character development, and above all poignant questions of morality are laid on thick. Again, I can't help bringing up Battlestar Galactica which is the only other TV show I've seen that forces us to decide for ourselves who are the good guys & bad guys.It's a crying shame that this show never got a 2nd season. But apparently writer/director Joe Ahearne was reluctant to do even the six episodes we got. For that reason, the show does end on a decent finale that answers most questions. If you want to believe it. Me personally, I'd like to think that the season 1 finale presents just one possible side of the story, and a 2nd season could show us the other. Yeah I still have hopes that, after 15 years, we'll get a 2nd season. Then again, I'm still waiting for I Dream of Jeannie season 6.I have to say a word about the cinematography, editing & soundtrack: magnificent. Particularly in episode 5 when one of the main characters gets locked in a warehouse with a vampire time bomb slowly counting down, the drama is presented in a classy, cinematic way we rarely get on the small screen.If you're a fan of dark, gritty, suspenseful shows that challenge both your mind and your moral fiber, definitely check this show out. By the way, it has absolutely nothing to do with the 2006 vampire flick "Ultraviolet" with Milla Jovovich. Although there was a 2000 pilot of this series for American audiences produced by Fox (who admitted they "screwed it up"), this killer vampire story hasn't seen the light of day. Start writing in letters, people! Watch it and I'm sure you'll agree; someone needs to resurrect Ultraviolet!

HelenMary Coupling meets X-Files meets Moonlight meets The Beast.This British six episode mini-series is a slow burner, slow starter but a very slick, intelligent drama. It doesn't explicitly mention vampires - but it's called "Code 5" and it's about a church run agency that keep an eye on vampire goings on in London. Each episode is an hour length investigation into vampires attacking in a different manner, or something suspected to be them, within the story arc of the characters' own issues and history/personal experience with vampires.Jack Davenport (Coupling) plays the lead Detective convincingly. He's a sceptic, not really impressed with his new role in the squad, or with the religious connotations and funding of it either - the leader being a Priest. A sceptic and an atheist. The main other character is Dr March (Susannah Harker) the tech-wizz who researches into the "disease" that is vampirism and how to contain it spreading to the human population. It's a medical show, with lots of science bits, witty dialogue and clever twisting plots. Idris Elba plays Vaughan Rice another Agent who is the gung-ho man on a mission and is brilliant. He is a superb actor and he and Davenport play well off each other. It appears to be small budget with no big effects or toothiness, the vampires are human and realistic but traditional (drink blood, can't go out in daylight etc) with no silly surprises. It's a great modern take on the genre, with science and technology just as it would likely to be if it were real in modern England. It's played for drama, not comedy or action - very straight - and there is clever use of music, light and the sunset adds a real sense of dread and impending darkness. Without all the bells and whistles of "Hollywood" style action, the series could be dismissed as too slow for some viewers but there's so much to take in. It probably requires more than one viewing to fully appreciate all the nuances and catch all the dialogue as it doesn't spell everything out for you. Look out or a very 90s coiffed Stephen Moyer (TruBlood's Bill Compton) in a few eps.clever clever clever. fans of sci-fi and the vampire genre will enjoy this "thinking persons" mini-series with many existential and philosophical questions to answer.

ivan_mckeon This is an excellent and very original take on the world of vampireswhich takes the premise that vampires are a parasitical specieswho rely on humans for their existence. Unfortunately it fell foul of the irrational prejudices of the seniormanagement at the commissioning UK TV channel (Channel 4)and no second series was ever made. In fact, despite excellentratings, the existing 6 episodes have never been re-broadcast.Apparently, C4 bosses decreed that Vampires, Sci-Fi and similarsubjects were not to be shown during peak viewing times. As aresult, writer Joe Ahearne was forced to substitute the words"leech" and 'code 5' for "vampire" throughout the scripts in order toget the show on the screen at all.Despite this silly subterfuge, the story holds up well, combiningvampires with X-files type conspiracies. The result leaves theviewer a little unsure which is the greater evil, the vampires fightingfor their existence or the secret government agency who will useany methods to destroy them. Thought-provoking stuff whichdeserved to be further explored.

winston-24 This series is just the kind of great drama that UK TV does so well. Superb acting and atmospheric filming, without breaking the bank.Taking the hoary old vampire tales into the 20th Century makes a great backdrop for a series of great crime thrillers with vampires cast as the villains.Should be cheesy, should be silly, but instead, it is thoroughly gripping, brilliantly acted, classic British TV.