Ultraviolet

Rating:
Summary: The British Know Vampires -- And How to Deal With Them
Review: For those who have not seen this movie, it is well worth the buy. Set in modern day London, a cop's partner is "turned" on the eve of his wedding. As he investigates his partner's failure to show and disappearance, he learns that vampires (or "leeches" as they are usually called -- the word vampire is never used) are real. He is then co-opted into a special government branch -- run by an ex Priest, a medical scientist, and a special forces operative -- that is hunting the vampires.

Are the vampires evil? Does religion really have anything to with them? Is the cross's effect on vampires merely psychosomatic or is there real power there? Is the special branch just a modern day version of the inquisition, oppressing the innocent?

It is to the show's credit that you do not really know the answers to all of these questions until the last episode, though clues are sprinkled about throughout.

This is the best vampire story I've ever encountered (book, movie, or series). Although shown occasionally on the Sci Fi channel, owning the DVD is well worth the price to see it for the first time.

For those who have seen the series on t.v., the DVD is still worthwhile. Though there is not much in the way of extras, the DVD version seemed much easier to understand (and not just because I had seen it before). The sound quality is very good. On the t.v. version the conversation was sometimes hard to follow because of the English accents. Not so with the DVD. Being able to follow the conversations more closely added a lot to my viewing pleasure.

Worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly surprised ... and then some!
Review: Honestly. I consider myself a relatively 'in the know' genre fan, and I had never even heard of this miniseries until I happened across it on the shelves at the local DVD store. Impressive packaging. Interesting premise. It sounded like a winner ... but at what cost? I read the other reviews on Amazon and from some related boards that I could find, and I was only learning great things. Finally, for Xmas, I gave in, and let me tell you I was more than pleasantly surprised. I was blown away. ULTRAVIOLET is a six-episode miniseries (hint: it's left open enough for a follow-up, should the creative folk wish to do so) that did something very few miniseries do: it makes you think. I don't care what the others have written, but I do want to point out my fundamentals: (a) Episode 1 is the rudimentary, just-a-bit-formulaic set-up for what's to follow; (b) Episode 2, 3, and 4 introduce some of the more interesting elements that, honestly, force the viewer to keep up with ideas; (c) Episode 5 is, without a doubt, one of the finest hours of TV I've ever seen produced; and (d) Episode 6 is a commendable finish to a job well done. Remember: I spent gift money on this ... if I had it to do over again, I'd plunk down the cash right out of my pocket.

Rating:
Summary: Tension Builder and more
Review: I don't really remember how I heard about this particular DVD, but I am very glad that I did. It consists of mainly self contained stories with sideplots that keep an overall story arc going. The mini-series format definitely seems the best way for this type of story to be done although it is disappointing that there have been no further mini-series. The series does a great job of building tension and presenting moral dillemas for the main characters. The lines between good and evil are blurred pretty well until the ending, in which the traditional vampire-bad human-good roles are re-established, but the premise that no-one is really immune from being turned is an interesting one. On the whole if you have an afternoon available in which you can watch all six episodes at once is the best way to experience this very excellent drama.

Rating:
Summary: What The X-Files Could Never Do
Review: I got an advance copy of Ultraviolet DVD and watched all 6 hours over the course of 2 nights. Right off the bat it was very obvious that Ultraviolet is a British production - rather than beating you over the head in the first 15 mins, they give you credit for having a brain and piece things together in a way that really draws you in. The film/series runs 6 hours and the writer/director Joe Ahearne really understands how to set a pace to keep you engaged while moving the story along.

Ultraviolet takes a wonderfully fresh and inventive approach towards vampires. I genuinely enjoyed the infusion of technology in relation to vampires - If vampires don't have any reflection, how can they talk over a phone? I also really liked the philosophical approach it took to the subject of vampires: Are vampires really bad? Should they be killed because they are who they are?

In the early years of the X-Files I was certainly a fan, but the show really lost me over the years, after watching Ultraviolet I realized why. Rather than hyping up some big conspiracy and never doing anything about it, Ultraviolet creates a complex world where everything isn't black and white but there are very specific 'rules'. Rather than myopically focusing on the world it creates Ultraviolet concentrates on really telling complete stories about the people in that world.

Ultraviolet was well acted, well directed and thoroughly enjoyable. I can't remember the last time I spent 6 hours watching something and was more than willing to see more. If Ultraviolet ever became a regular series I'd certainly be a faithful watcher!

Rating:
Summary: A FINE EXAMPLE OF CLASSIC MODERN TELEVISION
Review: I picked up ULTRAVIOLET without knowing much about the show. I did not recognize any of the actors featured on the cover art and I am not an X-FILES fan (a program that I feel has become much too insular), but the synopsis on the ULTRAVIOLET box intrigued me and I decided to buy it blind. While watching the first episode I felt that the lead had been sorely miscast and that some of the British accents were too thick. By the riveting conclusion of the sixth episode, I was totally hooked by this show, wanting more but grateful for its elegant brevity. ULTRAVIOLET is THE SOPRANOS of sci-fi/horror/fantasy television. Like the popular American gangster series, it elevates its genre to include surprising narrative techniques that enhance the shrewd philosophical nature of the otherwise purely escapist fantasy. The female leads are all terrific, serving as sexy, intelligent, appealing characters whose complicity helps to substantiate this scary world of the supernatural. Colette Brown lights up the screen, taking a typically distracting character and making her interesting, sympathetic and compellingly attractive. The terrific acting is not merely the domain of the women, as Idris Elba demonstrates with his brave portrayal of an eerily fascistic crime fighter who is unafraid of getting blood on his expensive suit. Lead Jack Davenport proves to be a canny choice for a character who is convincingly inept yet ruthlessly resourceful. By the end, I found no fault with the show at all. ULTRAVIOLET offers us a contemporary England not seen in THE ORIGINAL AVENGERS or FAWLTY TOWERS or even Guy Ritchie's gripping gangster pictures. Creator Joe Ahearne is clearly a romantic who knows the nuts and bolts of breathing new life into the lungs of a tired genre and, in the process, raises clever questions about our real world with its unique variety of [people]. It is especially nice to own something this cool while most of the viewing public is still unaware of it.

Rating:
Summary: A toothsome choice for everyone
Review: I received this as an Amazon suggestion and were they right on. I never really got into the X-Files, finding their concept compelling but the story lines a little repetitive. Further, I dislike horror fiction and Ann Rice's take on vampires. With all that said, you might wonder why I liked this. The answer is simple: A great story.

I like the concept of a vampire underground, organized and thoughtful, a sinister threat, not just a blood thirsty killing machine. The characters are brilliant and the tension between them is spectacular. The plots incorporate interesting ideas, updated for the modern era: Vampires cannot be seen in mirrors, so today that also means, they can't be seen on cameras. The greatest little suggestion in the series is that vampires often seek people in their 30's to convince to join them. Why? Because they realize their youth is slipping away and don't want to get older. Brilliant. (With that said, all the vampires now must be baby boomers.)

I loved these episodes and am now suffering withdrawal from awaiting more episodes.

Rating:
Summary: Nobody Does it Better
Review: Let's face it -- the Brits know how to do a few things better than us Yanks: drink tea, print tabloids and produce compelling TV shows come to mind. "Ultraviolet" falls into the last category, and for those of you who don't mind blending genres, this show is well worth the price of admission.

"Ultraviolet" is part mystery, part sci-fi thriller and part horror show mixed into one story spread over six episodes. The main character, Michael (played by Jack Davenport, also of "Coupling" fame), is a London police detective leading a fairly normal life in the beginning of the Episode One. When his partner Jack disappears on the night before Jack's wedding, however, Michael investigates and quickly becomes possessed of a knowledge that few others have: the world is infested by a small but active vampire colony. Interestingly, the word "vampire" is never used in the series; "leech" is apparently the preferred term. However, these leeches suck blood from their victims' necks, have superhuman strength, cannot be recorded by any modern technology, can be killed by exposure to sunlight, and will live forever if not destroyed. In other words, if it quacks like a duck... While continuing his investigation into Jack's disappearance, Michael is reluctantly recruited into a special police/paramilitary unit whose sole function is to neutralize the leeches and keep humanity safe from enslavement and/or extermination.

I'm not going to provide an episode guide; other reviewers below have done that. Instead, I'm going to tell you why you should watch this show. First, Writer/Director Joe Ahearne does a masterful job of buliding suspense. The action is seen through Michael's eyes for the most part, and Ahearne uses the classic "less is more" style to make this show really creepy. For example, you hardly ever see the leeches; instead, you see the effects on the people with whom the leeches have had contact. It creates a very tense atmosphere of "they're out there somewhere, we just don't know where." (See the movie "Alien" if you don't know what I'm talking about.) Further, Michael's new colleagues are almost as threatening as the leeches. It is several episodes before Michael learns much about them and even then they are so maniacal about doing their job, you never quite get to a spot where you completely trust them. The viewer knows, as does Michael, that Michael would be shot down immediately if he ever ever becomes a leech, bonds of loyalty or friendship (such as they are) notwithstanding.

Second, the cinematography is excellent. Much like early seasons of the "X-Files", most of the scenes in "Ultraviolet" are shot either in very low light or at night, setting a dark mood for the whole series. I won't ruin it for you, but there is a scene in Episode Five (Terra Incognita) involving one of Michael's colleagues being trapped inside a warehouse with several leech coffins that are time-coded to open right at sundown. Michael and the cavalry are ten minutes away; the coffins are set to open in four minutes. The sun sets in the blood red sky as this seconds tick off and.... well, as another reviewer says, this might be the best scene in the whole series.

Third, and although there is plenty of action, the characters develop more through good dialogue than through good marksmanship. It's really hard to find a show that is as well written as this one, where what the characters say has real meaning to the story, as opposed to just being filler material until the next chase scene. It is so well done, in fact, that you will be sorely disappointed when the end of Episode Six rolls around because you really want to know what happens next to all of these people. You feel cheated, like there should be more. And that, my friends, is the mark of a good TV show.

So go ahead and hit that 1-click ordering button; you'll be glad you did.

Rating:
Summary: Nobody Does it Better
Review: Let's face it -- the Brits know how to do a few things better than us Yanks: drink tea, print tabloids and produce compelling TV shows come to mind. "Ultraviolet" falls into the last category, and for those of you who don't mind blending genres, this show is well worth the price of admission.

"Ultraviolet" is part mystery, part sci-fi thriller and part horror show mixed into one story spread over six episodes. The main character, Michael (played by Jack Davenport, also of "Coupling" fame), is a London police detective leading a fairly normal life in the beginning of the Episode One. When his partner Jack disappears on the night before Jack's wedding, however, Michael investigates and quickly becomes possessed of a knowledge that few others have: the world is infested by a small but active vampire colony. Interestingly, the word "vampire" is never used in the series; "leech" is apparently the preferred term. However, these leeches suck blood from their victims' necks, have superhuman strength, cannot be recorded by any modern technology, can be killed by exposure to sunlight, and will live forever if not destroyed. In other words, if it quacks like a duck... While continuing his investigation into Jack's disappearance, Michael is reluctantly recruited into a special police/paramilitary unit whose sole function is to neutralize the leeches and keep humanity safe from enslavement and/or extermination.

I'm not going to provide an episode guide; other reviewers below have done that. Instead, I'm going to tell you why you should watch this show. First, Writer/Director Joe Ahearne does a masterful job of buliding suspense. The action is seen through Michael's eyes for the most part, and Ahearne uses the classic "less is more" style to make this show really creepy. For example, you hardly ever see the leeches; instead, you see the effects on the people with whom the leeches have had contact. It creates a very tense atmosphere of "they're out there somewhere, we just don't know where." (See the movie "Alien" if you don't know what I'm talking about.) Further, Michael's new colleagues are almost as threatening as the leeches. It is several episodes before Michael learns much about them and even then they are so maniacal about doing their job, you never quite get to a spot where you completely trust them. The viewer knows, as does Michael, that Michael would be shot down immediately if he ever ever becomes a leech, bonds of loyalty or friendship (such as they are) notwithstanding.

Second, the cinematography is excellent. Much like early seasons of the "X-Files", most of the scenes in "Ultraviolet" are shot either in very low light or at night, setting a dark mood for the whole series. I won't ruin it for you, but there is a scene in Episode Five (Terra Incognita) involving one of Michael's colleagues being trapped inside a warehouse with several leech coffins that are time-coded to open right at sundown. Michael and the cavalry are ten minutes away; the coffins are set to open in four minutes. The sun sets in the blood red sky as this seconds tick off and.... well, as another reviewer says, this might be the best scene in the whole series.

Third, and although there is plenty of action, the characters develop more through good dialogue than through good marksmanship. It's really hard to find a show that is as well written as this one, where what the characters say has real meaning to the story, as opposed to just being filler material until the next chase scene. It is so well done, in fact, that you will be sorely disappointed when the end of Episode Six rolls around because you really want to know what happens next to all of these people. You feel cheated, like there should be more. And that, my friends, is the mark of a good TV show.

So go ahead and hit that 1-click ordering button; you'll be glad you did.

Rating:
Summary: Nobody Does it Better
Review: Let's face it -- the Brits know how to do a few things better than us Yanks: drink tea, print tabloids and produce compelling TV shows come to mind. "Ultraviolet" falls into the last category, and for those of you who don't mind blending genres, this show is well worth the price of admission.

"Ultraviolet" is part mystery, part sci-fi thriller and part horror show mixed into one story spread over six episodes. The main character, Michael (played by Jack Davenport, also of "Coupling" fame), is a London police detective leading a fairly normal life in the beginning of the Episode One. When his partner Jack disappears on the night before Jack's wedding, however, Michael investigates and quickly becomes possessed of a knowledge that few others have: the world is infested by a small but active vampire colony. Interestingly, the word "vampire" is never used in the series; "leech" is apparently the preferred term. However, these leeches suck blood from their victims' necks, have superhuman strength, cannot be recorded by any modern technology, can be killed by exposure to sunlight, and will live forever if not destroyed. In other words, if it quacks like a duck... While continuing his investigation into Jack's disappearance, Michael is reluctantly recruited into a special police/paramilitary unit whose sole function is to neutralize the leeches and keep humanity safe from enslavement and/or extermination.

I'm not going to provide an episode guide; other reviewers below have done that. Instead, I'm going to tell you why you should watch this show. First, Writer/Director Joe Ahearne does a masterful job of buliding suspense. The action is seen through Michael's eyes for the most part, and Ahearne uses the classic "less is more" style to make this show really creepy. For example, you hardly ever see the leeches; instead, you see the effects on the people with whom the leeches have had contact. It creates a very tense atmosphere of "they're out there somewhere, we just don't know where." (See the movie "Alien" if you don't know what I'm talking about.) Further, Michael's new colleagues are almost as threatening as the leeches. It is several episodes before Michael learns much about them and even then they are so maniacal about doing their job, you never quite get to a spot where you completely trust them. The viewer knows, as does Michael, that Michael would be shot down immediately if he ever ever becomes a leech, bonds of loyalty or friendship (such as they are) notwithstanding.

Second, the cinematography is excellent. Much like early seasons of the "X-Files", most of the scenes in "Ultraviolet" are shot either in very low light or at night, setting a dark mood for the whole series. I won't ruin it for you, but there is a scene in Episode Five (Terra Incognita) involving one of Michael's colleagues being trapped inside a warehouse with several leech coffins that are time-coded to open right at sundown. Michael and the cavalry are ten minutes away; the coffins are set to open in four minutes. The sun sets in the blood red sky as this seconds tick off and.... well, as another reviewer says, this might be the best scene in the whole series.

Third, and although there is plenty of action, the characters develop more through good dialogue than through good marksmanship. It's really hard to find a show that is as well written as this one, where what the characters say has real meaning to the story, as opposed to just being filler material until the next chase scene. It is so well done, in fact, that you will be sorely disappointed when the end of Episode Six rolls around because you really want to know what happens next to all of these people. You feel cheated, like there should be more. And that, my friends, is the mark of a good TV show.

So go ahead and hit that 1-click ordering button; you'll be glad you did.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent treatment of a difficult topic
Review: Not only has the treatment of vampirism been elevated to a kind of scientific plausibility, it has been done so in a style that is absolutely captivating. I have watched this three times through (all five hours of it) and I will certainly watch it several times again. There is so much complexity that every time I see it, I find whole new threads and subplots to interest me.

The writing is brilliant and the acting is so convincing that you find yourself taken into a world that you otherwise would not have accepted for a second. Moreover, the depth of emotions evoked by this story will often catch you off-guard, and in several cases, put a lump in your throat. If the understated scene with Susannah Harker vainly trying to pump life back into the rape victim doesn't deeply move you, nothing ever will.

This is story-telling at its very best!