Ultraviolet

I think Hollywood has forgotten how to do vampires. I grew up watching gothic, quasi-religious Hammer Horror films from good olde England. But, sadly, period pieces are no longer popular...neither are positive depictions of religion, for that matter. The days of Dracula stalking through Victorian London and being repelled by crosses are over. Nowadays, we get scantily clad teenage girls or George Clooney kicking vampire butt with kung fu and shotguns. It's been a long, long downward spiral for the lords of the Undead.

And yet, every once in a while, I ferret out a little vampire gem. The "Ultraviolet" DVD set was gathering dust on my brother's shelf when I decided to give it a whirl late one night. I didn't get hooked right away; the direction in episode one is a bit disjointed, and the first modern day vampire looks cheesy. But, ten minutes in, I found myself starting to care about the characters. They got me.

This, my friends, is how to do vampires today. Religion is acknowledged, but is not an overwhelming force. Modern technology is used to combat the vampires more effectively, but they're still formidable foes - so you won't see them overcome with holy water-filled Super Soakers. In fact, "Ultraviolet" consistently plays to the vampires' strengths. They're subtle, stealthy, and seductive...like vampires should be. In too many recent films, they've been depicted as zombie-like "shock" troops; here, they're back in best scheming form. After all, if you live forever, you have lots of time to make elaborate plans...

Not much by way of special effects here, but they're not really needed. There are some truly great suspense segments (particularly in episode five), and the acting is solid all around. I don't really think Jack Davenport ("Coupling") is miscast, as one other commentator suggested; he makes a good everyman.

The closest American counterpart to "Ultraviolet" is "The X-Files," but the investigations in that show just didn't seem realistic to me. The police and medical procedures in "Ultraviolet" are, on the surface, more authentic. They're probably still bogus, but at least they're not *as* bogus.

Sadly, the Brits only made one six-episode season, and creator Joe Ahearne says he pretty much got his message across in that short time. So, if you have six free hours to watch the best vampire entertainment in years, go to it!

This mini-series was a breath of fresh air. I was quite surprised to find it at my local Blockbuster video, which is renound for carrying a lot of copies of main-stream garbage. This series introduced unusual elements and had all of the signatures of a well-created 'universe.'

This is a must-see, esp. for Vampire (did I use the 'v'-word?) fans.

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!

The word vampire might encourage the odd yawn from prospective viewers of any fantasy series these days, but fortunately Ultraviolet never uses the word and so we can enjoy it for what it is. My own feeling while watching this excellent series was that it was first and foremost a quality drama series. It has depth, it is thought-provoking, it is gripping and brilliantly conceived. The vampire element, referred to as leeches or Code 5 in the serial, are bound to present-day earth by such topical considerations as biological warfare, AIDS, abortion and other key social issues which, far from being boring or rammed down our throats, serve as a convincing backdrop to what is essentially a battle between authorities and the church, and the parasitic underground of late twentieth century society. The supernatural element, in fact, blends so superbly with the natural that if any viewer were to chance across this series in midstream they would find themselves wondering exactly what they were watching. Six episodes scarcely seems enough to satisfy, but on the other hand, the entire adventure is wrapped up so neatly that, unless some equally clever ideas are forthcoming, this mini-classic should be laid to rest. A high quality cast, scripts and an atmosphere to rival the best of the X Files, all rooted in darkly convincing reality, Ultraviolet is a powerful combination of supernatural thriller and drama with biting social comment. This is so good it hardly seems like fantasy at all. The future of British SF should look to Ultraviolet as its mentor.

You might go into ULTRAVIOLET expecting something like THE X-FILES. Well, it's not exactly like that. UV has more in common with the best British cop shows. Some of the darker elements of shows like FROST, REBUS, or WIRE IN THE BLOOD are evident throughout this mini-series.

This is a smart, bleak story about two warring factions: Humans vs. Leeches. It's a battle for species supremacy. Filled with social commentary, UV twists the vampire legend into a tale of survival and desperation.

The characters are intelligent and strong, the pacing is perfect, and the plot never falters. Jack Davenport is Det. Sgt. Michael Colefield, the latest recruit in the war. Suzannah Harker is Dr. Angela March. Idris Elba is Vaughan Rice.

The leeches (aka: Code V's) remain mostly unseen, adding to the mystery and growing tension.

Since this isn't a big Hollywood production, there are only a few explosions, absolutely no karate vampire fights, and not one person in a black leather outfit. This mini-series is smarter than that, requiring a bit more than just a heartbeat from its audience.

The only complaint is that it only had six episodes, and that no more were ever made...