The Bottom Line: Milla Pursues a History of ‘Ultra’ Violence

That which does not kill Milla Jovovich only makes her stronger.

She always walks away unscathed from disaster after disaster to inexplicably work another day. Heck, if she could survive the Brooke Shields-less Return to the Blue Lagoon, then she was bound to land on her feet after The Messenger, The Million Dollar Hotel and No Good Deed.

You can’t blame every failure on Jovovich, but she’s usually more of a hindrance than an asset. Let’s face it, she rarely catches anyone’s eye unless she’s parading around in her birthday suit. Indeed, many influential directors—including Richard Attenborough, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Bob Rafelson, Wim Wenders, Michael Winterbottom and her ex-hubby, Luc Besson— have failed to make this Ukrainian-born ex-model into something other than a clotheshorse. It must be Jovovich’s beguiling beauty that compels such directors to enlist her limited services.

But Jovovich may no longer need to worry about wrapping such awestruck men around her little finger in the name of her career. After failing to impress in everything from comedy to drama, she’s finally found her true calling.

Yes, it’s kicking butt.

Besson’s The Fifth Element and The Messenger show that Jovovich could handle herself in a fight. But it’s the Resident Evil franchise that’s turned her into a gun-toting sex symbol for the gamer generation. Considering her inability to mine great emotional depths in dramatic fare, Jovovich naturally seems at ease as a taciturn, stoned-faced killing machine. She’s the perfect flesh-and-blood version of a videogame vixen, even more so than Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft.

Done with breaking zombie bones for the moment, Jovovich goes for the jugular as a vampire-like cyberpunk in the futuristic Ultraviolet. She takes it upon herself to protect a young boy targeted for assassination by the government.

Directed by Equilibrium’s Kurt Wimmer, Ultraviolet represents Jovovich’s first attempt to carry a film since 1999’s The Messenger. She was merely along for the ride with the Resident Evils, a franchise which owes its success to its videogame roots. And she never got the chance to prove herself with You Stupid Man, a so-so romantic comedy from 2002 that went direct to DVD this month. 

Ultraviolet arrives two months after Charlize Theron failed to create a future for Aeon Flux. That could prove troubling. And it’s a bad sign that Ultraviolet will not be screened for critics–it must be even more appalling than Resident Evil: Apocalypse Still, Jovovich’s already developed a loyal following among genre fans thanks to The Fifth Element and Resident Evil. Accordingly, they may check out Ultraviolet while they patiently wait for V for Vendetta.

So expect Ultraviolet to open somewhere between Aeon Flux’s $12.6 million and The Fifth Element’s $17 million. Economically budgeted at $30 million, Ultraviolet should then do well enough to convince Hollywood that the Resident Evil series really has transformed this fashionista into a legitimate action heroine.

The Bottom Line
Jovovich isn’t Angelina Jolie or Charlize Theron. Yes, she can throw as mean a punch as either Oscar winner, but she doesn’t seem to have a Girl, Interrupted or a Monster in her. Of course, she could prove us wrong with the upcoming indies .45 and Fade Out, in which she plays wives harboring cruel intentions. But no matter if she doesn’t. Nor does it matter whether Ultraviolet flops and the Resident Evil franchise dies with 2007’s Afterlife, ending Jovovich’s days a woman of action. Her survival instincts are such that her presence will continue to be felt in Hollywood long after her covergirl looks have faded.