Kurt Wimmer's futuristic, comic book-inspired action adventure, which imagines a war of attrition between humans and fanged genetic mutants, displays alarming vampiric tendencies of its own.

The film is incapable of genuine emotion and sucks the very life force from its audience.

Inept direction, a shambolic screenplay and laughably wooden performances leave us to contemplate the prospect of driving a stake through our own hearts as a means to end the misery.

When the willowy heroine threatens: "If they corner us, suffer no delusions, I will kill you!" we secretly pray that she might mean us too.

Editor William Yeh cuts every second-rate, Matrix-light action sequence to a miasma of incomprehensible flickering images.

Director Wimmer doesn't give him much to work with, like the climactic sword fight that takes place in total darkness apart from the flaming blades of the two opponents.

Ultraviolet is a chaotic wall of sound and computer generated fury.