Milla Jovovich is most convincing when physical effort is part of the performance. We value her commitment to action, but the franchise scripts have too often given her little else to do.
Fi1m perspective
Jovovich does her own stunt and martial-arts work, and that matters when the fight is the main reason to watch. She gives physically capable heroines a credibility that a script cannot simply announce. We rate the effort more highly than the formulaic films that sometimes depend on it.
Before the science-fiction leads, there was Michelle in Dazed and Confused (1993), a supporting part in Richard Linklater’s ensemble. We enjoyed the teenagers’ company, but the cruelty beneath the last-day-of-school celebrations kept us from getting too comfortable. Jovovich is part of that company, rather than the person the whole film depends upon. The wandering occasionally wears thin, but the ensemble makes it worth staying. It is a good place to look beyond her action roles, though anyone coming chiefly for Jovovich should keep the size of the part in mind.
Her breakthrough as Leeloo in Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element (1997) made use of her ability to seem otherworldly. A historical lead followed with The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). Those roles offered different possibilities before franchise action became her regular work.
Zoolander (2001) is another useful detour, with Jovovich playing Katinka in a comedy led by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Their male-model vanity supplies the main reason to watch, and the flimsy conspiracy plot needs them. The fashion satire is obvious; we recommend it for the performances rather than the sharpness of its observations. Jovovich’s comic supporting turn gives us a welcome change from the action heroines, without making this her film. It would be a mistake to overlook these smaller parts simply because the starring roles involve more physical work.
Resident Evil (2002) began the six-film run as Alice that lasted through 2016, with director and writer Paul W.S. Anderson a frequent collaborator. Her physical commitment is the attraction, though the series’ formulaic writing limits what she can do beyond the action. That leaves us recommending an actor’s contribution with more confidence than the films built around it. We would like to see what a comedy could do with more of her time.
Biography
Milla Jovovich is an American actress and former model. Born Milica Bogdanovna Jovovich on 17 December 1975 in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, she moved with her family to the United States as a child.
She began modelling in her early teens and made her feature film debut in Two Moon Junction (1988). Jovovich played Michelle in Dazed and Confused (1993).
She is known for her role as Leeloo in The Fifth Element (1997) and as Alice in the Resident Evil series of films (2002–2016).
