I
guess the time has come for yet another Resident Evil film. It's easy to brush
this one off without giving it a chance, but it's actually not as bad as the
last couple of films. That isn't to say it redeems the franchise or even that
it's a good film, just better than its predecessors.
Milla
Jovovich returns as Alice, and despite an obvious attempt to humanize her by
giving her a daughter, she remains aloof and robot-like. What makes this film
better are the action and set pieces. The movie captures the video game formula
by having Alice and company travel through multiple simulated environments,
each reflecting a different part of the world with different monsters. Each
locale represents a different video game level, giving the director a lot to
work with.
With
the series’ finally returning to full videogame formula, the only problem
remaining is that it still isn't a Resident Evil game. What we have here is a
mindless action film that can't accept what it is. It attempts to make viewers
“feel” for these characters with “emotions” but fails on every level. Part of
it is that characters take so many bullet wounds and severe beatings while
remaining in perfect health that often they don't even seem human anymore.
The
sound design should also be noted... as the worst part of the film. All the
voices sound like they were dubbed over in editing and don't connect with mouth
movements. The sound track repeats several monotonous songs, all of which are
overly loud and sound like a portion of a "final fight" song looping.
The only time the sound design works is when everyone shuts up and starts
shooting.
"Retribution"
could have been the first film in this franchise since the original that I gave
a pass too, but unnecessary plots and horrific sound work take away from the
amazing action. It may work as a mindless action film for some, but it
continues to drag the resident evil name through the mud. Luckily director Paul
W. S. Anderson stated that the 6th and final film will only be made if
"Retribution" is a success, so maybe the series will finally die
here. Let’s all cross our fingers.
1.5
"Long Dead Corpses" out of 5
Written
by Chris
Edited
by Aaron
