The Resident Evil Films

When the computer system of a secret underground laboratory known as "The Hive," which is run by The Umbrella Corporation, shuts down The Hive and kills everyone inside, a small military-style group goes in to reset the computer and find out what happened. Unknown to them, the system had acted to contain the release of a virus called the T Virus. The T Virus animates the bodies of the dead, creating Zombies who spread the virus to new victims through biting them. When the system is shut down and its security program is removed, it reboots and opens the interior hive doors, releasing a flood of Zombies as well as a few other nasty creations that The Umbrella Corporation has been working on. Now the team must fight its way out before the exterior doors to The Hive reseal themselves.

Based on a popular video game, I did not expect much from this film. In fact, I avoided it for several years after it came out. Boy was I surprised when I saw it! The film was actually well made, although the memory loss of Alice was admittedly a bit of a contrivance. Having never played the game, I can not comment on that aspect of the film - although I would say that it does have a somewhat similar feel to a video game (except, of course, that you are not controlling the action).

If you like action and horror films, I would say that this film by its self is worth seeing in the theatre. (B)

As a part of the series, it is worth buying.

Purchase on: DVD, or Blu-ray

When The Umbrella Corporation re-opens a secret facility located beneath the unfortunately named Raccoon City (blame the video game for this name), zombies, created by their T virus, escape and take over the city above. The corporation seals off the city to prevent the spread of infection and releases the Nemesis, one of their new creations, to test its abilities. Our heroes must fight off the zombies, and ultimately the Nemesis, and find a way out before the city is obliterated to destroy the virus which has created the zombies.

After the success of the first Resident Evil film, Resident Evil: Apocalypse has a larger budget and larger stage (an entire city) to play around in. With the larger scope, the film has its characters moving around the city, which weakens the story slightly as you try to follow them. One character, although introduced early on, pretty much disappears from our scope until much later in the film to become a major character - who later goes on to re-appear in Resident Evil: Extinction.

The Nemesis is a disappointment not only to the Umbrella Corporation, but to the audience as well as it is too easily defeated (or, more accurately, subverted).

What this film does do well is further the story of the Umbrella Corporation. While mainly a background player in the first Resident Evil film, The Umbrella Corporation becomes a major character, revealing its true sinister nature, in this film.

Although slightly weaker than the first film, Resident Evil: Apocalypse is still worth seeing in the theatre. (B)

As a part of the series, Resident Evil: Apocalypse is worth buying.

Purchase on: DVD, or Blu-ray

After being experimented upon by Scientists from The Umbrella Corporation (see the end of Resident Evil: Apocalypse) Alice has become stronger, more dexterous, and has developed mental powers.

The T virus has spread and mutated to now somehow devastate vegetation all over the earth. The world has become a wasteland over-run by Zombies.

Shortly after Alice meets up with a group of traveling survivors in the Nevada desert, she is located by the Umbrella Corporation, which attempts to re-capture her so that they can use her blood for experimentation and a cure for the T virus.

The strongest of the Resident Evil films so far, Resident Evil: Extinction does not suffer from a straining to make the story work that the previous films had. It feels more natural and therefore is not only more believable, but also easier to lose yourself in and forget that you are watching a movie.

The one down side is the hokey looking tentacles that shoot from the mutated scientist's fingers. Apparently this creature is based upon one in the video games, but the tentacles just did not work for me.

As a film, Resident Evil: Extinction is definitely worth watching in the theatre. (B+)

In a case of the sum being greater than the parts, although I have not rated any of the films so far as being worth buying by themselves, they are strangely compelling and worth buying as a series.

Purchase on: DVD, or Blu-ray

QUICK REVIEW:

Resident Evil: Afterlife is an extreme disappointment. It violates the laws of the previous films without even an attempt at explanation and offers standard Zombie fare with nothing new to add. A step backwards for the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil: Afterlife is worth renting for full price, but not worth seeing in the Theatre. (C)

DETAILED REVIEW:

Extremely disappointing.

When you create a film sequel, you have the responsibility to remain true to the original rules of that world's reality and an even greater responsibility to explain any inconsistency which violates those rules. Resident Evil: Afterlife is riddled with inconsistencies which it fails to explain. More on that later. . .

First of all, let's address this recent resurgence of 3D: In Resident Evil: Afterlife, as with all other 3D films, the 3D is unnecessary for the enjoyment of the film. Even in Avatar, by far the best 3D movie ever made, the 3D is really not necessary for the story. It can be just as easily enjoyed in the standard 2D format. For this reason, I do not understand this push to keep making 3D films. Should you watch Resident Evil: Afterlife in 3D? In my opinion, no. There is one scene in which you are looking across this field in Alaska before a plane comes flying in which is actually quite beautiful to look at in 3D. But other than that, the 3D does not offer anything spectacular. It is definitely not worth spending the extra money on.

Second, Resident Evil: Afterlife, unlike the previous RE films, offers little more than the standard Zombie fare of other Zombie films. In fact, there are whole scenes with massing zombies which could have been lifted right out of the Living Dead films.

Third, one of the things I disliked in the first Resident Evil film was the use of memory loss to prevent information from being revealed too soon. This felt very contrived to me. In Resident Evil: Afterlife, they return to this contrivance once again to prevent information from being revealed too soon. Annoying.

What I did appreciate in Resident Evil: Afterlife was the fact that they followed through with the ending of Resident Evil: Extinction.

WARNING: SPOILERS

I try my best to avoid spoilers, and will treat them here with care so as not to give away too much, but for the sake of this discussion, some spoiling is necessary. Proceed with caution:

Back to the inconsistencies.

1. In the previous Resident Evil films, the Zombies are slow and mindless, with the exception of a few Super Zombies in Extinction which were explained in that film as having been specifically engineered (and were all killed off). In Resident Evil: Afterlife, all the Zombies are faster (keeping up and even gaining on Alice as she races across a rooftop) and have enough intelligence to actually figure out how to build tunnels. - No explanation given for this change.

2. In the previous Resident Evil films, the zombies were zombies and the mutants were mutants created by the Umbrella Corporation. In Resident Evil: Afterlife, all the Zombies can split their faces open into tentacular (No, that's gotta be a word!) flaps which they affix on their victims to consume them. - No explanation given for this change.

3. In the previous Resident Evil films, mutants were creations of the Umbrella corporation. In Resident Evil: Afterlife there is this thing known as the Executioner which is obviously not a standard zombie (even of the new variety in this film), but no explanation is given as to what it is or where it came from. It just shows up and starts causing trouble.

4. BIG SPOILER: In the previous films, only Alice is immune to the T-Virus, all others fall victim to the virus unless immediately infused with the anti-virus, or in the case of the scientist's daughter continually has to get injections of the anti-virus. In Resident Evil: Afterlife, the Umbrella Corporation's Honcho somehow manages to "fight" against the infection and keep himself from turning long after others would have turned. - No explanation given. And while we're on this subject (MORE SPOILER), the concept of eating Alice's flesh being able to somehow change his DNA to be able to bond with the T-virus is absolutely ridiculous.

END SPOILERS

A step backwards for the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil: Afterlife is worth renting for full price, but not worth seeing in the Theatre. (C)