Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) Movie Review

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is a 2016 action horror film written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. This is his final movie in the franchise and the sixth movie in the series as a whole, made precisely with the intention of it being the ending to the Alice Storyline. It stars Milla Jovovich, Iain Glen, Ali Larter, Shawn Roberts, Eoin Macken, Fraser James, Ruby Rose, Rola, and William Levy. Made for only $40 million, this finale wasn't all that expensive but made more than its budget back around the world and grossed $314.1 million.

Alice lives in the hellish wasteland disposing of the dead when she is once again made aware of Albert Wesker's army going after her. The Red Queen comes back and explains to Alice that she is using her as a proxy to stop Umbrella's plans of world destruction. Now Alice has to end this apocalyptic nightmare in one last strike.

With an unrelenting pace and complete disregard for harmony or stability this last roller coaster reaches a very solid momentum when it comes to being a dynamic experience filled with kinetic energy and frenetic camera work. It's almost a formal fever dream as it uses rapid fire editing to completely disorient and numb your senses during most of the action or even very normal sequences and scenes. We have come a long way from the precise and almost clinical detail and construction of the very first movie, still somewhat faithful to the videogame logic and aiming for clarity, but here we have very fragmented space and zero regard for spatial clarity. The problem is that every new shot is redundant in what it adds or is completely aimless, feeling more like a delirious music video than anything else.

The characters are about as one-dimensional and straightforward as ever, having Milla Jovovich drive this series was a good call because I can't truly remember any other character, supporting or otherwise, as they are all empty action figures the director uses as playthings to his objectives. I am fine with that, but they do drag down the emotional investment one could have in the film. There's also a lot of wasted potential as this dirty and grim visual look to the movie to convey its post-apocalyptic world isn't very appealing when compared to the slick and stylish environments from other movies. Although, I do think the contrast between them is neat and adds something to the films overall.

Unfortunately, the production of the movie was plagued with two very horrifying accidents. Stunt-woman Olivia Jackson suffered severed injuries in an accident involving a camera crane, she sued and won but only after going through a great amount of serious medical issues. Not only that, but crew member Ricardo Cornelius was killed during another accident involving a military Hummer. It is a real shame those incidents occurred, especially when they could have easily been avoided.

Overall, this is a very entertaining movie when it comes to its special effects and fast pace, bringing all of the stimulating tricks and setting them up to their maximum effect, but it can sometimes be an overload of stuff going on and the actual storyline is weak and feeble. Not a horrible ending as it's tonally very much in line with the other movies but it's not the grandiose finale I would have hoped for.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) Movie Review

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is a 2009 action horror flick directed by visual effects specialist Patrick Tatopoulos, who had worked previously on other films on the Underworld series, and written by Danny McBride. The film stars Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Steven Mackintosh, and Kevin Grevioux. On its release, the film did less on its opening weekend than the last two entries but it didn't bomb at the box office either, so more sequels were expected to come years later.

A prequel to the previous movies, the film follows Lucian, a werewolf, trying to set the Lycans free from the slavery vampires have imposed on them. While the film doesn't outright depict the start of the war between the two monster factions it does give us more insight into the conflict.

The momentum of the franchise was pretty much running low by this point and this third film can barely deliver the gothic horror thrills the series was at least decent at before in the two previous movies. There's no Selene, so that right there takes away several points as this series doesn't really work without its main heroine, it's like taking away Alice from the Resident Evil movies. Since this is a prequel that's kind of understandable, but in her place we have Rhona Mitra as Sonja, who isn't bad in the role but she’s given very little material to work with and has barely any real action scenes, no moments to shine. Ultimately, this is what made her character forgettable.

While I can commend the crew for doing a great job in the technical aspects such as cinematography and set design, the whole movie feels lacking and pales in comparison to the flashy art direction from the original film. It doesn't look bad but a lot of it fits perfectly into that generic fantasy period look a lot of blockbuster movies tried to copy after the success of Lord of the Rings, add in the Twilight influence on pop culture at the time and you get some typical stuff both visually and story-wise.

Not a horrible movie but a terribly generic one. The weakest in the series so far but can still entertain if you simply enjoy these unabashed fantasy gothic epics.

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) Movie Review

Resident Evil: Retribution is a 2012 action horror movie written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. It's the fifth film in Anderson's cinematic version of the Resident Evil franchise and follows Afterlife from two years earlier. It stars Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Kevin Durand, Sienna Guillory, Shawn Roberts, Aryana Engineer and Colin Salmon. It was originally going to be shot back to back with a sixth part but plans were dropped by the director himself. The film was a box office success but not enough to require an immediate sequel so people had to wait four years for the last installment.

After finding the freighter known as Arcadia in the last picture, Alice and the rest of the survivors are attacked by the Umbrella Corporation and escape. She meets with Ada Wong and both encounter a rescue team consisting of Leon S. Kennedy, Barry Burton, and Luther West. They must face up to Umbrella once more as past enemies and friends return. 

The ultra bombastic spectacle comes back in this new entry and the unreal cartoony action set-pieces that characterized the series now have a new life after some lackluster moments in parts three and four. The divisive hyperstylized aesthetic that Paul W.S Anderson is known for is in full form here in a way that we haven't seen since and that we will probably never see again any time soon. Mind-bending and physics-defying stuff is displayed here with grace and self-awareness without descending into absurdity or parody, not in a gratuitous sense anyway.

Anderson's decision to include more and more characters from the game are part of what drags the movie a bit for me personally, this is because the series was doing a pretty good job at separating itself from the games and doing its own thing quite well. Sure, sometimes we would see some characters from the games but they would have their own purpose in the narrative. Here it just feels like the official lore is taking space and exists only for fanservice reasons.

Alice has a wonderful attire in this film and the overall aesthetic is top notch. The videogame costumes are neat but they do look slightly out of place in live action, no matter how stylized and cartoony the film tries to be. The inclusion of Ada and the return of Rain are very good additions that give this one more points as opposed to the last film.

Recommended for all the fans and those who wish to continue watching the franchise. While not my favorite, Retribution is a fun rollercoaster that's totally watchable and enjoyable in its popcorn film ambitions without remorse.  

Underworld: Evolution (2006) Movie Review

Underworld: Evolution is a 2006 action horror film directed by Len Wiseman and written by Danny McBride. It stars Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Tony Curran, Shane Brolly, Steven Mackintosh, Derek Jacobi, and Bill Nighy. Evolution is the second film in the Underworld movie series and follows the events of the 2003 film. The film was a box office success and this opened the door for at least one more sequel, perpetuating the permanence of the Underworld series in the mainstream. Along with the first one, this second entry kept alive the gothic subculture and contributed to those types of aesthetics among the youth of the time.

This time, Selene (a vampiric Death Dealer) travels with a Lycan-Vampire hybrid named Marcus in order to inquire and investigate the origins and hidden information regarding their ancestry and savage lineage involved in a seemingly endless war between the two factions.

Unlike the first movie, this one is more of a journey through several different environments with out protagonists meeting many enemies and foes along the way but it sort of loses a bit of the focus the first film had with its post-expressionistic maximalist setting, opting for slightly more generic places and locations that still look ravishing and highly stylized because of the great technical work by cinematographer Simon Duggan but things look more artificial and less extreme in the expressive department. Still, there are many good aspects in the film when it comes to its visual flair and camera work. 

The characters are sort of disappointing, just like in the first one, since most of them are one-dimensional and have very little in the way of charisma or effective comedic moments. They are all cold and trying to be badass all the time and it works well enough for the most part but it keeps the movie in a one-note wavelength it never really breaks. It would be one thing if the film had more to offer but there really isn't much else there. Speaking of badassery, Beckinsale as Selene looks wonderful and has some outstanding action sequences from time to time. She really elevates the film and makes it a worthwhile experience, again, like in the first film.

Aside from a cool-looking main character we are mostly stuck with monotonous period war scenes, exposition-heavy scenes of characters info-dumping on the audience a lot of lore that is quite easy to forget and there's also a lot of flashy editing that doesn't help when it comes to keeping things clear cut or focused. It's a film made only to be seen and disposed of afterward, you won't really find anything here but a time waster with certain gothic and horror elements that appeal to a certain audience but it does the job as a popcorn flick fairly well for the most part. 

While not breathtaking nor innovative in any meaningful way, this slick sequel is entertaining but flawed and not very memorable. Recommended for fans of the first film and for those who enjoy action and horror mixed with a leather-clad vampiress.