Movie Review: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter – Ends With More Of The Same

Genre Action, Horror, Post-Apocalyptic
Director Paul W.S. Anderson
Producer Paul W. S. Anderson, Jeremy Bolt, Robert Kulzer, Samuel Hadida
Actors Milla Jovovich, Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Shawn Roberts, Ruby Rose, Eoin Macken, William Levy, Iain Glen
Reviewed on Cinema (3D)
Available on Cinema (2D), Cinema (3D), IMax, 4dx
Air Date 2017-02-03

pfangirl

Published February 6, 2017

Because The Final Chapter is more of the same. Admittedly some of the Resident Evil films have been better and more fun than others, but overall these loose video game adaptations have never been Oscar calibre. They’re thinly sketched, blood-splattered popcorn flicks, and that’s about it. The Final Chapter , which promises to conclude the saga, fits this formula. It’s not at the enjoyable heights of Resident Evil: Afterlife , but it’s also not the worst Resident Evil film. Let’s weigh up the good and bad.

The pros:

1) Milla Jovovich’s lead character Alice is still a likeable badass. Fearless and determined, she takes beatings as often as she dishes them out, but is never deterred from her overall goal. Jovovich has extremely expressive eyes, and her Alice is tough, but clearly not emotionally invulnerable. Any time a hero is allowed to express more conventionally “feminine” qualities, and not be considered weak for it, that’s a plus.

2) The plot is kept appreciably simple. Unlike the Underworld series with its convoluted, treachery-twisted storyline, The Final Chapter is easy to follow. In fact, even if you haven’t watched the other Resident Evil movies, chances are you’ll have little to no problem understanding what’s happening here. The film begins with a neat little recap of where the zombie and monster-spawning T-virus comes from. The main plot, meanwhile, is straightforward: Alice has 48 hours to get to Raccoon City and find the anti-virus in The Hive – the secret Umbrella Corporation facility where the outbreak started. Out of interest, The Hive was the setting of the first Resident Evil movie, 15 years ago.

3) Resident Evil: The Final Chapter includes some very tense moments, and plenty of jump scares. Writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson, who has scripted every one of the Resident Evil films, and helmed four of the six, keeps things unapologetically R-rated. Like its survival-horror source material, Resident Evil on the big screen hasn’t been toned down to score a larger teen audience.

4) This point is a plus that perhaps only locals will appreciate. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter was filmed in South Africa, and in an early scene, Table Mountain plays a memorable role.

The cons:

1) There’s loads of action in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter . The problem is that most of the time it’s completely incoherent due to ADHD-style editing. The cuts between shots are so rapid, it feels like they could trigger epilepsy at certain points. It’s both migraine-inducing and frustrating because the fight choreography (well, what you can make out of it) is very strong.

2) Even if you excuse some illogical actions by characters in the movie, you’re still left with a sense that this isn’t a particularly well-written zombie apocalypse movie. Alice meets old ally Claire Redfield (Ali Larter) and a group of survivors played by assorted pretty young things making the leap from modelling to acting. With the exception of Ruby Rose’s Abigail, these characters aren’t even really given names, let alone backstory. Resident Evil isn’t The Walking Dead , admittedly, but the supporting cast could have been developed more. As it stands in the theatrical cut, these characters are completely wasted. They exist only to die, and their deaths have zero emotional resonance.

3) Speaking of waste, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is being released in 3D, in addition to 2D. Unfortunately though, after using the format to excellent, if cheesy, effect from 2010, the 3D is completely unremarkable here. Nothing stands out at all.

And that’s really it. Fans will likely want to catch Resident Evil: The Final Chapter because it is the wrap-up of Alice’s story – or so we’ve been told. Everyone else though can probably take it or leave it. It’s not horrible, but you won’t be missing anything if you give it a skip.

Honestly, by this point, it’s kind of pointless reviewing the Resident Evil movies. If you like the film series, you’ll probably enjoy the latest. If you don’t – or haven’t really kept up to date with the other five big screen releases – chances are you won’t be converted by movie #6, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Because The Final Chapter is more of the same. Admittedly some of the Resident Evil films have been better and more fun than others, but overall these loose video game adaptations have never been Oscar calibre. They’re thinly sketched, blood-splattered popcorn flicks, and that’s about it. The Final Chapter, which promises to conclude the saga, fits this formula. It’s not at the enjoyable heights of Resident Evil: Afterlife, but it’s also not the worst Resident Evil film. Let’s weigh up the good and bad. The pros: 1) Milla Jovovich’s lead character Alice is still a likeable badass. Fearless and determined, she takes beatings as often as she dishes them out, but is never deterred from her overall goal. Jovovich has extremely expressive eyes, and her Alice is tough, but clearly not emotionally invulnerable. Any time a hero is allowed to express more conventionally “feminine” qualities, and not be considered weak for it, that’s a plus. 2) The plot is kept appreciably simple. Unlike the Underworld series with its convoluted, treachery-twisted storyline, The Final Chapter is easy to follow. In fact, even if you haven’t watched the other Resident Evil movies, chances are you’ll have little to no problem understanding what’s happening here. The film begins with a neat little recap of where the zombie and monster-spawning T-virus comes from. The main plot, meanwhile, is straightforward: Alice has 48 hours to get to Raccoon City and find the anti-virus in The Hive – the secret Umbrella Corporation facility where the outbreak started. Out of interest, The Hive was the setting of the first Resident Evil movie, 15 years ago. 3) Resident Evil: The Final Chapter includes some very tense moments, and plenty of jump scares. Writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson, who has scripted every one of the Resident Evil films, and helmed four of the six, keeps things unapologetically R-rated. Like its survival-horror source material, Resident Evil on the big screen hasn’t been toned down to score a larger teen audience. 4) This point is a plus that perhaps only locals will appreciate. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter was filmed in South Africa, and in an early scene, Table Mountain plays a memorable role. The cons: 1) There’s loads of action in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. The problem is that most of the time it’s completely incoherent due to ADHD-style editing. The cuts between shots are so rapid, it feels like they could trigger epilepsy at certain points. It’s both migraine-inducing and frustrating because the fight choreography (well, what you can make out of it) is very strong. 2) Even if you excuse some illogical actions by characters in the movie, you’re still left…

Movie Review: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter – Ends With More Of The Same

2017-02-06

pfangirl

An unexceptional end to Alice's saga

TOTAL - 4.5

45 4.5

The Final Chapter is neither the best nor the worst of the six Resident Evil movies. Existing fans should be happy, but its general mediocrity won't win over any new franchise converts.

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pfangirl

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