Filed under: Reviews
While the financial returns are not in the same ballpark like the 'The Lord of the Rings' or 'Star Wars' franchises, producers keep bringing back Milla Jovovich and her Alice character for another installment in the 'Resident Evil' series.
Despite the fact that the film was shot in full IMAX 3D using the same type of cameras director James Cameron had for 'Avatar,' this fourth film titled 'Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D' is more disappointing than the previous films only because they added nothing new than having derivative slow motion sequences, bad acting and an incoherent storyline.
In other words, we've been here before, seen that frame already, and yet we are expected to shell out more money for the 3D experience? Probably not.
When we last saw Alice in 2007's 'Resident Evil: Extinction,' she was waiting for clones of herself to awaken so that she has more "power" to go after the Umbrella Corporation.
As the new film starts, we watch Alice, in slow motion, fighting off zombies, who have no mobility whatsoever in their efforts to catch her. With Umbrella head Wesker (played by Shawn Roberts) still on her tail to get a sample of her DNA , Alice crashes her plane in what she thinks is the safe haven for humans.
While walking around with a small video camera and recording her daily activities, Alice is attacked by Claire Redfield (played by Ali Larter, and reprising her role from 'Extinction'), who somehow has amnesia and doesn't recall anything of her past. Flying reluctantly with Alice from Alaska to Los Angeles, the two come across a building rooftop where several survivors are hoping they land for help.
Amongst this mixed team of freedom fighters are Luther West (played by Boris Kodjoe), an ex-pro basketball player and the leader of the survivors, Bennett (played by Kim Coates), a Hollywood producer, Crystal, his intern (played by Kacey Barnfield) and Angel Ortiz (played by Sergio Peris-Mencheta), a bodybuilder. Held captive in their headquarters and considered dangerous is Chris Redfield (played by Wentworth Miller), Claire's older brother.
With only two seats on the plane they came in on, and zombies steadily working their way inside, Alice and crew must find another way to get out of the building and find Arcadia, a place where disease-free humans exist.
It's amazing how much life has been restored in failed or dead franchises with this new 3D technology. While I'll admit that this film is one of the few 3D films that works, its lack of storytelling and depth to the characters after three films is clearly disappointing, especially when Paul Thomas Anderson returns after directing the first film.
While fans of the franchise will go and get their thrills of seeing Jovovich look great again as Alice as well as other characters from the video game the film was based on, newcomers and other audiences will probably be better off looking for something that offers some substance along with the action.