Review it!: Resident Evil Retribution

Dec 19 2017, 2:16 pm

Not surprisingly, the latest Resident Evil film did not screen for critics. However, that won’t stop me from writing about it. I did some digging and found that the film had a world premiere in Japan on September 3rd under the name, “Biohazard V: Retribution”. I decided to call up one of my friends who is also a film critic and lives in Japan to get his take on the feature. After an in-depth conversation/debate, I felt it was finally time for me to write my opinion – After all, it’s the fifth movie in a franchise that is based around a girl killing zombies — How much can you say that hasn’t already been said?

In the latest film titled: Resident Evil Retribution (The North American title), the plot doesn’t differ from its predecessors. The movie opens where the last film ended on the deck of the Arcadia ship. Alice continues to uncover new details of the outbreak as her search for the truth takes her on a global adventure. The Umbrella Corporation’s deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race’s last and only hope, Alice (Milla Jovovich), awakens in the heart of Umbrella’s most clandestine operations facility after being captured in the previous movie.

Alice manages to escape as she unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex. Having escaped from the facility without a safe haven and having to fight on two fronts (which makes up of massive numbers of flesh-eating zombies mutated by the T-virus), armed Umbrella troops continue searching for her. Alice continues to hunt those members and leaders of the Umbrella Corporation responsible for the outbreak; a chase that takes her from the Umbrella facilities in Tokyo to New York, Washington DC, and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true. Aided by new found allies and familiar friends, Alice must fight to survive long enough to escape a hostile world on the brink of oblivion.

I’ve been assured that Resident Evil: Retribution delivers the goods — or should I say delivers the goods for fans of campy video game-esc, over the top, non-realistic action. One of the scenes described to me features our heroes in a Rolls Royce being chased through Moscow’s Red Square by Las Plagas zombies on motorcycles. Apparently in this film, the undead tend to be a bit livelier, but who doesn’t appreciate motorcycling zombies?

Along with “new and improved” zombies, there’s plenty of shoot-em up, blow-em up, fight-em up action, as Alice takes down everything and anything that falls into her gun-sight. I’m not going to rag on the film for being described as “not realistic”, obviously it’s going to be campy, it’s a the fifth film about zombies based off a video game – I’m pretty sure we are past the point of realistic.

For fans of the previous films you can rest assure you will some familiar faces as characters such as; Rain (Michelle Rodriguez), One (Colin Salmon), Todd (Oded Fehr), and Sienna Guillory who reclaims her role as Jill Valentine, return with a bang. Jill, who is a former ally of Alice, is reportedly under the influence of “mind-control” by umbrella and is made out to be the main antagonist. It’s a case of good and bad versions of the team members, some who have been cloned and others who are injecting themselves with Las Plagas parasites. Not sure how it will play out, but based off what I was informed, the story sounds weak.

During the film you have a fight scene between Alice and Jill as they throw down fisticuff style. It’s reported that during this catfight, Jill and Alice preform over 200 moves — which is more than they did for ‘The Bourne Identity’”.

Overall Resident Evil: Retribution is supposedly better than the last and includes more creatures, monsters and action. The end is supposed to be a shocker with an “I didn’t-see-it-coming plot”, and though the film has some twists that are said to be inspired by the video game – the film is apparently well put together.

For me this film screams “popcorn movie”.  Director Paul W.S Anderson is married to our femme fatal Alice (Mila Jovovich) and between that and not opening their doors for critics, it speaks volumes.

Since I didn’t personally see the film, I will not rate it. However, I can assure you one thing — I have no intention of paying money to watch Resident Evil: Retribution.

Felix Kay,
Catch Movie reviews by @TheFelixKay every Thursday on Vancity Buzz.

 

“Resident Evil Retribution” is rated R for for sequences of strong violence throughout. Running time: 95 minutes. In theatres everywhere September 14, 2012.

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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