Title: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Writer/ Director: Paul W.S. Anderson Cast: Mila Jovovich, Iain Glen, Ali Larter, Shawn Roberts, Eoin Macken, Fraser James, Ruby Rose Year: 2016 Min: 106
Alice (Mila Jovovich) is told by the AI, known as the Red Queen (Anderson and Mila's own real life daughter Ever Anderson), that there is an antidote that will destroy all organisms infected by the T-virus, hence ending this nightmare. It is held inside the HIVE in Raccoon City. Which means that she will have to return to where it all began. Thankfully she has help from her frequent teammate Claire (Ali Larter) and her new rag tag group of survivors. Standing in their way are two of Alice's most persistent foes from the Umbrella Corporation, Wesker (Shawn Roberts) and Dr. Isaacs (Ian Glen), who it, turns out, ain't dead. This is not including all the zombies and assorted other monsters created by the T-virus.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is the sixth (!) of the long running action/ horror franchise, loosely based on the horror survival video game series of the name, and is said to be the end. As such it is actually a pretty decent flick. One that is a huge improvement over the last two films, Afterlife and Retribution, both of which were complete shit. It would actually be an even better movie if not for some major film-making choices which hurt it a lot.
The main culprit is the godawful editing, which is some of the worst that I have ever seen. Now, you might say, eh bad editing is par for course here. But, here is the thing. It's worse than it usually is for this series. Everything is cut so fast that it is dizzying and hard to see. There were times when I was not sure what the fuck I was looking at, and my eyes felt like they were bugging the fuck out. Which is a shame because the movie has some genuinely good and thrilling actions.
The bad editing also hurts the FX. It is hard to see the very cool looking monsters or the gore. There are bullet hits, head shots, decapitations, amputations, dismemberment, and more, but you will hardly see any of it. This is even further compromised by an ever moving camera. Stop moving that shit and stand still, goddamn it! And, then, on top of that, there is a lot of dark lightning. Why?! Its maddening as hell, and even just writing about it annoys me.
As is the norm for this franchise characterization is non-existent. A bunch of new characters are added but you won't give a flying fuck about them, among them is Abigail played by Ruby Rose. If you are a fan of hers and are excited about her being this film, don't be. Her role doesn't amount to jackshit.
Thankfully, Mila Jovovich and Ali Larter both kick major ass and make for great heroines, yet again. They also look gorgeous, but with these two it is a fucking given. Jovovich is actually given a little more to work with, which is pretty cool. Our two villains, Wesker and Dr. Isaacs (Shawn Roberts and Ian Glen, respectively) are quite a hoot. They are not given that much depth or anything, but they are fun as hell to watch being bad.
As I said the action scenes, though awesome, are poorly shot, but the movie moves at a breakneck pace. There is very little, if any, boring scenes. It might not give us any real character moments, but it keeps the movie fast and fun.
As a final entry, it ties up some stuff from the series, while making some head scratching decisions in other parts. Is it really the end? Without giving too much I away, I say yes and no. But, considering it has tanked at the box office over here, I think this is the end. But, as such it is satisfactory enough.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is horribly edited and shot poorly. But, it is fast paced and action packed. Sure it could use more character moments, but the fact is this just meant to be a fun action/ horror movie. And, it does a pretty job at that. If you hate these movies, this one ain't for you. But, if you enjoy them for what this series is, dive right into this final chapter. That being said do you need to see it in the movies? I suppose not, but do see it nonetheless.
