Zurvival Saturday (27) Movie Review: Resident Evil Retribution
For this week's Zurvival Saturday I decided to review the awesomely kick-ass movie Resident Evil: Retribution.
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Release Date: September 3,2012
Run Time: 95 Minutes
Starring: Milla Jovovich
Michelle Rodriguez
Aryana Engineer
Kevin Durand
Sienna Guillory
Shawn Roberts
Colin Salmon
Johann Urb
Boris Kodjoe
Li Bingbing
From IMDb:Alice fights alongside a resistance movement in the continuing battle against the Umbrella Corporation and the undead.
Review: I love these fricken films, I really do. I have been a Resident Evil fan since the series debuted on playstation back in 1996. I gobble up everything to do with this franchise so when it was announced that a new Resident Evil film would be releasing I was overjoyed. Resident Evil: Afterlife left off with the survivors realizing they were under imminent attack. I wondered how that would end and was extremely happy when Resident Evil: Retribution picked up at that moment to show how things went down. Needless to say it was not good. Now I can talk about these films all day long (just ask my husband) and get into the most geeky technical details but I want you to read this review and not lop your head off from boredom so instead I will be breaking down the film into what I believe is The Great, The Good and The cringe worthy of Resident Evil: Retribution. The Great: Milla Jovovich as Alice- I honestly don't think I will ever get bored seeing Milla Jovovich in this role. You can really see the investment she puts into this character and the fact she does the majority of her own stunts is pretty bad-ass. I also liked seeing her play the sorta helpless role of a mother. Yes she was still Alice but she had a soft side to and I liked seeing that. Returning Characters- I loved seeing Rain, Carlos and Luther. They way the cloned versions came back was really neat and I sorta hope this isn't the end for them all. It's Resident Evil so you never know. New Characters- Ada Wong and Leon are two huge characters from the series. I think the characters were utilized well and hope to see more from them. World Building- If you've ever watched a Resident Evil film you know Umbrella has hives all over the world. This films hive is located under ice and that is just so cool. I found it amazing that they'd still be running simulations on the virus even as the majority of the world was walking around dead. Guess that's umbrella for you though. Really well done. The Good: The Virus- Because Umbrella can't resist tinkering with the disease were now faced with many different types of Zombies. Lickers look tame compared to some of the new creations. Also at the end we learn that some of the Zombies fly. Yes,Fly. Your truly not safe anywhere above ground anymore. Wesker- While I don't believe Wesker is sommehow this good guy I do believe he's realized that things have gotten out of control and its time to fix. Maybe several clonings of himself have injected a bit of humanity into him. Who know but I like it! Continuity- I was so happy that they picked up this film directly where the last left off. I was afraid they would jump ahead and then just have her describe it in some cheesey voice over. Well they sorta did that but it works. You'll have to watch and see what I mean. Oded Fehr as Carlos- I squeed with happiness seeing him with Alice onscreen and then was crushed when I realized it was just a simulation. Damn you Resident Evil, damn you. I hope that we get to see a version of him one more time if the next film truly is the last. The Cringe Worthy: The Red Queen- Whomever portrayed this incantation did not work for me at all. I believe the voice was the same but I wish they had used a child in similar likeness to the ones portrayed before her. The Simulations- I was a bit confused in the beginning by the simulations as your kinda just thrust into the scenario. Once I realized what was going on the movie kicked off and I had a blast watching it but that confusion definitely slowed down the pacing for me. The Clones- Umbrella created dozens to run simulations with. I wonder if those actually watching over the hive had been clones or actual Umbrella workers hiding in that hive all these years. It's a small gripe but one I'm curious about. Becky- I wonder whom she was modeled after and why she specifically was used as Alice's child. Umbrella doesn't do anything without a reason so she must have some significance,Right?!? Maybe I'm over thinking it..... Final Thoughts I really love this series and Resident Evil: Retribution was no exception. I would probably even pay to see this movie again in theaters as I'm sure I missed some subtle stuff on my first go round. If your a fan of this series then definitely check this out. Just be warned the beginning was a bit confusing and the action is certainly a primary focus. Overall though I'm giving this a solid 4/5 Stars for an Umbrella filled, action packed good time! |
Now for this weeks questions. Have you seen Resident Evil: Retribution? What did you like about it? What's your favorite Resident Evil movie so far? Leave your answer in the comments below. I love reading your responses.
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This is one of my husbands favorite movie franchises. We haven't got to see this one yet but I'm sure we'll get to it soon.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have been able to but was lucky to have someone take me. Its a good film. They really ramped up the action this time.
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