In 1996, Sony unleashed its survival based horror Resident Evil onto the world, bringing the zombie virus era to the modern age. Then in 2002, Hollywood tried to ride the coattails of success with the first movie starring Milla Jovovich as the special agent Alice. Fifteen years later, and a lot of painstaking story lines, the final chapter has arrived promising action, death, and a whole lot of special effects. Robbie K here, ready to review another movie and give you some insight into what "horrors" enter the theater. Let's get started, shall we?
LIKES: Story comes full circle Nostalgia Action
Summary: Alright the story isn't the best, but after six installments you hope for a decent ending to all the madness. The Final Chapter delivers on the promise of closing the story and tying up many of the loose ends we've been having for the last decade and a half. What's even more entertaining about the story though is how much nostalgia the directors left in the post- apocalyptic wake. Fans of the first movie will certainly enjoy many of the old rooms and traps laced in the hive, while game fans will enjoy some references to some of the most sinister creatures to inhabit the virtual world. This nostalgia helps add a little more enjoyment to the mix, giving a little complexity to an otherwise simple movie. Hands down though, the action is the selling point of the movie. The Final Chapter is nonstop, over the top, chaos involving a bunch of animated/made up extras getting beaten the nearly unstoppable Alice. Resident Evil's notorious fast martial arts meets guns and chains continues full force, pulling out all the special effects to make it the biggest bang of the bunch. A few of these moments are quite impressive, and most likely amped up in 3-D, and seeing Milla continue to punish the uncredited cast is always thrilling to see.
DISLIKES: Plot holes/Rushed Simplicity Predictable Cheesy at Times The Awful Camera Direction
Summary: Yes, the plot comes full circle, but the writers really botched some of the plot points on this one. The writers must have felt pressured to get the script done, because plot feels very botched together, primarily seen in the random jumping points that often serve as a fast forward. Much of the story is a very diluted tale of vengeance, with a few twists being thrown in to try and mix things up. Unfortunately, these twists are mostly predictable, and the formulaic elimination of characters (commonly seen in this series) is just as linear as they always have been, if not sometimes out of place. Yet we know the story isn't always the strongest aspect of the Resident Evil series. So, let's pick out some of the limitations of the heart pumping, out of control action we've come to love in this series. First off, the stunts get a little cheesy at times, stretching Alice's abilities to superhero qualities. If that weren't enough, a few of these battles, like some of the scenes, again feel out of place, added only to fill as much time with action sequences than necessary. But it's the prolonged, beat someone to a pulp scene that are the most pointless of the mix and gets old after the third reiteration. However, the worst quality of the movie is the camera work. When Alice and company aren't fighting for survival in the post-apocalyptic world, the camera is surprisingly stable. Yet, the minute the action starts, thing go crazy and not in a good way. Imagine giving a five-year-old a camera, giving them caffeine and sugar to work up a frenzy, and then giving that five-year-old editing rights and you get something to describe the work. Resident Evil 7's action sequences involve the camera constantly shifting perspectives, in a dizzying array that really adds little other than annoyance and perhaps nausea. Why they chose this direction? I can't answer this, but this reviewer was not impressed with the cinematography of the film.
The Verdict:
Resident Evil 7 does the job of wrapping up the series (maybe) by answering many of the questions we've had. While the story is simplistic, and some of the major resolutions anticlimactic, most should be okay with it if it means getting your action on. Those looking to see Alice tear a new one with over the top scenes and CGI will not be disappoint, assuming you can get past the chaotic camera work. I would say this one would be worth a theater trip because for the special effects, however with the cinematography I can't say for certain. However, fans of the series are encouraged to scope it out to get the finish to years long journey.
Action/Sci-Fi/Horror: 7.0 Movie Overall: 5.5
15 out of 31 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink