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TV show review: CONTINUUM season 4
PHOTOGRAPHY

RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION

Movie review by David Blackwell

 

95 minutes, rated R

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

STUDIO: Screen Gems/ Constantin Film/ Davis Film/ Impact Pictures

Theatrical RELEASE DATE:  9-14-2012

 

STARRING Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez, Colin Salmon, Kevin Durand, Shawn Roberts, Oded Fehr, and Li Bingbing

WRITTEN and DIRECTED by Paul W.S. Anderson

After the shoot out on Arcadia between Umbrella and the survivors on the ship, Alice wakes up in an Umbrella Corporation testing facility in Russia near the Artic Circle.   She is being interrogated by Jill Valentine (who is under the control of a red metal scarab) before the power is shutdown which gives Alice a chance to escape.   She stumbles upon several different simulations and gains an ally named Ada who is working with Wesker.   Wesker wants Alice rescued as the film reveals the Red Queen is controlling the remains of the Umbrella Corporation with the ultimate goal of destroying the human race once and for all.

 

RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION has a few good action scenes and a great score, but the film feels like an incomplete follow-up to RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE.  Paul W.S. Anderson originally thought of shooting the fifth and sixth film back to back where I think he could have probably took what he has planned for the sixth film and combined it with this one for a good over two hour film instead of a 95 minute that feels a little long and lacking character development.    It is nice to see old actors back playing good and evil versions of new characters (Oded Fehr, Michele Rodriguez), but any dvelopment of those characters are glossed over for action and anything to move it to the next set piece and get the train rolling to the cliffhanger conclusion.  

 

 I liked the first four films with the first and fourth films being the best of the series with this latest entry in the RESIDENT EVIL film series being the weakest.   I do hear there is an alternate cut that gives more breathing space between action scenes as this sequel plays too much like action scene after action scene resulting in a movie that seems to be playing out time too much as it waits for the conclusion.   RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION plays out too much like a video game on screen and you have unanswered questions like where did Claire, her brother, and K-Mart go after the climax of the last film.   I hope the next film shows those three characters return, but the climax feels like a reset in a way to set up for the final movie.   It was nice seeing Jill Valentine again even though she is under the control of Umbrella.    I just hope the inevitable finale is worth the wait and it gives one hell of a send-off for this series.

 

This review is (c)9-15-2012 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com