Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
3D Movie Review Written By: Adolph Vega
3D
At no point during this movie was I wowed by the 3D visuals. The 3D visuals looked sharp, and I was aware of them, but they just didn't do much with it. Sometimes the 3D visuals were used to assist jump scares. Sadly, many scenes were shot in darker locations that don't typically work well in 3D. The 3D depth gives this movie a decent diorama effect, but no scenes really stood out or were dramatically enhanced because of the 3D visuals . Overall the 3D element is a mixed bag (just like this movie) and is neither wonderful nor awful but is an adequate visual addition .
Final Verdict: Good 3D
Movie
This is the sixth Resident Evil movie in the long standing franchise, and if you have seen any of the predecessors, you know exactly what to expect from this "Final Chapter". If you haven't seen any of those previous movies, then you should expect a movie that is very loosely tied to the popular video game series of the same name. The Resident Evil movies are known for their over-the-top action scenes and overly complex plots regarding the global zombie apocalypse.
I have watched every Resident Evil movie and played several of the video games within this popular franchise. The forth Resident Evil game is my favorite, and I don't have a favorite movie because they are all equally mediocre. The movies share some basic story elements from the video games, but the vast majority of story is new lore created exclusively for the movies.
The story of this movie revolves around the main character Alias, who is attempting to undo the zombie apocalypse caused by the T Virus. The T Virus was created by the evil Umbrella Corporation. The movie starts with a very informative scene that helps to reintroduce key aspects of this movie franchise. Considering it's been several years since the previous movie within this series , I found this preamble to be very helpful. It's almost too helpful because it essentially resets the continuity of the franchise and makes many of the predecessors seem irrelevant and almost worthless in retrospect.
Overall the story is a mess with many plot points that simply make little or no sense and are totally ridiculous. The irony of this movie franchise is that the original Resident Evil video game was a in some ways a spoof of terrible horror movies, so it's a fitting tribute that these movies are all so cheesy . Is this narrative mess done on purpose to allude to the other cheesy horror movies or is trying itself to be a meta cheesy horror movie? The acting is cheesy and the writing pathetic, so you really don't care about the characters. Many characters only exist to later have a gruesome ridiculous death. Maybe I'm a twisted person but I was laughing constantly from all the dark humor within this movie. I also laughed at this movie for how ridiculously stupid it was. One example of this stupidity , is one early scene where Alias is driving a Jeep and being chased by a large dragon monster. Alias is able to escape from the dragon monster but decides to make a u-turn and crashes her vehicle into the dragon monster to make it explode and thus kill the beast. She literally puts herself back into unnecessary danger to make a "cool action scene".
This raises several questions that cannot be logically explained. First of all, why are dragons in zombie movie? Second of all , If Alias already escaped the danger of the dragon, why is it necessary to go back for the kill ? Third and finally why destroy her own means of transportation? This movie makes no sense and yet I somehow enjoyed myself. I really believe that the movie is intentionally over bloated with plot that isn't meant to be taken seriously. Many times I rolled my eyes and laughed at the events that happened on screen. So many scenes within this movie are just too convenient, too silly, and just plain ridiculous. I don't know what the true motivations were in making this long standing movie franchise. These movies play it totally strait, so it's not clear if I was laughing at it or because of it . Regardless of the intent I found this garbage of a movie to be hysterical and entertaining .
The movie has many examples of stupid decisions made by the main characters that make no logical sense but to give the plot an excuse for another elaborate action scene. The action scenes within this movie are over-the-top and entertaining but must importantly ring hollow. The character of Alias is totally overpowered and I can't believe that she is ever in any real danger. One major issue I have with the action scenes is how it is edited. The movie has many super quick cut edits, and is overly zoomed-in at times. Some of the action is incomprehensible and difficult to watch because of the editing. The editing feels dated, like it's from 2005 and makes this movie difficult to watch and enjoy.
Without any spoilers I must briefly mention the ending to this movie, which I didn't find satisfying. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter attempts to wrap up everything a little too perfectly and sends a very mixed signal for a "Final Chapter". Like other parts of the story, the ending just doesn't make any sense and is immensely stupid. My first reaction when the movie ended was to do a literal face palm. I was in complete disbelief as the movie concluded , and I kept repeating the word really in my head as the credits rolled .
Overall, Resident Evil the Final Chapter is a ridiculous, hilariously stupid mess of a action movie. The choppy editing ruins a few action scenes. I enjoyed laughing at this movie, and I'm not sure if that was intentional or not. On pure entertainment value I enjoyed this idiotic movie. It's not exactly a serious zombie action movie. It's not exactly a horror comedy movie. It's something in between, and is exactly a trite movie.
Final Verdict: 5 / 10
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