‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’ Feel Like An Expensive B-Movie
It’s amazing to think that the ‘Resident Evil‘ film franchise has been around for about 15 years now. The series has seen some highs and a fair share of lows but it’s always been a wild ride. With everything coming to a close, how would ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter‘ decide to end things? Well, giving the most ridiculous entry is their answer!
To say that this film is over-the-top would be the tip of the iceberg.
From start to finish, the action moves at a brisk pace and rarely, if ever, stops. Starting things off in the aftermath of a massive attack, Alice (Milla Jovovich) gathers herself and heads to Raccoon City for one last mission. She’s told there is a cure for all this mayhem beneath the city and she only has 48 hours to get it.
This simplistic plot allows for tons of extra baggage like untold backstories and plot twists. While I hate that the series waits till the last minute to fill in some major questions, at least most plot threads are resolved. Without giving too much away, there’s finally important information on Alice’s background and what came before the first film.
Below, I will breakdown the good & the bad from ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter‘.
The Good:
The action in this film is the franchise’s best ever. Other than zombie killing madness, there’s plenty of impressive hand-to-hand combat scenes. Milla Jovovich’s Alice has some great fights that show a different side to the action. It feels like Alice has a variety of threats as she takes on zombies, humans, and even winged beasts! Each of these fights feel distinct and end up being a big highlight throughout.
I enjoy that this strips away the sleek/futuristic feeling from the two previous films. These movies shine when it can feel dirty and grimy; ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter‘ provides that grittiness. Taking away the polished look from the last two helps blend any bad visual effects and more important, sets a moody atmosphere.
More so than any others in the franchise, this uses the R-rating to its advantage. Going with the film’s darker look, everything just feels more brutal. When a character falls into a giant fan blade, I expect the camera to cut, showing a reaction shot but we get a giant blood splat instead. Love seeing a mainstream horror franchise use the most of their gore!
The Bad:
It seems like the editing for this was there to cover up bad moments but it sadly distracts from some of the greatness as well. There’s scenes that are cut so jarringly with no real purpose that it leaves you wanting more. Or there is times where the action scenes are so choppy that I could hardly see what was happening. This style of editing is very early 00’s and worked in ‘Resident Evil: Apocalypse‘ but now feels very dated.
The side characters in this are some of the most generic throwaways ever. It felt like they’re basically “red shirts” from Star Trek. You know they’re just here to fill up the body count. I know this story needs to be about Alice and her final mission but fleshing out some of the people on the side would have given me a reason to care.
The script as a whole isn’t great. The film keeps referring back an betrayal in Washington by Wesker to Alice but we never see it. It starts after the attack and never flashes back. There’s been talk that the Sony wanted to wipe the slate clean but it comes off disjointed when an important piece of information is missing. Other than that, the film suffers from some pretty cliched dialogue but that’s never been what you go into these for.
Final Thoughts:
You know what to expect the second you walk into any of these films. ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter‘ is no exception. It’s loud, abrasive, and mindless fun, but I’d never want it to be anything less or more. There’s very clear flaws in the script and some of the editing but I still admire the insane nature of this franchise.
Fans of the other films will enjoy this but it won’t attract any new viewers. You should see this if you’re in the mood for shameless fun or if you’re a fan of the series!
Synopsis: After wandering a ruined city for years, two siblings enter a building and find a man who makes them a dangerous offer.
Genre: Action/Horror
Country: USA
Directed By: Paul W. S. Anderson
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Ruby Rose, and Iain Glen
