The film begins right where we left the last film, along with showing us a brief recap of all the previous Resident Evil films. Alice (Milla Jovovich) returns as the only survivor from the final stand against the undead. Alice is soon called to return to where all the nightmares began- The Hive located in Racoon City which was introduced to us in the 1st film (back in 2002).
After the recap, we join Alice’s journey and along the way, there are some surprises, including returning characters (both the good and the bad ones) and most importantly, new creatures that Alice and her friends need to face off with (as a Resident Evil movie should have lol).
I have always been a huge Resident Evil fan, including playing all the video games and seeing all the Resident Evil films in cinemas. I also own all 5 Resident Evil films on blu-ray. While I will admit the previous films didn’t always kick home goals in my heart, they were entertaining enough to keep the series going. I also found the films always provided stunning visuals and fun audio tracks- always a great combo for pure popcorn pleasure (and brainless action!). It wasn’t until the 5th film hit cinemas that I started to get very concerned about the direction of the series. The trailer for the 6th film provided me with the hope that many of the unanswered questions (especially with characters) would finally be answered and we would see a conclusion of the previous film (of which the conclusion was a strange cliffhanger).
Sadly, “The Final Chapter” is not what the fans of Resident Evil deserve and I am disappointed. While going back to where things started sounds great, the film’s 1st act is really a time filler. Characters that return to this film have poor reasons for returning and were simply not needed. Returning characters also have very little to do on the screen and lack the chemistry that they once had with our leading heroine. The director has simply used any of the returning actors he could get and written them in the story with very little effort. The missing characters we once followed and enjoyed are not mentioned and are ignored as if they never existed. The only person who gains points for trying is Milla Jovovich and her one-liners.
The film’s actions scenes were also a major disappointment. Unlike previous Resident Evil films, ‘The Final Chapter’ provides actions scenes that will require 100% of your focus- one blink and you will be left clueless as to what just happened. Action shots are provided split second at a time and at key moments, I found myself clueless as to who was getting hit or who is throwing that damn kick. This type of “shaky camera” fighting is similar to what has been seen in other films such as “Taken” or even the “Jason Bourne” films, but here it’s much faster and feels like a mess. It wouldn’t surprise me if people struggle to enjoy this film simply based on these poorly edited and shot action sequences.
Another disappointment is the film’s count of jump scares. The film didn’t actually make me jump out of my skin, but overall, I was shocked at just how many jump scare attempts are in this film- it is truly crazy. It almost felt like they are in every scene or whenever Alice walks somewhere alone.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter will leave the fans feeling hollow. Even with the film’s plot going back to the start and the surprise twist we never knew from the beginning, it is simply not enough to feel complete and satisfied.
2.8/10
27th January 2017
Written by Peter Walkden
WALKDEN ENTERTAINMENT
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