Director: Paul W S Anderson
Screenplay: Paul W S Anderson
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez
Certificate: 15
Running time: 96 minutes
Release date: 28 January 2013
With Resident Evil: Retribution, we find ourselves at the fifth instalment of a series that has some of the best horror computer game roots, but has consistently wasted them. Sadly, Anderson has not learned from previous mistakes and this is just more of the same.
The important thing to remember here is that this is a horror franchise. This is a fact that seems to be ignored, or is an embarrassment to the director and producers. Instead, they have decided to continue down the convoluted route of making loud action packed films that just happen to have some genre tropes such as zombies thrown in for good measure.
On this occasion, Alice (Jovovich) finds herself the prisoner of the Red Queen in an Umbrella Corporation facility deep below the Arctic ice. A ragtag group, led by Leon S. Kennedy, is on their way to break her out, but she also finds herself being assisted by some unlikely allies. However, she also has some familiar faces that she used to call allies now fighting against her. What follows is ninety-six minutes of massive gunfights and explosions.
Let’s cut to the chase here. We love Resident Evil, but this cinematic series is now nothing more than a joke. The 3D adds absolutely nothing to the supposed horror and if we wanted to watch an action film, we’d watch one of the Die Hard series instead. There are absolutely zero scares to be had here and the minimal CGI gore is the only real reason that the film has earned its certificate. It seems that they have decided to take everything from the previous entries and thrown it all on the canvas, hoping something tangible will stick – a greatest hits if you will. Shame the hits weren’t that good to start with.
To sum it up perfectly, here is a sum to work out how good the film really is.
Chance of a good video game adaption x law of diminishing returns + 3D and over reliance on slow motion fights and CGI = a desire to rewind to a point before you watched the film and decide to spend your money and time on something more deserving.
Like pulling out your own teeth.
JD GILLAM
If you enjoyed our review and want to watch Resident Evil: Retribution, please consider clicking through to our Amazon Affiliate links. If you do you’ll help keep the This Is Horror ship afloat with some very welcome remuneration.
Buy Resident Evil: Retribution (UK)
Buy Resident Evil: Retribution (US)
