Movie Review: Resident Evil: Retribution

I must have lower standards than most movie-goers. I read other reviews and think “oh, man! This is gonna be a stinker,” and then wonder what happened when I’m not near as upset about losing my money as other movie patrons. It probably helps that I’ve watched the other Resident Evil movies, but do not remember much about them, and I have never played any of the video games. That may, also, explain my lack of knowledge with some of the characters.

Upon an invite from my friend Tom, I joined up with him and some of his friends to check the movie out a the local Studio Movie Grill. Everyone in the group agrees that the quality of the movies have been going downhill since the first one with number four, “Resident Evil: Afterlife,” being the worst out of all of them. Seeing as how I haven’t really followed the franchise that much, I thought myself at an advantage, so was looking forward to the movie.

Story Synopsis:

The Umbrella Corporation's deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race's last and only hope, Alice, awakens in the heart of Umbrella's most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex.

 

We get a “what’s happened so far” from Alice as the movie starts. The plot is pretty much straightforward with Alice having to escape from the bad guys with the help of some good guys. We see a lot of old faces, not necessarily the same character, from previous films and some characters from the video games. If you don’t know any of these people, it will not hamper the story any.

At spots, the dialogue can be a little ham-fisted. Think “Star Wars Prequels” bad. There are scenes where you question Alice’s faculties as she makes certain decisions. As they are escaping, they are given a time-table. Be out of the complex in two hours or boom! Yet, she’s strolling along like she’s at the park. Really?

The fight scenes are over the top and some are just plain stupid, but stupid in the since that it’s a movie about people who have special abilities, so get over it and enjoy the movie!

All in all, I found it enjoyable. I spent money for the 3D and would have still liked it without the 3D. The few times a weapon or bullet came at me wasn’t worth the extra money. Could I have waited for the DVD or Netflix. Yeah. But, to be able to hang out with a few of my friends, it was well worth it.

Remember, I never tell anyone to NOT go and see a movie. Make your own choices. But, if it’s a real stinker, I’ll let you know. This one? I think that most people who like these types of movies will like this one.

If you go and see it, let me know what you think?