Movie Review: Resident Evil Retribution

In an annual entry, Resident Evil has released another movie and it adds to the already rich tapestry from the games.  In this latest entry, Alice is once again being hounded by zombies, but not Wesker, the former head of Umbrella, and the usual villain in the series.  Noticeably missing from the line-up of characters are the Redfields, but it was nice to see game favourites Leon Kennedy, Ada Wong and Jill Valentine.  While I have my own view of how they should act and look, the actors somehow made it work, though it won’t ever be the same.  I thought Ada Wong was the most accurate, but that might just be me.

Alice, played purposefully by Milla Jovovich, cruises through throng after throng of enemies, less zombies and more of the ‘other’ enemies seen in the RE games.  Seeing the reappearance of a Licker is something I still don’t care for, but I’m waiting for the Steel Maiden to show up.  While the plot is no less convoluted than any other RE movie, the story flows smoothly as Leon leads a group to find and save Alice and rescue her from within the Umbrella testing facility.  The concept of clones and copies of people crop up throughout the story and fan favourites like Rain Ocampo and Carlos Olivera reappear.  Alice makes her way through the facility, and once she gets out, is confronted by Rain and Jill, the latter having Scarab Appliance forcing her to fight Alice.  After a heated battle, presumably leaving another fan favourite dead, Alice confronts Wesker and sees what has happened to the world.  The ending leaves the assumption of a sequel.

Though I love the games, the movies have an aura about them that make them a totally separate experience.  While I’m not usually a fan of an episodic format for movies, this one stands on its own and the special effects, IMAX and 3D are just stunning.  The story continues to delve into the characters, and their relationships to Alice, and the reappearance of past characters makes it fit into the mythology well. What I felt lacking was the movie was truly a part, a piece of the series.  It certainly could stand on its own, but felt very much like we’re waiting on the next entry to continue the journey.  Whether you’re a fan of Resident Evil or not, this movie is well worth seeing, but don’t expect to feel any sort of closure once the ending credits begin to run.