Resident Evil Afterlife Movie Review

Resident Evil 4: Afterlife is finally here, but fans will be disappointed to note that they have to wait for Resident Evil 5 if they want some answers. The movie ends in a big cliffhanger, so like the first Resident Evil movie, you will have to wait a few years to see how Alice's war against Umbrella will continue.

What's Good About Resident Evil Afterlife

Fans of the video game series will be happy to see some of the characters on the big screen. Wesker, the man who runs the Umbrella Corporation, shows up as a fast, super-powered villain who strips Alice of her own powers, leaving her almost as human as she was in the first Resident Evil movie. Claire is also reunited with her brother Chris who is played by Prison Break's Wentworth Miller. Ironically, Chris has to find a way to break out of jail to help the surviving humans escape the zombie infestation.

The movie makes good use of 3D, but it was not necessary aspect of this film. Director Paul W.S. Anderson filmed the movie with a 3D camera, so it looks much better than movies such as the failed Clash of Titans, which was turned to 3D in post-production. The 3D is also better than the one seen in the movie Piranha, because objects come flying towards the screen frequently to catch the viewer's attention.

Resident Evil Afterlife begins and ends with lots of action, so fans will not be disappointed when the fighting starts. The fight scenes are jam packed with impossible moves that look incredible onscreen, and there is enough blood and gore to satisfy most zombie fans.

The zombies are back and some of them have been upgraded to Majini's. These are special zombies that have a mouth that opens like flower petals. The zombies are also stronger, faster and smarter than they were in previous movies, but director Anderson still shows that he prefers slow moving zombies and not the fast ones that regularly appear in new zombie movies.

What's Bad in Resident Evil Afterlife

We never get the chance to learn about any of the new characters. This is an action/zombie genre, but it moved a lot faster than it should have. Characters you have only just met come on screen and are killed off soon after. The problem is, everyone else continues on and does not seem to care that an ally was bitten or murdered. The survivors just shrug it off and say that they can't help them. However, they don't even try. Chris and Claire Redfield have found each other after many years apart, but these siblings don't even seem to notice that fact. Chris may be a character in Resident Evil Afterlife, but he is given precious little to do in the movie.

Fans of the video games will be disappointed to see that the movie strays even further from the games storyline. The movie has a lot of action, but the plot is convoluted and does not make a lot of sense. It has tons of plot holes, and some fans may hate the plot too much to care about the good action scenes.

The biggest upset to the entire movie is the cliffhanger ending. It is one thing to let fans know that another movie is on the horizon, but it is another thing to have them pay $15 to go to the movies, only to see it end like a part one episode of a TV show.

In the end, Resident Evil Afterlife is a typical action movie. A lot of fight scenes, guns and explosions, but it has no real plot. If movie goers do not care about the storyline, they will enjoy this movie. It offers escapism from everyday life and will provide mindless enjoyment to those who enjoy action movies.