Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D - Zombies Get a New Dimension

Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D Poster
Image courtesy of IGN.com

Just the other day, I took the plunge and headed out to see Resident Evil Afterlife 3D, I knew exactly what I was letting myself in for by shelling out on a ticket, and that is more or less what I got. I was somewhat surprised with the overall outcome, although with low expectations, things always seem better than what they really are. Here's my take on the latest from Paul W.S Anderson's  zombie series.

Set several years after the T-Virus outbreak, wiping out 99% of all humanity, Afterlife sees Milla Jovovich return to the screen as zombie-killing heroine Alice, as she heads for a survival colony in a place called Arcadia. Along the way she picks up a few other survivors who are also looking to reach salvation. We also see the return of Ali Larter (Resident Evil: Extinction) as Claire Redfield and Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) is introduced to the series, shockingly, playing a prisoner. They work together to reach Arcadia alongside a cast so politically correct it hurts, with the likes of a British woman, an African American, a Hispanic male and an Asian male, encountering several difficulties along the way, predominantly in the form of varying sizes of creatures.

'The Executioner'
Image courtesy of overallsite.com

As far as movie plots go, this one is poor at best. Totally unoriginal and uninspired, thoroughly predictable from the opening minutes and unfortunately the film has no sense of irony about it to redeem itself. It seems to take itself rather seriously, but doesn't particularly have the goods to the back itself up. Normally, I'd defend this kind of film, calling it 'just a bit of fun' but, this is the 4th in a series that has declined since it's first instalment (which was passable as being 'a bit of fun'). It should also be noted that this movie, and the others in the series are definitely ones for the fans of the video game. Afterlife in particular featured more references to Capcom's popular franchise than any of the other films, which as a fan of the games myself, was rather nice to see including The Executioner (left). Although it does limit the scope for audience appreciation quite considerably. As (whilst not being one to judge books by their covers) when I walked into the cinema it was easy to spot the avid videogamers from the casual cinemagoers, it was fairly obvious who was going to enjoy the movie more.

Another downside was that the film was only 97 minutes long. But the issue I have isn't with the actual length of the movie, it's more down to the fact that about 80 of those 97 minutes were made up of slow motion footage. 11 years on since The Matrix and yet we still can't escape people smashing through plate glass windows at 25% of their original speed. So, in actuality the film is probably only about 15 minutes long. Admittedly, I feel a little guilty laying into the movie so much, zombie-flicks get something of a bad press as it is anyhow, and as a big fan of the flesh-eaters, I probably shouldn't encourage such slanderous behaviour. So, I'll focus on some of the positives of the film too. Every cloud, right?

Ali Larter and Milla Jovovich get all wet. No complaints.
Image courtesy of: fanboyz.net

Firstly, there's the visual aspect to the movie. Out of all the 3D films I've seen now, this was actually one of the best looking ones I've experienced. I appreciate that Avatar is allegedly the pinnacle of 3D, and whilst being visually stunning I much preferred watching it in regular old 2D. Whereas with Afterlife, I actually enjoyed the 3D gimmick. Slow-mo overkill aside, it was actually done quite well, and didn't overdo it too much when it came to the number one 3D movie convention of 'people-on-screen-pointing-things-at-the-camera'. Plus, watching a slow-motion bullet exit through the back of someone's head in the third dimension is a nice little something for the horror fans in the audience to enjoy. There was some great set design later on in the film too, with all-white set pieces, spliced with hints of red and black, the visual element really came to life in places. Secondly, there was the soundtrack, compiled by soundtrack connoisseurs 'tomandandy', there were some great scene setting sounds, which boded quite well alongside the imagery of hordes of zombies getting annihilated.

The Verdict

In fairness this has been the best 3D film since Avatar (Which I preferred in 2D anyway), not in way of story, but purely based on it's 3D visuals, what this film lacked elsewhere it made up in looking pretty slick in areas. But aside from it's somewhat impressive visuals, the film is pretty weak. To really enjoy it you'd need to leave your brains at the door upon entering it, but if you're a fan of the games, this one has some nods to them that should keep you appeased. The fight choreography is good, and I personally think that the leading girls make much better action heroines than Angelina Jolie ever has. But unfortunately that's simply not enough to save this film from itself. You know that something is seriously wrong when even a dripping wet, three-dimensional Milla Jovovich struggles to make it watchable. Afterlife is enjoyable in places, and it looks good, but it's a predictable, basic movie with nothing particularly special where story is concerned. Eye candy at best. 4/10.