On January 27th we will be getting what is set to be the last installment in the Resident Evil film series, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. It is hard to believe but it has been 15 years since the first film in 2002. What was once a simple zombie movie has evolved into a globetrotting action series covering pretty much every post-apocalyptic scenario. And the craziest part of it all? It totally works.
Even though the Resident Evil movies are hardly perfect I have grown fond of them. The genre critic side of me can see the flaws in each entry and it cringes each time the camera goes into slow motion for no reason. Yet despite these issues for whatever reason it is still fun. Against all odds I have become invested in this crazy tale of bioweapons, zombies and former model Milla Jovovich's turn as an action star makes for a compelling watch. In fact I would argue that while not a perfect adaption of the games the films have become a worthy franchise all its own. So get your Umbrella key cards and lock up the zombie dogs because it is time to take a look back at this long running series.
Rebel Girl
2002 was a weird time for action and horror movies. Horror was in a transitional period where Scream imitators were seen as pass and no real trends would hit at the box office until The Ring. When it comes to action movies things were similarly rocky. Older action staples like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mel Gibson had taken a backseat while wannabe Matrix action and early comic book movies dominated the box office. Then early in the year came Sonys adaption of the wildly popular video game Resident Evil.
Waking up with no memory of who she is the amnesiac Alice is swept up into the world of the corrupt Umbrella Corporation. Taken to an underground facility called The HIVE she has to rely on a team of mercenaries to escape alive. With zombies and monsters on their tails the group is forced into a world of espionage, the undead and Through the Looking Glass symbolism
Long thought to be adapted by George Romero Capcom would give the reins to genre film stalwart Paul W.S. Anderson to steer. Instead of going the expected zombie route he made it a mix of horror, B-movie sci-fi and action. As convoluted as that sounds it worked out surprisingly well. Thanks to some unexpectedly stylish shots Anderson is able to blend jump scares and post-Matrix action as well as one could. It also incorporates the lore of the games quite well. While not always the same the omnipresent Umbrella Corporation and little details from the games show up throughout helping create its own universe.
Most surprising is how well the practical effects look. No doubt the CG can be shoddy but the makeup for the zombies and monsters look great. Certainly as good as anything coming out at the time. Put all of these elements together and you have a solid, if flawed, introduction to this Resident Evil universe.
Even though Resident Evil wasn't the biggest hit it was successful enough to merit a sequel, 2004's Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Set right after the first film it follows a group of Raccoon City citizens trying to survive a city overtaken by the T-Virus. As the city falls into chaos and all hope seems lost they encounter Alice and Umbrella's latest experiment code named Nemesis.
A mostly faithful adaption of Resident Evil 3 this film does a lot setting up the template for the rest of the series. Familiar beats such as the shocking opening and Alice recapping the films so far are all introduced here. For fans of the games it is a dream come true. Well it would be if you could see the film.
For whatever reason Paul W.S. Anderson dropped out of directing the sequel. Instead we have Alexander Witt, a longtime director of photography for films such as Spectre, Cinderella and X-Men: First Class. Resident Evil: Apocalypse is his first and only directorial effort and it is easy to see why. Despite some good shots scattered throughout the film there are moments like random blurry slow motion that really detract from the film. Thankfully it doesnt hurt this movie's biggest asset, the evolution of Alice.
No longer the confused and scared protagonist of the first film Alice crashes into the film on a motorcycle through church's windows with guns blazing. It's an absolutely silly and delightful entrance for the film's hero. Before female representation was a major talking point in genre film Alice was the kind of hero people have been looking for. Portrayed as a natural leader she was a tough gal that was neither shamed for her looks nor did she exploit her femininity. She just kicked ass like any other action hero. Resident Evil: Apocalypse may be the worst entry in the series but it would be a major part of the series finally finding its own voice.
If Apocalypse was acquiescing to the fans of the video games Resident Evil: Extinction is when the films started to become their own thing. Years after the last film Umbrella has been unable to contain the T-Virus and the world has become a desolate wasteland. As the Umbrella Corporation continues their biological and cloning experiments Alice joins a group heading towards Alaska where there are supposedly no dead.
As you can see this is the first movie to be all but completely independent of the games. For the first time creatures and characters are being adapted to fit the film as opposed to the other way around. The best example is of Claire Redfield played by Ali Larter. As opposed to looking for her brother Chris like she does in Resident Evil 2 Claire is leading a convoy of survivors and works just fine in the supporting cast. We also see the Tyrant from the first game as this movie's final boss fight. Honestly it's a bit refreshing.
With video game movies like Street Fighter, Super Mario Bros. and even the earlier RE films it can feel like the writers are shoving as many references to the games as they can into the script. This more relaxed adaption leaves room for things to develop on their own and it works out.
A big factor in all of this working on screen is director Russell Mulcahy and writer Paul W.S. Anderson. Perhaps best known for the Highlander series the Australian director does a good job keeping up the movie's pace with a mix of horror and action bits without sacrificing either. Certainly juggling the two better than the previous two films. The desert landscape also lets Mulcahy film some bigger, sweeping wide shots we never got before. He is also the first director to properly slow motion which make for some killer action scenes. A scene of the survivors fighting amidst an abandoned Las Vegas is a particularly good set piece. Certainly matching anything seen in the US at the time. If the two movies were set up Resident Evil: Extinction is the series starting to put those pieces together.
Evil Goes Global
Despite its vast lore at its core the Resident Evil movies and games have been homages to b-movies. No matter how much it tries to be "real horror" it has always had more in common with Roger Corman than David Cronenberg. 2010's Resident Evil: Afterlife and returning director Paul W.S. Anderson seem to embrace this more than the rest of the series.
Over a year since discovering her clones Alice has been waging a war against the Umbrella Corporation. Hit and run attacks with an army of clones have kept Umbrella on the run. Losing her powers after an encounter with Albert Wesker she reunites with Claire and the two search for a refuge called Arcadia.
What the movie lacks in plot it makes up for in action and a lot of this has to do with the addition of 3D. Due to it being filmed for a different format you have 3D and action that has to be cleaner than in previous films. It forces returning director Paul W.S. Anderson to avoid the shaky cam cinematography that was popular at the time. This results in some fun action scenes that really do a good job showing off the space and movement of the fight scenes. Scenes like the army of Alice clones invading an Umbrella facility are some of the best of his career. While you could easily pick apart of the film it is hard to deny that as a director Anderson is at home in the Resident Evil universe.
One of my favorite things about long running franchises are the lore that develops. I especially like the inevitable entry that really digs into it. Usually bringing back past characters including favorite kills they always feel like a "Best of" album. For Nightmare on Elm Street it was the meta New Nightmare. For Star Trek it is J.J. Abrams's reboot series. For Resident Evil has Resident Evil: Retribution.
As the Arcadia ship is overtaken by Umbrella Alice is taken to an underground training facility. With humanity on its last legs Alice is forced to team up with past enemies to save what is left of the human race. Pursued by a brainwashed Jill Valentine and a homicidal Red Queen she has to reach the surface before the facility explodes.
Dropping any pretensions of being a horror franchise Retribution sees the series become the action extravaganza it was always meant to be. Set against several simulations across the testing facility fans get a good variety of locations from Tokyo to Moscow to suburbia. While the differences may be just cosmetic it is a welcome change of pace from the sterile labs and city American city landscapes the other films have. We also get a wide variety of carnage including car chases, gunfire and hand-to-hand combat. The fight choreography in particular sticks out as the best so seen yet. A scene where Alice has to take out a group of zombies with guns and a chain is a particular highlight.
We also get some fun performances from the cast. Some of the acting is wooden but Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez knock it out of the park. Having to play clones of Alice and Rain (respectively) the two get to go against type and be the damsel as opposed to the girls with gun archetypes. We also see Alice gain a daughter in the film which adds an extra emotional hook that the series desperately needs.
Over the past four films the Resident Evil movies have felt like putting pieces of a puzzle together. Each film would have bits and pieces that work but as a whole wouldn't quite fit. Resident Evil: Retribution feels like it finally came together. A perfect combination of exciting action and stylish directing this really feels like the movie Paul W.S. Anderson finally nailing the movie he has been trying to make all along.
Evil Comes Home
The Resident Evil movies have been a bit polarizing and it is easy to see why. It is reviled by video game purists for straying so far away from the source and it hardly the kind of Oscar bait critics love. The thing it isn't made for these audiences. More than anything else it is a way for director Paul W.S. Anderson to flex his movie making muscle that takes inspiration from over-the-top mix of action and entertainment. In this way it totally works. Creating the kind of female action hero we rarely see he has turned this survival horror classic into the kind of b-movie action franchise that would make Cannon Films proud. So here's to Resident Evil, the kind of cheesy popcorn fare we just dont see in genre cinema anymore.