Resident Evil: Retribution Review – What Did You Expect?

The initial buzz after opening weekend seemed to indicate a lot of people were disappointed in this film. Just why I cannot understand.  I’m really not sure what people were expecting.  I’ve seen and heard people complain the film is nothing but hot women in tight clothing and a bunch of action sequences. Many are calling this film terrible because it  lacks depth in the characters and plot.  There is also a  lot of whining about how the film series is too far removed from the video game. Duh. How is any of this a surprise?

First, let’s get one thing clear. These are films “based” on the Resident Evil video game from Capcom. They’re even nice to point that out on screen in the opening credits. “Based on” is the key phrase here. This isn’t an encyclopedic film that must blindly follow the video game cut scenes verbatim. It’s a movie based on and inspired by the game.  That means it will loosely follow the story contained in the game and if we’re really lucky they’ll make an honest attempt to cast actors that are close to the video game characters.

I’m no Resident Evil expert.  Although I grew up playing the games and know more than the casual fan, I’m far from a walking Resident Evil wiki. Even if I was I wouldn’t unfairly hold the movie to the same standards as the game. The movie is a different beast all together.  A movie has to entertain and satisfy die hard Resident Evil fans, casual fans, and movie-goers who have never even heard of or touched the game.

Above all this is an action movie meant to entertain viewers.  This isn’t some literary classic. It’s not a drama or a documentary. It’s an action movie based on a video game that has zombies in it. I wish people would take a moment to remember that when buying tickets. I also wish reviewers and critics would take a deep breath and remember that when writing a review. Review this for what it is. A block buster end of summer action movie. It’s not a Resident Evil encyclopedia  and it’s not Gone With the Wind. Now that I’m done ranting, let me tell you what I thought of the film. Although you probably already have an idea of where I’m headed with all of this.

What’s Great:

This movie’s strong point is eye candy. The women, the action, the stunts and the special effects are top notch.

The stunt work and special effects in this movie are reason enough to see this film. Resident Evil: Retribution is non stop action from the beginning to the end. It wastes absolutely no time in getting the action started and it’s pretty fast paced and relentless from beginning to end. It sure impressed my son.

I saw this with my 10 year old boy and  he originally didn’t even want to go. He has a short attention span and is easily bored with a slow moving plot.  He absolutely loved the film and commended it for how much action it contained. As we drove home he said he loved the movie because it didn’t contain a bunch of “boring details and story”. I felt pretty much the same way. This probably doesn’t say much about my mentality or maturity level. . . but damn did this movie satisfy the 10 year old in me!

The stunt work in Retribution is absolutely amazing. Milla works hard on choreography and it always shows. There are plenty of gloriously unbelievable flips, twirls and Matrix-like aerial acrobatics. Alice runs, jumps, and flips her way through hordes of zombies and foes. There is also some pretty sweet stunt driving involving a Rolls Royce Phantom!

The special effects are just as satisfying. When Alice isn’t kicking ass hand to hand, there is an immense amount of weapons and gunfire to keep your blood pumping. Huge explosions, amazing slow motion bullet chase scenes and computerized “x-ray” views of ribs being cracked and hearts being stopped. At one point a Las Plagas parasite is injected into a character. When that character is shot, the parasites are shown chasing down the bullets within the body and pushing them out at the fingertips as wounds are healed. So cool! I truly regret not seeing this film in 3D and I may have to go back and see it again wearing some dorky glasses just to get the full experience.

While the action satisfied the pre-teen in me, the gorgeous women kept the hormone laden 17 year old in me interested from minute one. While I didn’t see any nudity, there is a lot of gratuitous attire in the film.  In the beginning of the film Alice is imprisoned in a very hot clinical white outfit that barely covers her. She then dons her tight black leather combat jump suit in the first 15 minutes and things only get better for heterosexual males from that point on.

Jill Valentine is adorable in her tight zero suit. Michelle Rodriguez is always easy on the eyes. Li Bingbing looks absolutely amazing in her tight red Ada Wong dress. I’m not even sure why she’s wearing it in the film other than to help visually tie her character to the video game. Whatever the reason, I’m not complaining.   She looks incredible and she’s a dead ringer for the video game character.

Casting is another strong point in this film and it’s not just because the ladies are nice to look at.  While some deliver a lack luster performance (more on that later) the actor choices really look like the game characters and generally do a great job portraying the video game characters.  Milla Jovovich is always the perfect Alice. Shawn Roberts is back and he has always been a wonderful choice to play Albert Wesker. Rain is back (sort of) and Michelle Rodriguez is another great choice for this character. I’m really impressed with Johann Urb’s portrayal of Leon Kennedy.  As I’ve already said, Li Bingbing is an amazing Ada Wong.

I found the running time of just over 90 minutes to be ideal. I don’t need a bloated script forced into a  2 and a half or 3 hour movie to feel satisfied.  I’d rather have a short and to the point plot with plenty of high dollar special effects. Resident Evil: Retribution is exactly that. The reasonable run time ends in a glorious climactic ending that left me excited for the next film.

The end of the film was one of my favorite parts. I’ll assume you haven’t watched the film or read the plot summary I’ve provided, so I wont’ give away any spoilers. Let’s just say the end of the film has a little twist that hints to the end of humanity and a potentially awesome 6th film in the Resident Evil series.

Meh. (What Wasn’t So Great):

The plot in Resident Evil is honestly pretty thin. When it boils down to it, it’s your basic “you have 2 hours to escape” plot. Until the very end of the film there really isn’t much there. While that’s fine with me, many will be turned off by the simplicity of the story line.

Another sour point is acting. I’m sad to report there is some terrible acting in this film. While both are gorgeous and do a wonderful job looking like their corresponding video game counterparts, Li BingBing and Sienna Guillory really don’t do a breathtaking job from a technical standpoint.  Li’s difficulty with the English language certainly make her shortfalls understandable.

I had the most difficult time trying to tolerate Sienna Guillory’s performance. It isn’t horrendous, but her portrayal of Jill Valentine fell flat for me.  It is difficult to explain, but she generally just looks awkward and unbelievable as a “bad ass” villain. I understand she’s supposed to be brainwashed and under control of the Red Queen, but she seemed dull and robotic even in the action sequences. When you see it you’ll know what I mean. She looks great in her tight zero suit, but the acting never seems to live up to the look. Then again, maybe she’s just overshadowed by Milla Jovovich’s performance?

Even the humor and one-liners in this film seem lame and randomly tossed in with little thought. “I”ve heard that before”, “Bad idea boys” and “Congratulations. You’re now officially a bad ass” are about the best clever little quips Alice had to offer in this film. Weak!

Our Rating:

We give Resident Evil: Retribution a score of 3.5 out of  a best possible score of 5. The script is thin and the acting is bad at times but the intense action, special effects and sexy women in tight clothing made up for it.

The Final Word:

In the end I personally enjoyed Resident Evil: Retribution.  Until the end, most of the film does feel like more of the same old same old. It’s not an an amazing story, but I didn’t expect it to be. I expected hot women, insane action and some sort of hint that there would be another film in the series. That is EXACTLY what I got! If you go into this film with those expectations you won’t be disappointed.

Is this an amazing script delivered with emotionally moving acting? Absolutely not.  If you are a film snob expecting perfection and complex plot twists over a 3 hour period, I would urge you to skip this film. You will be disappointed. However, if you love zombies, loud explosions and non-stop action from start to finish then this is a film worthy of your time.  This film is exactly what it is: an action movie with a big special effects budget. If you are generally a fan of the past Resident Evil films, or action films in general, I’d say see it.

There is a good chance the next film could be the last in the series. Milla certainly isn’t getting any younger.  However, one of the characters she takes under her wing in Retribution could easily be groomed to take over the heroine role later on. I have a hunch that Resident Evil may disappear for awhile after the next film but I suspect Paul Anderson is setting the script up to leave a new generation of Resident Evil movies a very real possibility.  See the film or check out the plot summary I’ve provided below and you’ll see what I mean!

Check out the official trailer for Resident Evil: Retribution below:

Plot Overview:

WARNING! This section of the review contains MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS! 

This movie starts off right where Resident Evil: Afterlife ended. The opening sequence actually shows the final battle on the deck of the Arcadia ship in reverse in slow motion.  Although a bit long and redundant, it truly is beautiful to watch. You get to see just how much hotter Milla Jovovich looks firing weapons in slow motion. Every expression on her face looks more determined and even hotter when slowed down. Every kill is more dramatic and every special effect detail can be appreciated for the work of art it is.

Shortly after the intro, Alice herself narrates a very quick couple minute recap of the major plot points of the previous Resident Evil films. We then start off with a bang by watching the same final battle on the Arcadia in forward at normal speed. It’s much less impressive and anti-climactic when viewed this way. Alice shoots an Umbrella Corporation flying ship and it crashes into the Arcadia and explodes into a ball of fire. Alice is blown off the ship and falls into the water unconscious. We then cut her to a scene of her waking in bed.

Suddenly she’s a normal, but gorgeous, suburban housewife with a husband and young daughter. Was it all just a dream? Is she just remembering her past? It looks that way because the biggest event of her morning is her husband dribbling coffee on his dress shirt. That is, until the zombies randomly burst through the door in a shocking attack out of nowhere. She whisks her daughter into the laundry room and punches a hole into the drywall ceiling to escape into the safety of the attic. Of course she grabs some melee weapons like a baseball bat to handle business as needed. It’s good to know even this version of Alice can kick ass when the need arises. (We learn later in the film these are all cloned version of characters used for simulation and test purposes.)

Eventually they make their way outside where all hell has broken loose. What was once a peaceful suburban sub-division is now a frantic war zone. People scream in terror. Zombies run after people and police frantically fire at the undead in an attempt to protect civilians.

As Alice runs down the street with her daughter Michelle Rodriguez appears in a vehicle to whisk them to safety. It turns out this a  “good” clone version of Rain. We’ll meet her evil counterpart later.  Shortly after being picked up, “good” Rain’s less than stellar driving skills leave me them wrecked upside down inside the hybrid they though would speed them to safety. Alice and her daughter seek refuge in a nearby house with the  undead horde right on their heels. They hide in an upstairs bedroom closet where they are of course ultimately cornered.  Alice makes the ultimate sacrifice by electing to take on the zombies hand to hand to lead them away in order to protect her hiding daughter.

As this scene comes to a close the next scene opens with Alice regaining consciousness in an Umbrella Corporation holding cell. It appears this was all a dream or  memory too. Jill Valentine appears in a window overlooking the cell and begins attempts  at an interrogation. The interrogation mainly consists of a few moments of a scantily clad Milla Jovovich being asked why she turned against Umbrella. When she doesn’t answer she’s repeatedly assaulted with extremely loud high pitched noises that make her cry out in pain.

After several minutes of this, the power goes out . The computer complains of being compromised and then begins it’s reboot process. A drawer slides out of the wall with the sexy black leather Umbrella outfit Alice wears for the duration of the film.  We’re then presented with the computer system’s audible audio countdown of when the security computer will be back online. Of course it’s just enough time for Alice to suit up and make her escape. As tight as this outfit is, there’s NO WAY she managed to put it on by herself in the short amount of time the film expects us to believe she does it in.

Alice “escapes” outside. It appears she’s walked out of an Umbrella facility straight into Downtown Tokyo. It doesn’t take long to figure out this a computer simulation with very real zombie foes. Alice must retreat back into the Umbrella facility where she battles the horde of zombies that has pursued her. This is an epic battle with plenty of amazing stunt work and gore.

After defeating the horde of undead, Alice encounters Ada Wong (Li Bingbing). Alice almost kills Ada but it turns out Ada has been sent to help Alice escape. Why would Ada help Alice?  It turns out Ada and Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts) are no longer working for Umbrella. Wesker appears in computer form and informs Alice the T-Virus has basically caused Armageddon.  He warns they must all now work together for the greater good. Of course for Alice to help, she must survive and escape. The fate of the human race rests on their shoulders.

Wesker frantically informs Alice the Red Queen is now controlling the facility just as she regains control of the hacked connection Wesker is communicating through.  After she refuses to give up, The Red Queen warns Alice, “You’re all going to die down here”. In her calm, collected and confident style Alice quips back, “I’ve heard that before.” Jill Valentine is ordered to capture Alice and Ada if possible, or kill them if necessary.

Alice plans to simply blast her way out of the facility but Ada quickly points out it’s a bad idea. It turns out the secret Umbrella facility where she has bee imprisoned is located deep under the icy waters of a secret Russian nuclear submarine facility. Umbrella purchased the facility and converted into a high tech simulation ground to test the T-Virus. They created highly detailed, climate controlled environments of Tokyo, New York, Moscow, Suburban heaven “Racoon City” etc. It turns out these faithful simulations also allowed the Umbrella corporation to create fake T-virus outbreak videos to help sell their T-Virus as biological weapons in a viral arms race.

Wesker has sent a rescue team headed by Leon S. Kennedy (Johann Urb), Barry Burton (Kevin Durand), and Luther West (Boris Kodjoe) to aid Alice and Ada’s escape to the surface. They plant explosives at the surface entrance of the base. They are set to detonate in exactly two hours at which point they will destroy the facility and anyone, or anything, unfortunate enough to remain inside.

From  here on out the film is your standard, been there done that, escape plot.  After fighting their way past zombies and battling two executioner axemen at once, Alice and Ada make their way to the rendezvous point in the Racoon City simulation.  They are supposed to meet up with the extraction team here.  Before that can occur Alice encounters the clone that played her daughter in the simulation at the beginning of the film. Of course the child clone thinks Alice is her mother. Alice shows a rare human side and takes the child under her wing without revealing she isn’t her mother.

By now Alice and Ada’s pursuers have caught up.  The villains (Jill Valentine, Rain, Carlos and James “One” Shade) urge the group to give up. A shootout ensues and Alice and Becky escape while Ada stays behind and is captured. Alice escapes with Becky to the Moscow simulation where Alice rescues the extraction team from a team of super smart functionally able Las Plagas zombies. She slides in to save the day in a Rolls Royce Phantom complete with cool blue neon lights underneath and spinner rims. The team is hunted down in a highspeed chase with the Las Plagas zombies driving vehicles, firing weapons, and riding motorcycles hot on their heels. As if that wasn’t enough, the team is also being chased by a giant Licker creature.

Alice drives the Rolls Royce straight into a Moscow subway and the team proceeds down a train tunnel to the elevator that will take them to the surface.  Eventually everyone meets up at the large elevator that will take them to the surface and out of the facility that is about to explode.  Of course the elevator stops just after starting to lift the heroes to safety. A Licker monster grabs Becky and Kills the “good” rain clone as she tries to prevent it from escaping with the child.

Alice decides she has to save Becky even though she’s nothing more than a clone with artificially implanted memories. Just then Jill Valentine and her goons show up.  Luther West gets shot in the shoulder. Alice heads off to save Becky while the rest of the team stays behind to shoot it out with Jill Valentine and her team.

Alice rescues Becky by cutting her out of the Licker’s pod. While escaping the Licker, the pair must walk through an area of the Umbrella facility where hundreds of clones are whisked around on a rack in gruesome meat market assembly line fashion. After seeing dozens of Alice clones fly by, Becky begins to put two and two together. She demands to know the truth and asks Alice if she is really her mom. Alice replies “I am now” in a very touching, albeit cheesy, moment.

Everyone reaches the surface just as the detonation of the Umbrella facility occurs. It seems the good guys escaped and the explosion has solved their problem. As the team is driving to safety across the ice it looks like we’ll be left with a lame ending. Nope.  It turns out the ending is just getting started.

There is a huge bang, the vehicle turns on its side and a submarine emerges through the ice.  It turns out Carlos was killed but Jill and Rain survived the explosion and escaped in a submarine. They have Ada Wong as their prisoner. Alice finds it comical that the pair of women plan to stop them. However, Rain injects herself in the neck with the “Las Plagas” parasite.  It immediately gives her amazing powers and makes her nearly invincible. Rain takes some fire and we see a pretty cool closeup effect of the Las Plagas parasite pushing bullets out of her body and healing her wounds. It’s obvious killing this evil Rain clone is NOT going to be a simple affair.

Two epic battles, one between Alice and Jill and the other between Rain and the remaining survivor,s ensue. Alice gets her but whipped to near death by Jill. She’s nearly killed by Jill but manages to rip the Scarab device off of Jill’s chest and destroy it. Both women collapse to the ice.

Meanwhile the evil Rain has nearly finished destroying her foes and turns her attention to Alice. Alice see’s a zombie face (one of the Las Plagas undead) swimming under the ice.  Jill Valentine returns to her senses and slides a gun to Alice. The evil rain laughs and informs Alice, “You can’t kill ME.” Alice responds confidently, “I don’t have to.”  She shoots the ice around Rain’s feet. Rain collapses through the ice and the viewer sees an amazing view of a huge horde of Las Plagas zombies swarming Rain and pulling her under water.

A helicopter arrives and rescues the survivors.  The survivors (Alice, Ada, Becky, Leon, and Jill) are transported to Albert Wesker’s military base. It turns out Wesker has set up shop in the White House and he has made himself at home in the Oval Office. He begins to explain he needs Alice’s help.  He unexpectedly stabs Alice in the next and injects her with the T-Virus. He explains he needs her back to her former glory and has given her back her gift so that she can help save humanity.

It turns out the last remaining survivors of the human race have taken refuge at the White House and it’s up to Alice, Wesker, and the remaining survivors to save humanity. As the film comes to a close Alice and Wesker walk onto the roof of the White House. The camera zooms out and we get our first glimpse of just how bad things have become.

The White House is battered to the point where it is barely recognizable. Hordes of tens of thousands of zombies lurk outside. As the view gets wider things look less like planet earth and more like hell. There are countless crashed vehicles and thousands of monsters, flying creatures and other horrors. It looks like the 6th film in this series could be the final one and if it lives up to what is foreshadowed here  in the ending of Retribution, it may be a final battle of epic proportions!

End of Plot Summary