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Thursday, November 4, 2010

RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Kim Coteas, Boris Kodjoe, Shawn Roberts

It's the fourth chapter of the Resident Evil saga and the series has come a full circle in a way. The director of the original, Anderson has returned to his chair after making an ok action film (AvP) and a very good action film (Death Race) in between. 

 While still (sigh!) trying to bring down the evil Umbrella corporation, Alice (Jovovich) joins a band of survivors in L.A. who've set their goals in reaching a safe haven and virus free place known only as Arcadia. The undead are still everywhere and the diminishing perimeter starts to effect relations of the last survivors.

 Anderson also wrote the first two sequels to this series, Apocalypse and Extinction. Personally I thought the first film was mediocre at best and all the films after that have been even more boring and and without any vision at all with the exception of a few clever action beats. Afterlife is no exception. The only thing that separates this film from doomed straight-to-DVD fodder is the fact that they had more (wasted) money and a couple of C-list movie stars. Shawn Roberts' character, the main antagonist might just be the worst creation in years since he's obviously a cheap and evil knock off of Neo from The Matrix. At times it's almost embarrasing to watch Afterlife since it just wonders on and on without any direction of where it wants to go. And a memo to mr. Anderson: thousands of slo-mo's do not make good action scenes. Maybe if you're a fan of the game series I can understand if you hold this film up in high regard, but otherwise it's just dull and boring gun fire without soul. The only high remark goes to the gruesome character Axeman. Although we already saw that as well in another (and clearly perkier) game adaptation, Silent Hill (2006).

KITEYTETTYNÄ SINIVALKOISILLE
Resident Evil: Afterlife on erittäin sieluton toimintaraina, josta voisin kuvitella nauttivan ainoastaan niiden katsojien joille Resident Evil-pelit ovat olleet kova ja omaa sydäntä läheinen juttu. Ohjaaja Anderson joka aloitti leffasarjan vuonna 2002 (ja on naimisissa Jovovichin kanssa) on saanut tällä kertaa aikaan vain todella päämäärätöntä räiskintää ja haukotuttavaa säikyttelyä. Ainoa hieno seikka leffassa on brutaalin ja aidosti hieman ahdistavan näköinen, jättiläismäinen Kirvesmies. Tosin samantyyppinen heppu heilui jo selvästi paremmassa peliadaptaatiossa Silent Hill (2006). Eli se kai siitäkin sitten. Ainoa mikä tämän turhuuden erottaa suoraan DVD:lle saapuvasta kuonasta on hivenen isompi budjetti ja pari C-luokan leffatähteä.

Resident Evil: Afterlife at IMDb

1 comments:

Kaisa said...

Vaikka leffa olikin hullua räiskintää ja päätöntä menoa, täytyy sanoa, että 3D-muodossa leffa oli todella hienon näköinen ja sitä kautta riittävän mukaansatempaava.