Resident Evil: The Final Chapter hits stores on May 16th.
Believe it or not, the Resident Evil film franchise has been around for 15 years now. As the subtitle implies, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter serves as the payoff to the franchise. Unfortunately, The Final Chapter ends the series on a whimper instead of a bang.
Thankfully, writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson brings the film closer to the video game’s survival horror roots than ever before. But as much as the film raises the horror level, Anderson eventually reverts back into being “Michael Bay Lite.” There’s plenty of zombie mayhem, dated CGI, and of course, explosions in the film. The good news is, at least you can turn off your brain and take in all of the action. Just like a Michael Bay film.
Don’t expect to see much depth in the film either. Anderson’s attempt at tying the franchise’s convoluted mythology together is admirable. Yet the payoff falls short due to the way the film plays out. Not to mention that the storyline is highly predictable as well. To top it all off, there are a lot of plot holes and lapses in logic that occur during the course of the film. However, at this point, fans already know to suspend their disbelief when watching this franchise.
Milla Jovovich still kicks a lot of tail after all these years though. After six Resident Evil films, she still hasn’t lost a step. Although she still gives a similar monotonic performance as her previous films.
Iain Glen delivers the same fun and hammy villainous performance as Dr. Alexander Isaacs. Shawn Roberts also returns as the infamous Albert Wesker. Roberts brings the same lifeless and robotic performance to The Final Chapter as well. Yet considering that’s how the character is in general, he plays the role perfectly.
The rest of the cast never really thrive in the film. Eoin Macken, Ruby Rose, and Fraser James all play these hastily-sketched cinematic archetypes. Not one of them leaves any sort of lasting impression in the film. Mostly due to the fact that their characters are simply just cannon fodder.
Overall, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is the same thinly-drawn, action extravaganza that we’ve come to expect from the series. Nothing has changed in the series’ 15-year existence. While it’s disappointing to see a lack of ambition in The Final Chapter, fans will no doubt get a kick out of the film. Everyone else, on the other hand, will just wait and see how long it will take to get a proper adaptation of the popular video game franchise.
Movie Rating: 2/5 atoms
Video
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter hits Blu-ray with a 1080p 2.40:1 aspect ratio transfer. Ironically, the fact that The Final Chapter was shot digitally is both a blessing and a curse. For one thing, the video looks great where there’s no CGI or camera movement. The video is well-detailed and colorful there. On the other hand, when we reach the action sequences then this is where the high-definition highlights the film’s visual flaws. There is a hefty amount of motion blur, image noise, and crudely rendered CGI in these scenes. In addition, the warm color palette does skew the skin tones of the actors.
That being said, there are some other things to like about the video too. The black levels are nice and inky throughout which is great considering there are a lot of dark scenes. The brightness levels are bright and never blooms. Overall, this is a great video transfer despite some of Paul W.S. Anderson’s visual choices.
Video Rating: 4/5 atoms
Audio
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter hits Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround audio track. Keep in mind that you may want to lower the volume here. This is one loud and very aggressive mix. There is constant surround activity happening throughout the film. The surround and rear surround channels clearly render the effects, music, and directional dialogue in the sound stage. Also, the dialogue is crystal clear in the front and center channels. Unsurprisingly, the track isn’t shy about using the subwoofer either. It’s loud and booms with authority during all the action scenes. Overall, this is a great audio mix.
Audio Rating: 5/5 atoms
Special Features
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’s Blu-ray contains the following special features:
- Retaliation Mode
- Stunts and Weaponry
- The Badass Trinity & The Women of Resident Evil
- Explore the Hive
Although it may not seem like a lot but there are a lot of bonus features in this release. A majority of the content comes from the “Retaliation Mode” viewing experience. Featuring the husband and wife duo of Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich are incredibly fun to watch on screen. They also provide a good amount of behind-the-scenes information about the film as well. The downside is that aside from “Retaliation Mode,” everything else is just generic bonus material.
Special Features Rating: 4/5 atoms
Overall, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is a mind-numbingly entertaining film. This is the type of film where you simply turn off your brain and let the action scenes take over. The audio and video presentation are solid and the special features are bountiful as well.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 atoms
This Blu-ray was reviewed using a retail/advance copy/unit provided by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
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