Resident Evil: Retribution Reviews

Terrible. No more please.....

Well I hate to say this but you really do need knowledge of the videogame and all previous four films to understand what goes on here. This franchise is one long story and I must say its been handled well with great continuity and an exciting plot, a real hook to the chops that drags you in.

The plot continues yet again from the cliff hanger ending of the previous installment, once more invincible 'Alice' is running from the 'Umbrella Corp' and trying to save mankind. Once again she has a new team of allies to get splatted and eaten one by one as, yet again, she escapes another 'Umbrella facility', this time under the sea.

You do get the impression they have run out of ideas for this new film. All the previous films have a memorable setting, almost like levels in a videogame believe it or not. The first film was in the 'Umbrella Hive facility', second film was a suburban setting in 'Raccoon City', third film was a desert setting and the fourth film was in a prison setting. This new film is just in another 'Umbrella facility' which happens to be under the sea, but that's it, they toss in lots of other testing zones within the facility just to show as many zombie battle locations as possible which seems cheap.

I also didn't really like the inclusion of old characters from past films in zombie/clone form. Again this just seemed a little cheap trying to revive past success (sort of success) from the previous films by sticking in the old characters.

In my previous reviews I have mentioned that these films have pretty much copied the basic 'Aliens' survival plot with a team of...survivors. Funnily enough this new fifth film actually goes one step further by giving us a 'Ripley and Newt' subplot rip off right down to even copying an alien...errr I mean 'Licker' pinching 'Alice's' little girl and cocooning her!. We then get an almost identical dialog sequence with 'Alice' telling 'West' the kid is still alive and she's going after her like it or not. Oh and a mechanical 'facehugger' bit too. Jesus Anderson lets not actually steal scenes now!.

Speaking of the 'Licker', this giant one is actually pretty cool, looks down right nasty and bites peoples heads off with spurting blood!, nice. The CGI wasn't too bad either, its just in the end its a complete anti climax once invincible 'Alice' finds it.

The new team for zombie chow time isn't as good as previous films either. They don't last too long for starters so we don't get to know them, they're just a small team of blokes who are trying too hard to be butch. 'Leon' is crafted well and looks like his videogame counterpart but my god does the actor try for the Eastwood thing. The only other guy of interest is 'Barry' who isn't as pretty as 'Leon' but much more guff and gritty but both of course have huge arms, why wouldn't they?. The other two guys we find out nothing and don't see much either, where as 'Alice's' new best friend 'Ada Wong' is a nice sexy double act for the chaps. She does everything in a dinner dress too! (doesn't she ever get cold in that?! she's in the Arctic!).

This is probably the most videogame-like film of the franchise with its internal test zones and duplicated characters all over the shop. It doesn't hold in your memory like the previous films with its bland setting plus there's the usual plot issues like why 'Wesker' wants to now help mankind, I thought he was a super mutant monster thingy and how come the zombies are now almost intelligent to the point where they can hunt underwater!. Isn't that kinda checkmate in terms of places left to go?. 'Las Plagas parasite'? you see you gotta know the game background somewhat, or so I've read.

Of course by now we all know not to look into these things too much with this series. In terms of action, excitement, violence and plot surprisingly, this film does deliver. I must also admit to LOVING that final sequence from the White House, surely most people got a kick outta that enticing visual tease, looked like 'LOTR' for the horror genre, my interest levels are rising.

11/02/2013 (Online)

Paul W.S. Anderson continues the Resident Evil franchise with yet a 5th movie known as Resident Evil: Retribution.The story is thin as paper and that pretty much makes the less than 90 minute run time rather appropriate. The introduction does a decent job at recapping the story-line while showcasing scenes from the previous four films. After that, the story acts as a platter to serve action sequence after action sequence.The violence is in high abundance and the action is highly stylized with a lot of slow motion. The CG is used with the high probability of creating 3D effects to fill the screen. So much so, at times the film uses too much CG for its own good.Milla Jovovich as an action heroine is nothing new and she performs as expected. Sienna Guillory and Li Bingbing are both chicks to be reckoned with. Michelle Rodriguez finds the time for multiple characters and the rest of the cast is forgettable.Resident Evil: Retribution delivers what it intends to: lots of CG and action without much substance.

A series that was starting to gain momentum (at least I thought so) completely loses its way in the fifth entry to this long running series. The plot is the most bare-bones of the entire series. The entire movie is just Alice & friends trying to escape an underground Umbrella Corp lair that has been rigged to stop them. The ONLY scene that furthers that plot is the final one. This has the feeling of a filler entry from start to finish. The entire production feels rushed and a step down from Afterlife, which was the first altogether enjoyable one of the series for me (although 2& 3 are generally ok turn your brain off flicks). Everything that has plagued the series from the beginning rears its ugly head again. Terrible dialogue, bad acting, overdone special effects, and altogether just dumb moments that make you shake your head. How the series can have this big of a step down kind of baffles me considering it is the same director. Of all the entries, this one feels the most like a video game. I mean I know it is based off of a video game, but that doesn't mean you need to replicate the experience. The ending suggest that this series is getting another entry, I just hope it isn't as bad as this one. I was somewhat interested in this series and Retribution killed that off almost completely in 90 minutes.

Resident Evil: Retribution is a decent final entry (I hope) to this zombie franchise. This is an extravagant action horror film that is designed for fans of the film, and it will surely appeal to them. I've been a big fan of the films, and I did think that at least two of them could have been much better, but overall this was a fun and entertaining franchise that relied more on zombie action carnage than story. Ian turn it was a mindless popcorn action franchise that was fun and worth seeing if you enjoy zombie film, horror films or even action films. The film has plenty of flaws, and it's to be expected considering that this is the fifth film in the franchise. I liked this one, and it was a decent entry and hopefully final due to the fact that the Resident Evil movies rely more on recycled ideas now more than ever. The action scenes as usual are the standout aspects of this film. This is the perfect film to watch if you have nothing else better to watch and it's a mindless horror action yarn that should deliver enough entertainment value for viewers looking for an hour and a half to kill. If this is the final entry in the series, then they've ended it on a high note, a fun little popcorn film that relies more on its action and thrills to overcome its paper thin, nonexistent story. Afterlife I thought was a decent film, and it was nothing really great, however this one was a fun and thrilling entry that should appeal to diehard fans of the series. If this is indeed the end, the filmmakers have pulled off a movie that has flaws, but it overcomes them by memorable action and thrills, which is what has made the Resident Evil series such a fun, and entertaining ride for horror fans.

A mind-blowing and spectacular action-packed extravaganza that kicks ass, fry's your nerves as well as your mind and senses. An adrenaline-charged edge of your seat thrill-ride that's a load of fun that you don't want to miss especially if your a fan of the series. An explosive, bloody and tremendously exciting sequel that delivers all the action, suspense and fun that you want. Director, Paul W.S Anderson crafts another fine adaptation to the series, he has a groove and style that just works for the series and is in good hands when he is director. Their thow still a fare share of flaws with some plot holes and missing character moments i wish were in it, but Anderson does with what he has. Milla Jovovich shines again, giving a great performance in her signature role. It nicely welcomes back Sienna Guillory, Colin Salmon, Michelle Rodriguez and Oded Feher. Johann Urb is terrific as Kennedy, finally bringing the character to the film series. It leads to a explosive conclusion and has you set and ready for another one. A brutally cool good-time. It does not look like it has any sign of slowing down.

The ultimate battle begins.

Good movie! The movie made it quite clear, early on, that there would be no complicated plot lines or character development. And the dialogue was equally simplistic. "Retribution" is full of mindless action sequences that never seem to stop. You won't have time to take a breath before the next action sequence begins. The fight choreography is outstanding and the 3D enlivens the scenes. That's probably the shining spot of the whole film. "Resident Evil: Retribution" will attract fans and action buffs but will not be suitable for others who want a clear story and convincing performances.

The Umbrella Corporation's deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race's last and only hope, Alice, awakens in the heart of Umbrella's most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex.

Cheesey, stupid but filled with action. Passes the time and got to be better than twilight

three stars!

Probably the worst movie I've seen all year. Paul W.S Anderson has a knack for stylistic fight sequences, but they don't even come close to saving the film. The acting is bad, the script is even worse, and the film quickly gets boring. The overall set design is interesting, but the cheap scares are laughable. If you think about it, you just spent two hours watching a movie about one measly escape. A simple blip on the surrounding story of the franchise, 'Resident Evil: Retribution' is a complete waste of time, money, and resources.

To me, the "Resident Evil" film series is a big letdown as a whole. Of the five movies, I really only thought 2 of them were decent(Apocalypse and Extinction). However, this latest installment is better than the first one and "Afterlife", so for me it falls right in the middle. There is some things I liked about it, and others I really didn't like or didn't care for. The story is basically the same as the other films, with a few little twists. Alice(Milla Jovovich) fights the Umbrella Corporation, going through fast zombies, evil clones of past friends, and weird mutated monsters. I haven't played the video games at all, but this really feels like a game. Like she is going from level to level, until the end. The action is good, and for the most part the effects are good also(except when the men mutate and have a four part mouth, I think it looks stupid). I didn't watch this in 3D, and I can tell it would probably have looked really good in 3D from some of the effects. To me, the best part was the beginning and the way Alice and the girl were being attacked by zombies in a neighborhood. But, I thought the ending was a little weak, as it sets up another movie that probably shouldn't be made, but will(can't believe there are already 5 of these movies!) If your a fan of the series, then watch and enjoy. If your not, then no reason to start now, just skip it.

Considering how terrible Resident Evil: Afterlife was, it's almost impossible to see this movie through objective eyes. Resident Evil: Retribution is the fifth installment in the film series that never should've happened. I would go on about the plot of the movie, but it doesn't even have a plot. It's just Milla Jovovich killing zombies which is what all the other movies have been about. Within the first ten minutes of the movie, the movie is already making a big deal out of being nothing but a bunch of convoluted crap. Mila Jovovich has this little girl with her and she's a clone or something stupid like that and the mission is to kill zombies, yet again. We get introduced to a bunch of characters who are really generic and boring and that's what the movie passes off as set-up for a movie. Eventually, the action scenes start to happen and holy crap are they terrible. The special effects looke really piss-poor and everything is in slow-motion. I'm not kidding, every single action scene is slowed down. There'll be a part where a character throws some kind of weapon and then it shows the weapon hurling at the screen just for the sake of showing off the 3D. Then there are parts where Milla Jovovich is doing a bunch of drawn out stunts and it's basically just the director's way of saying "Hey everyone, look at my hot wife doing these stunts! Isn't she awesome?!" The movie is almost two hours long, but I guarantee you that if there wasn't any slow-motion, it would be about 30 minutes long. The actors in the movie are all awful. Never in this movie did I believe any type of emotion was being conveyed. The worst of the actors is the guy playing Wesker. He's so dull and wooden and for whatever reason, he talks like it hurts him to speak. I don't know if that was in the script or what, but regardless, he's still terrible. The movie is also a blatant rip-off of Aliens in one scene. There's a part where this monster is going around killing people, but when it sees the little clone girl, it decides to just wrap her up in a cocoon and she has to be rescued. That terrible convenience only existed because Paul W.S. wanted to copy a scene from Aliens. That's the thing about this movie is that it's directed by one of the worst directors alive. Paul W.S. Anderson has made some terrible movies and I think that his highest rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes is only at a 33%. He only cares about a bunch of self-indulgent action scenes and showing off terrible looking special effects. I know that these Resident Evil films are based off of video games, but that doesn't mean the movie should look like a video game cutscene. Resident Evil: Retribution is every bit as bad as the previous Resident Evil movies are and an awful stand-alone film with terrible acting, boring characters, stupid action scenes, dumb conveniences and it actually sets up for a sequel. I really think that this series needs to just stop.

Decent but slowly loosing my interest in what's next for Milla's lazy superhero stories. Great to see the game characters finally in the plot, more zombies please!

A quick and dirty review for a quick and dirty film.
At times, few and far between moments that are nigh nonexistent, Retribution is aware of what it is. It's this self awareness that makes the film watchable, because even though you knew it was going to be bad, you watched it anyway. C list actors running around shooting zombies in fairly well designed sets should be fun, but without this self awareness, Resident Evil is not fun. In fact, Resident Evil is a chore to watch. Acting is terrible, music is somehow out of place, special effects are lazy (and about 100% CG), and the hackneyed attempts at shoehorning story elements from the games is completely random and almost insulting to fans. This is simply an awful movie, to the point of being annoying. Constant abuse of slow motion insures that the action scenes lack any sort of gravitas or weight. In my opinion, watching something transpire in slow motion in these days is just an excuse for my brain to shut off.
I didn't like it, to say the least. Gets a 20 for awesome gun sounds and some stand out moments (all of which were in the trailers). Skip it, but hey, if you're reading this your probably won't.

Resident Evil: Retribution is an atrociously awful piece of garbage that even zombies would find unwatchable. There really is no plot to speak of; instead it plays out as a first-person shooter video game. And the acting is god-awful...in facts it's even worse than that. The series is completely bereft of ideas, and is running completely on empty. There's nothing engaging or thrilling about the action or the characters; Resident Evil: Retribution is offensive in how little effort it puts forth.

Resident Evil: Retribution is another entry in this zombie film series, and all that means is that we just get more bullets and less brains. I have come to realize that this doesn't even deserve to be considered a film series since every movie just gets more and more stupid with its story and characters, and I have even gotten annoyed by the idiotic action sequences. This series started 10 years ago and since then we have not even begun to care about what is happening or what is going on, and now I know that this series is beyond saving. I mean it seems like Paul W.S. Anderson (no relation to the brilliant Paul Thomas Anderson) just doesn't give a rats ass if his movies are good or bad, as long as there is attractive women and mindless action then he doesn't care if a movie is good or not. I must admit, I expected to hate this movie before I saw it because of the past terrible entries, and I was right to do so because they make the same mistakes and stupidity that the past films had done. I realize this is based on the video games (which I enjoy) but they just take a huge crap on the video games source material. If you see this pointless action flick, please be prepared to lose some brain cells.
The story follows Alice (Milla Jovovich) as she teams up with other survivors as they still try to figure out a way to take down the Umbrellas Corporation and there deadly plans.
The plot of the film seemed to me like it was written by a bunch of guys in college who are obsessed with porn and have seen too many Jason Statham movies. This films story just doesn't matter in the slightest, I mean they say a lot of words and give a lot of complicated explanations of a virus and zombies, but we just are too uninterested to even try and understand what they are talking about. I have seen the characters go nowhere over the years, and I can say with all honesty that I hate the character of Alice. She has no likable traits and Milla Jovovich gives just a worse performance with each film releases. They don't keep true to the video games at all, and characters from the video games just have gotten annoying, I mean they made Leon Kennedy into an unlikable dork with a gun. I never took the Resident Evil movies seriously, and this movie further explains why.

The cast has absolutely no talent and this is a great example of how not to perform in a film. Milla Jovovicvh has played this role many times but never before has she been so stale and dull. I mean Milla just has no heart with the character of Alice and just seems to have no traits other than killing people, and if she died in any of the films, I wouldn't care in the least. Sienna Guillory is just here for her looks, and she couldn't act to save a human being if she tried too. Michelle Rodriguez is usually a cool actress, but she really doesn't need to return to this film series, it's beyond her. I liked Rodriguez in Avatar and Machete, but now she seems to just be taking any roles that she is given. Li Bingbing just had no purpose in this film other than they need an attractive Asian woman that couldn't act. As for the rest of the cast, I can't see their careers going past this film.

Resident Evil: Retribution is a pure example of how to waste your money at the movie theater, and how to feel ripped off after you leave. There is a lot of guns and killing for the people that really don't care about good filmmaking, but as for me, I enjoy films that actually have a purpose. I hope with all my heart that this series dies soon and they end it as quickly as possible. I think we all realize that they are just trying to keep this series alive by any means necessary, even if that means they will keep adding more and more ridiculous stories to this ridiculous franchise. I love the Resident Evil video games but this film is just another entry in a string of stupid and mindless action films that you will forget in less than a day. Great film franchises like Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, or Harry Potter are so great because we care about the characters and the stories, but these movies could care less about any of that. I am not looking forward to any further Resident Evil films, and I hope they just end it and get it over.

Retribution is the 5th entry in the series, and it is by far the worst. I was really not expecting it to be that bad, but it was simply awful. The opening action scene is actually very cool and well done, add the fact that it's played backwards with an awesome score playing in the background, it sets up what seems like a cool action movie. Wrong. There doesn't seem to be an overarching goal that these characters are working towards. In the previous film, Afterlife, Alice and the group of survivors were trying to get to a refugee camp called Arcadia. They were working towards a goal, and you wanted to see what was going to happen. There is nothing like Arcadia in this sequel, just Alice and a (mostly) new team fighting through fake world cities. Claire and Chris Redfield (played by Ali Larter and Wentworth Miller, respectiely) are both completely absent, which is a huge disappointment considering how great they both were. Instead, they have been replaced by Leon Kennedy and Barry Burton (both from the video game) although I think director Paul W.S. Anderson put them there just because they were in the game. They could have been any other guy with a gun because neither of them feel significant to the story in any way. We are also reunited with Jill Valentine from the 2nd film and Rain from the 1st, but Jill looks completely different and Rain is a clone (which is ridiculous to begin with). The acting is also noticeably worse, from everyone. When you consider how Retribution was this badly done and that it was released in 3D, there's no questioning that Anderson is making them strictly for the money at this point because all effort to make a good film (or even action film) is completely gone. Retribution shows a huge drop in quality in just about every category.

Fifth instalment of the Resident Evil is called Retribution, and there is nothing new in it. Written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson follows the survival horror video game. This is third Resident Evil movie to be written and directed by Anderson after the first film and the previous instalment.
It is a direct follow-on from the previous film Resident Evil: Afterlife, and focuses on Alice (Milla Jovovich) captured by the Umbrella Corporation, forcing her to make her escape from an underwater base in the Arctic Circle, used for testing the T-virus. Fans of the Resident Evil films will like it especially because there are many returning actors and characters, along with new characters from the video game not featured in the previous films. The film was released in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D to a box-office success, grossing over $200 million worldwide. Film critics criticized the film for its characters, plot, and acting while praising the 3D, visual effects, and fight choreography but it did what was supposed to do: to cater for its fan base which is significant!

It was interesting to notice that fight sequences were influenced by Asian cinema, especially Thai which was quite significant.

Lot of film lovers will complain about the dopey dialogue, wooden characters and 'been there, done that' elements, but Resident Evil: Retribution is pretty amazing transferring the video game feel to the big screen and involving us in it! I've never experienced such enthusiasm from the writer - director in scenes where the word which comes to my mind is "dumb". He did the best he could and with Milla in it, it was impossible to fail - at least for me and my friends.