Resident Evil: Retribution - Thoughts

While the Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers were perhaps 2012’s most anticipated movies, Resident Evil: Retribution is what I was truly waiting for. Considering my home theatre screening preference, I’d have been okay seeing the others on DVD with a delay, but for Resident Evil: Retribution, noway hosay! I actually gave thought to tickets on the first day. As it is, I was unhappy that the India release was about 2 weeks after the world release. Honestly I cannot think of any other movie that I’ve wanted to see as bad in the recent years. In this fifth installment of the franchise, Alice needs to form new alliances, to take on the all-consuming T-virus threat, and the Umbrella Corporation

 

I love sci-fi action movies, but I think the Resident Evil franchise is at a level of appreciation that trumps most others. The concept of an enormous private corporation with seemingly surplus funding and resources, that has fantabulous underground facilities all over the world, poses a threat that shadows all else. Add to that the action and the thriller/horror elements, and what we have is a winner in my eyes. Interestingly the trailer didn’t give away too much, and most audiences were going into installment 5 just expecting to see the ongoing struggle further escalate and take new shape. It truly was a case of, ‘What’s in store for Alice next?’ Since I don’t want to give away too much, let me just say that the plot development is both interesting and realistic; in the sense that it’s a plausible next step to Resident Evil: Afterlife. The action sequences are simply stellar, making good use of bullet time, thus slowing down the action and amplifying its magnitude. The combination of hand to hand and projectile combat is superb and meshed together beautifully. The narrative process was quite riveting, and except for the interval never did I look at my phone, or notice my mind wander off. Even with high expectations for the already impressive franchise, Paul W S Anderson has done a remarkable job with Resident Evil: Retribution. If you’re familiar with the series, this installment is similar to the first, which is set largely within one of Umbrella Corps mega facilities. Assuming you like the theme/premise or are a fan of the franchise, you will not be disappointed. Even if you’re just in the mood for a good stand-alone sci-fi action movie, you’ll probably like it.

With the franchise having traversed as long, Alice’s character played by Milla Jovovich has probably seen a good deal of character development, not to mention physical change over the years. At this point it’s fair to say that the Alice character and actress Milla have largely merged, with Alice’s character adapting to Milla’s reality, and not just vice versa. Milla Jovovich brings to screen her usual ‘A’ game, comprising incredible and totally believable action, with the usual survival horror sorta drama. It’s fair to ask at this point if Milla Jovovich has been typecast.  Welcome back to the action Jill Valentine played by Sienna Guillory, in her new blonde and evil avatar. Her performance is acceptable, and she does justice to the fight sequences. New to the movie franchise is Ada Wong, played by Bingbing Li. She lives up to her video game persona, and joins the ranks of other Resident Evil women who can successfully pull of over the top action and stunt sequences in a dress that certainly isn’t meant for it. For those familiar with Lost, expect to see Kevin Durand, who plays the role of Barry Burton, one of the mercenaries who fights the Umbrella Corporation alongside Alice.

Since I was pretty frantic about seeing Resident Evil: Retribution, it was sampled at the theatre. The screen setup was 35mm, and the sound acoustics were good thanks to the smaller room dimensions. Predominant colors in true Resident Evil fashion were dark blue, red, and white. Most of the sequences were indoors, and there were contrasting dark hues, and white; the later mostly being artificially lit indoor areas. Picture was pretty good, and the use of 3D was quite a bit, with elements from the action sequences regularly flying into the audiences. Editing and the technical elements were used effectively to add a sense of intensity to the action sequences. Similarly the positional sound worked well with the movie and its action to add to the level of audience immersion. The score composed by tomandandy made the action uber enjoyable, and was very impressive. The same goes for the end credits song Hexes produced by Bassnectar featuring Chino Moreno (of the Deftones) on vocals; totally loved the music!

My Recommendation: Watch It + (New fights with old foes and deadlier viruses!)