‘Resident Evil: Afterlife’ Has No Bite

In an early sequence in “Resident Evil: Afterlife,” Los Angeles smolders as a World War II-era plane flies above the tattered remnants of the Hollywood sign and other frayed remains of normalcy such as the scorched shells of cars which litter the streets and the skeletons of towering sky scrapers which dot the city. Such visually impressive sequences, however, prove to be the sole highlight of the film, the fourth installment in director Paul W.S. Anderson’s movies based on the video game series of the same name. Though “Resident Evil: Afterlife” packs an effects-laden punch with its adrenaline-soaked action scenes and special effects, the film comes up short in its acting, originality, and execution.

Alice (Milla Jovovich), the film’s genetically-altered protagonist, travels the world searching for survivors while seeking revenge for the evils perpetrated by the Umbrella Corporation. Her journey leads her to many visually appealing locations and allows for plenty of action; however, the film is hopelessly mired in a litany of unanswered questions and poor acting.

Visually, the film is definitely impressive.  Consistently gritty, the ambiance reliably conveys a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by the undead. The remnants of humanity struggle against both the overreaching and malevolent Umbrella Corporation, the company responsible for the viral outbreak, and the hordes of undead this viral pandemic produced, and both the barren, zombie-ridden wastelands and immaculately sleek corporate lairs visually echo this dichotomy. The film’s somber character is further enhanced by its soundtrack, which was composed entirely by tomandandy, the duo resonsible for scoring “The Hills Have Eyes.”  The film’s bass-heavy soundtrack is often one of its most striking features and contributes well to the movie’s dark atmosphere.

Despite its well-crafted world, which is further enhanced by the film’s 3D release, the character motivations of “Resident Evil: Afterlife” are shallow and inane. The dialogue often features overused clichés and clear attempts to spoon-feed both exposition and emotional growth to the audience as characters state such simplistic lines as, “I can’t do this much longer,” and, “Is this my punishment?” There appears to be no real impetus for Alice’s adventures, save a vague radio transmission requesting help and a desire to see her friends again. And unfortunately, the film’s wooden acting does such trite writing no favors.

Events in “Resident Evil: Afterlife” often occur haphazardly and leave more questions than they answer. Examples abound throughout the film of this shoddy scripting, notably the appearance of a goliath-sized zombie wielding a combination anvil-axe with which he tries to kill the small band of survivors; the existence of this creature is not explained whatsoever. Plot devices are often unexplained and require some knowledge of the previous films or the video game franchise for any understanding of the events which transpire. Although some attempts to explain past events are given in the form of flashbacks from previous films, these scenes often befuddle more than they help.

Also apparent is the film’s supreme lack of creativity. The film’s villain and owner of Umbrella Corporation, Alber Wesker (Shawn Roberts), looks like an identical twin of Agent Smith from the “Matrix” trilogy, from his slick black leather attire, to his sunglasses, to the over-large Desert Eagle handgun he carries. The film also makes extensive use of “Matrix”-like bullet time, in which the action slows to a bare crawl to allow every detail, explosion, and spark of the sequence to be witnessed from a constantly shifting perspective. This technique is used to such excess in the film that it appears as if more than half of the thankfully-brief running time seems to be played at slower than normal speeds.

Although entertaining and ambitious in its mood and atmosphere, the film, like its predecessors, often falters in its bland dialogue simplistic story. The result is visually rich with great action scenes, and yet remains mind-numbingly disengaging throughout. As an action film, “Resident Evil: Afterlife” can be fun, and some of its 3D-effects are eye-popping; however, the story is as brainless as the zombies who stumble aimlessly from scene-to-scene, much like the actors themselves.