Man Movie Talk III- Resident Evil

Yes, the Resident Evil films can be called one of my “guilty pleasures” as none of them are particularly great (or particularly good for that matter) but I enjoy the heck out of them. Something about Milla blasting her way through hordes of the undead makes me smile.

The latest movie, Afterlife, was really a fun ride. I’ve been in the mood for crazy action moves ever since getting my senses reawakened with the Expendables, so while I was pacing the house on Sunday I slipped out to see either Machete or Resident Evil. Seeing as RE started earlier, that was my choice, and it did not disappoint with “crazy action” premise I was looking for.

First off, when it’s touted as being in “James Cameron’s 3-D” you know there is going to be a lot of gimmicky 3D shots and effects. Again, it didn’t disappoint there either. And however Mr. Cameron decided to re-invent 3D, it’s definitely a step up when it comes to movies. It’s like comparing DVD to Blu-Ray, where you think the picture is good until you see the alternative. There is constantly things coming at the screen and getting you in on the action. There are also nice touches that add to the “feel” of the movie, such as a plane flying over a deserted post-apocalyptic city, making it feel very ominous and lonely.

There were just tons of cool 3D shots that made me smile like a sadistic 12-year old. One of my favorite has Milla running towards the camera, right through a legion of zombies. The camera keeps fading back so as she never catches up on the action, but as the view retreats, the images that come into frame with the undead horde are sickly satisfying and undeniably cool. I can’t even explain my favorite use of the 3D and action scenes, as I don’t want to give away a very cool aspect of the movie, but if you have seen it you probably know what I’m talking about and we can discuss it’s awesomeness amongst ourselves.

The movie even plays out like an RE video game, though very little is taken from the games themselves. From the quests, to the action scenes, to the boss battles, it actually feels like they could make this into a game. There were actually several characters and enemies from the games, but most are not portrayed the same as they would be in the Capcom world. The Executioner from RE5 does make an appearance, and its bad ass as seen in the commercials from the movie. Then again, an 8 foot tall giant with a 6 foot long axe/sledgehammer combo weapon was made for a 3D move where stuff juts out at the screen.

The action and stunts are done well too. While I’m sure a lot is computer generated, Milla holds her own as an action star. She does really well in the flips, kicks, and stunts they put her through, but if you’ve seen her pervious moves you already know this. Ali Larter (sp) from Heroes and Wentworth Miller from Prison Break, also do a good job with the action. Besides the physical action, they all do good with their armament of weapons as well, and now thanks to this movie I can swap out my AA12 courtesy of Expendables in COD for the Rangers thanks to Resident Evil (either way, Shotguns = win).


To better emphasize the action and 3D effects, there are tons of the slow motion “matrix” shots, with many of them being very cool slow motion kicks, hits, dodges, and near-misses. Most of them a COD-style final “kill-cam” that helps emphasize that R rating with some added effects and brutality. That’s one thing I loved about the movie- they don’t hold back. It’s a hard R for violence, gore, and brutality, specifically why I put this on the Awesome Man Move list.

While far from a great movie, overall it was great time. It’s what 3D is for- a fun event to over stimulate the senses in a parade of effects and action. With all of that you forget there might need to be a plot or story, as you are too busy smiling wickedly at the shot of a zombies head exploding in front of your face while in slow motion.

Sound off if you have seen it and let us know what you think.

~mrmiller