While watching Resident Evil: The Final Chapter I was reminded of my viewing of Underworld: Blood Wars from a few weeks ago. These are both franchises that have achieved worldwide appeal that I don’t quite understand and they both were clearly not made for the uninitiated. Fans of may eat this up wholeheartedly while the average moviegoer may wonder how the series made it this far. I actually enjoyed the first Resident Evil from 2002 but the subsequent sequels have provided empty thrills that may work in the moment but don’t leave a lasting impression. I couldn’t recall what happened in the previous installment before viewing the new film but I wasn’t motivated enough to revisit any of the earlier films because it didn’t feel like a necessity. The franchise has been more of the same for quite some time now and that’s what I expected from the new latest installment and it’s pretty much exactly what I got.
The new film picks up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, Alice (Milla Jovovich) is the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity’s final stand against the undead. Now, she must return to where the nightmare began – The Hive in Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse.
If the plot description sounds strangely familiar, it should. I feel like all the Resident Evil films have followed this motif which has made it difficult for the franchise to really stand out for me. Director Paul W.S. Anderson has directed the films with sleek visuals and a kinetic energy that does, at times, elevate the material to a higher standard, but there is no real originality at play. This could be why fans love the franchise. They know exactly what they’re getting and they’re ok with that.
Since this is the final installment (which may be hard to believe since the franchise has made $1 billion worldwide since its launch in 2002) you would think that there be more bang at play here but by taking the setting back to where we started, it feels more like a boring retread. All the greatest hits of the franchise are here (Mutated dogs, deadly laser grids, guns with supernumerary barrels, unnecessary motorcycle stunts, corporate secrets, scenes transitioned through wireframe maps) but since they don’t feel fresh, it feels more like business as usual. You’d almost be better off popping in one of the sequels you enjoyed the most and simply saving your money until you catch this installment when nothing else is on.
Despite the energy of the direction, the film is hampered by the editing of Doobie White who cuts things so frantically that it almost takes away from some stylish choices that Anderson is attempting to make. The breathless pace suffocates a couple of third-act plot twists, robbing one of its potential intent to be poignant and the other of its subversive political subtext. The fast paced aesthetic has its moments (a fiery siege sequence that pits Alice and a group of Raccoon City survivors against an easily distracted army of hungry zombies that seems to number in the hundreds of thousands and a highway are top examples of this) but there has to be more to flash if that’s all it has to offer.
Actually, the film has one main attribute to offer and it’s Milla Jovovich. Much like Kate Beckinsale and the Underworld franchise, Jovovich is the unsung hero of the franchise. She may not be winning any awards anytime soon but she is a capable and believable action star. She owns the role and she alone is almost worth going into this for. I also like to point out that there aren’t a lot of women who can say they have led a billion dollar franchise and that is something that should be applauded, even if it’s a largely uneven one.
In the end, I think the fans will enjoy what’s on display here. The franchise has been hugely successful and that’s because it appeals to the needs of its target audience. On that level it works but since I’m not a part of the audience (save the first film) I can’t say I saw anything here that converted me. The Final Chapter ends on an all too familiar note.
