Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)

'Resident Evil: The Final Chapter' will hopefully put a nail in the 'Alice' coffin and we can get a proper reboot sometime down the line. Capcom lost control over this franchise a long time ago, however I truly thought 'Afterlife' would forever be the worst the series could possibly get. I must now apologize to that film because' Final Chapter' takes the cake here folks. Rightfully so, the film only managed to make it to fourth place this weekend lagging far behind the 2nd round winner 'Split' which I seriously regret not seeing first so I could come to you today with better news. Milla Jovovich once again stars as an unstoppable and cardboard cutout action star who can do no wrong, no matter how asinine, how contradictory, and how flat out pointless her actions may be she is always invincible because the film was written and directed by her damned husband!

I would also like to take the opportunity with this film to discuss the "MTV" editing that many modern films besides 'Resident Evil' seems to have adopted within the last decade or so. I actually surprise myself that I have yet to ever bring this up in my discussions but here it's more painfully in the forefront than ever before. As a fellow reviewer Chris Stuckmann (Check out his review HERE) states better than I: "The editing has to be at least two seconds between cuts on average. It's as if they gave a keyboard that edited the film to a toddler to play with and this is what came out." You may actually feel nausea from the flashing shows from each edit. On top of feeling like you're having a seizure, it makes the action sequences look like 'Batman Begins' but trust me it's even worse than that. You cannot tell what's happening half the time, who is being killed off, or sometimes who is fighting who. It's ADD filmmaking to such an extreme that it's just disgusting.

The plot is pointless to discuss very deeply, but for those who truly enjoy these films and trust me, as much as you think it I have nothing against you for enjoying these flicks, but even for you 'The Final Chapter' insults you by making a last minute revelation that completely ruins and twists the entire film mythology. Trust me, even for the fans, 'Resident Evil: The Final Chapter' will anger at the most and disappoint at the least. This series should have died long ago, but at least they could have gone out a hell of a lot better than this if they had. Skip this one viewers, see 'Split' or even tolerate 'Rings' because even that belated sequel won't be as bad.

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

'Retribution' is an improvement over 'Afterlife' however like its predecessor, it suffers from many of the same problems and wastes a lot of potential that could have pleased both fans of the games and action films. Milla Jovovich returns as Alice, now being kept within a strange virtual reality type world where she faces old enemies, friends that have returned as enemies, and of course various undead and biological monsters manufactured by the Umbrella Corporation. This film is also written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and while he's undoubtedly a strong visual director his action scenes can tip between obnoxious and fun popcorn movie levels. Unfortunately, 'Retribution' tends to lean towards the former with the over the top 3D slow motion fight sequences returning, though this time around at the very least being much better choreographed.

This sequel also introduces some new characters to the film franchise including Leon Kennedy and Barry Burton, both longtime fan favorites. Sadly, they're squandered here, standing in as mere cosplayers rather than the live personas of these video game icons. Many video game series that become a film adaptation tend to follow this philosophy and it's getting tired. Get a good actor rather than a lookalike and we can forgive you if they don't look exactly like their alter ego. Now, after all the complaints, I have to give the film credit and say it's a much better film on a technical level this time around. Even though the 3D camera work is quite pointless it's clear that the crew and director have a better idea of how to utilize it properly, a major flaw with 'Afterlife'. The action scenes themselves while nothing too special as I stated, still hold your attention and are some of the best in the whole series. The Russia set piece and fight with Michelle Rodriguez's cloned character are particular highlights.

'Resident Evil: Retribution' is easier to recommend than 'Afterlife' or even 'Apocalypse' but whether or not you'll enjoy these flicks is really up to how much 'what?' moments you're willing to put up with. If you're a big action buff like me, then that threshold is quite high and you'll likely enjoy this one even if you never return to it again. For fans of the game or a general audience, that's a little more of a vague area. It's a solid 3 out of 5 film to be sure, but really doesn't need to be sought out all that quickly.

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

'Resident Evil: Afterlife' sees the return of director Paul W.S. Anderson at the head of the series, along with his wife Milla Jovovich as the character Alice, who has a settle to score with the sinister Umbrella Corporation. This sequel implements 3D techniques, having been released at the height of the craze coming out on the heels of James Cameron's 'Avatar'. 'Afterlife' is shot using the same cameras as 'Avatar', but this is far from Cameron here. As I've stated in my review of the first film, I don't completely disregard Paul Anderson's work (Event Horizon is my personal favorite among his earlier work) but he truly works better when working with someone else's screenplay rather than his own. His talents lie in visuals, not in writing which once again suffers the most in 'Resident Evil: Afterlife'.

To be truthful, I've come to accept the mediocre writing at this point, as with these films it's all about the action, right? Well, 'Afterlife' reaches a huge low in this department and it's primarily due to the very gimmick based special effects and 3D camera work which bog down the once entertaining action sequences with tedious slow motion and constant throwing of objects towards the camera. I swear if you sped up these scenes to the correct speed, the film would barely hit the hour mark. The villains also hit a series low with the introduction of fan-favorite Albert Wesker and here's where you really get the feeling that their mentality was clearly: "Well, he's a big name in the games let's put him into the movie after four films." This issue also leads to some of the worst aspects of the franchise so far come into the light, such as the ideas presented are given little to no explanation whatsoever.

 Creatures such as the Plagas parasite is introduced here because it was in the previous video game a year before, so I guess they felt the fans would be bummed if they didn't see them in this sequel but again no explanation. They're just there because they had a checklist another huge one being this giant monstrosity with a big axe. He shows up once for a big fight scene (Where the slow motion really annoys me the most) because he was in 2009's 'Resident Evil 5' then he's promptly killed and we never hear or see why he was there or where the hell he came from. This just leads to heavy sighs of frustration and really takes me out of the film. It's extremely hard to get any enjoyment out of 'Afterlife'. I could make certain excuses for 'Apocalypse' and even 'Extinction' but man this one is by far the worst out of the bunch. If you have to see this for continuity sake, take my advice and wiki the summary and watch any other film in the series.

Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

Released in 2007 and directed by Russell Mulcahy, 'Resident Evil: Extinction' stars Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, and Ali Larter and continues in a now Mad Max-esque world where everyone is either dead and mutated or desperate to live by any means necessary. Alice has been wandering the world searching for answers and the secrets of the sinister Umbrella Corporation who has been the suspects behind the world's destruction. This film does move the series in the right direction, with its stronger character development, fun action scenes, and great production value. Russell Mulcahy is certainly a great director and a good choice for this genre, having directed the first two 'Highlander' films and several other action pieces. I think as always what always seem to drag this and the others down is it's script.

The character of Claire Redfield from the games is introduced here, but other than her name, she bears little to no resemblance to her stronger counterpart. Alice surprisingly loses whatever interesting aspects of her personality and character by the end of this film and she has really nothing worth noting here other than the fight scenes and really those could be done by any character and get the same effect. Fehr's Carlos character also returns but comes and goes as if he wasn't even in here. I had to look up the IMDB page to remember he was here, it's that bad. At least he's here, as opposed to the rest of the cast from 'Apocalypse', who completely vanish from this series with little to zero explanation as to why (except for Jill, but here they do not explain what comes later in any way). 'Extinction' is at the very least more entertaining than 'Apocalypse' but I really can't think of much to talk about here and I know that's rather unprofessional but this film is so unforgettable. I can think of maybe two or three scenes that stand out, usually because they're cringe worthy or so ridiculous.

Russell Mulcahy is an awesome director and he really seemed to do his best with what little material he had, but there's just nothing here nor will there really be from here on out. It's better than 'Apocalypse' at least...that's something right?

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

In September 2004, 'Resident Evil: Apocalypse' was released to theaters to mixed reviews but strong box office receipts. It was the only directed film by cameraman Alexander Witt and once again stars Milla Jovovich along with actors Oded Fehr, Sienna Guillory, and Mike Epps. The film adapts the second and third chapter of the video game series 'Resident Evil 2' and 'Resident Evil: Nemesis' about the infamous Umbrella Corporation's deadly T-Virus and monstrosities have overtaken Raccoon City, a small town outside of the mansion from the first film. Jovovich's Alice returns, having awakened amongst the chaos and showing off some newly acquired super powers while attempting to take revenge on those who destroyed her life.

The sequel is just as mindless as the original film, although they've managed to throw in much better fighting and action scenes. Unfortunately, they've also thrown in another screenplay from Paul Anderson who pulls the trick of using characters from the series primarily in name only in order to find some kind of relevance to the series. However, as I stated in my previous review the 'Resident Evil' films are quite different and should be separated even if many fans do not enjoy doing so. The film certainly retains the strong cinematography and visuals and with this being directed by a man whose primary job is camera work, I'm glad that he didn't quit his day job. The actors do their jobs with a slightly over the top edge to it. I loved Oded Fehr in the 'Mummy' series a from 1999 but here, all the charisma and charm is completely sucked from his performance. Sienna Guillory's Jill Valentine is likely the biggest criticism one may have towards 'Apocalypse' if you're a fan of the games. As a fan myself, I can certainly see that. Jill should be in Alice's shoes, kicking ass and leading but here she follows and maybe will have a gun fight here and there. This is NOT my Jill Valentine, but a generic action heroine clone that has nothing interesting about her whatsoever.

The studio may not have been fully aware that sequels would be coming in the wake of 'Apocalypse', however the film's ending is so abrupt you'd certainly believe it. Sub-plots and characters here and throughout the series will either vanish or never be mentioned again. The next film 'Extinction' will be one of the biggest offenders of continuity errors, but we will focus on that in the next review. 'Apocalypse' certainly has more fun aspects to it than the original, however the script is weaker, the characters are thinner, and overall even by action film standards very little makes sense throughout. It's a perfectly serviceable '3 out of 5' film and you may find some enjoyment. I won't say it's unwatchable, but not particularly necessary to watch.

Resident Evil (2002)

'Resident Evil' began as a 1996 video game for the Sony Playstation before becoming the blockbuster action film series that has since produced five sequels with the final arriving this month. The first film began life as a screenplay written by horror maestro George A. Romero with intentions to direct the film himself. However when those plans fell through due to conflicts with the various producers involved, director Paul W.S. Anderson was brought in. Anderson had just finished the recent box office bomb 'Soldier' with Kurt Russell and was a big fan of the video game series. His future wife, Milla Jovovich would star in all six films as the character of Alice, a mysterious woman who awakens in an underground facility owned by the Umbrella Corporation, a pharmaceutical company who has been secretly creating biological weaponry before a biohazard broke out within their own labs, resulting in grotesque creatures escaping and causing mayhem.

The first 'Resident Evil' also stars Michelle Rodriguez, who most will likely know from the popular 'Fast and the Furious' series of films. She plays the character Rain, a special ops soldier sent in with a team to interrogate Alice and investigate the reasoning behind the outbreak. She and Jovovich do fine in their respective roles given the little material they are given. The original draft by Romero would have not included these characters at all, and when you read the script it almost read like a shot for shot remake of the video game's storyline even down to the game's ridiculous dialogue and sillier moments. For those who do not really enjoy these films due to their lack of any real connection to the video games, I do suggest you look into the original script if you haven't already. I personally felt mixed opinions about it and really didn't feel that it would have been any better of an adaptation despite its stronger connections.

The film is a basic action film scenario, much like James Cameron's 'Aliens'. A group of soldiers and a few civilians head into certain doom and peril, not knowing of the full extent of the situation. In rewatching the film, it truly does feel much like the 1986 film, just done with a slightly larger budget and without the same level of skills and talent Cameron might bring to the table. This is nothing personal towards Anderson as I enjoy quite a few of his films, with 'Event Horizon' being one I consider to be very underrated in the horror genre along with his adaptation of 'Mortal Kombat'. I think even at the time that this film was put into production, Sony Pictures would have rather just made a film in name only to the games rather than a proper adaptation in order to secure a future franchise. They succeeded for sure, the films despite their negative reviews and outcries from the fans have made millions of dollars on both home video and theatrically.

I think the major flaws of this film are down to its characters and it's lack of any really memorable or strong action sequences, despite its attempts to make you constantly feel as if you just witness the most adrenaline pumping scene ever. It constantly deflates any tension and it really takes me out of the film quite often. The actors do their jobs well, even if they have to do the worst actions and spout off the weakest dialogue. On a technical level, 'Resident Evil' is fine but it's just a lack of action, a lack of plot coherency, and the film just slogs at a snail's pace. I really have mellowed out over the years with this series, much like the 'Alien vs. Predator' franchise. I believe that these films and the games are within their own universes and really don't ruin my experience with the games. They're popcorn flicks that are fun, but harmless and while I really don't think they needed to produce six films, I see the appeal they have and recommend them to action fans at the very least. You could really do much worse.

We will be discussing and reviewing the 'Resident Evil' franchise in depth this week in celebration of the newest entry in the game series and the final chapter of the film series. Be sure to check us out all this week.

The Bye Bye Man (2017)

'The Bye Bye Man' is not only a dumb title for a horror film, but also a dumb film as well. It's the age old boogeyman story about an ancient evil that is awakened once his name is spoken and along the way, every single cheap horror gag you can think of happens as if on a checklist. From loud noises in place of genuine horror to characters committing stupid acts that only get them killed faster, 'The Bye Bye Man' does it all. The film also looks cheap, with weak makeup effects and computer generated sequences that have a very unpolished and unrendered look to them.

The film rounds out it's list of C-grade actors with two notables in Carrie Ann-Moss and Faye Dunaway, who are both relegated to little more than cameos in a weak attempt to give the film credibility it doesn't earn. The film also seems to run too long despite it relatively average length for a horror film. You're just sitting there attempting to slog through what seems to be endless jump scares and bad acting and I literally got a migraine when I left the theater.

'The Bye Bye Man' takes from all and gives nothing back worthwhile. It takes from your wallet, the wallet of STX production company, and it takes the better aspects of other horror films and makes them work as poorly as possible. This is something you'd expect to come direct to DVD, and not almost 2000 theaters in 2017. The ironic aspect of the film is that if you don't think or say his name, he doesn't exist which won't be very difficult to achieve because once you leave the screening at your local cinema, you'll forget his name and this movie rather quickly.

(If I could find a way to make a zero stars out of a skull, I would)

Underworld: Blood Wars (2017)

'Underworld: Blood Wars' sees Kate Beckinsale's vampire Death Dealer Selene betrayed by her own kind and she's finally had enough of the ever continuing war between vampire and lycans and goes medieval on them all. The film is the fifth entry in the 'Underworld' franchise that began back in 2004, around the same time that director Paul W.S. Anderson's 'Resident Evil' films began to take off. The reason I bring this up is because the two series feel very similar, in both it's behind the scenes aspects of the director's wives being the star vehicle, and in that they're both rather dull, loud, and bloodless action films that add nothing to the far too crowded genre.

To be fair, I have only seen the first two films before settling in for 'Blood Wars', but even If I went though every Wikipedia article detailing every story detail of this universe, I think that I and many of the other uninitiated audience members would still be left feeling cold, frustrated, and confused. The main problem seems to stem from it's sloppy editing, in which we'll watch a two to three minute sequence involving usually two characters then, without warning we'll jump cut to another short scene. It's as if the film was pieced together from smaller vingettes into a 90 minute film and it seems as if the director and studio was more concerned with rushing through the story and character development as much as possible in order to show off another bland and generic action sequence, most of which are shot to stand out using the now common 3D gimmick.

'Underworld: Blood Wars' is harmless and fans of this long running series will probably enjoy it to some degree more than I did, but I speak as a critic and not as a fan that this film is very poorly put together. It's choppy editing, mindless action, and overdone plot points just weakens it severely. Despite what I think about the franchise as a whole, I will say that the previous films were nowhere near this rushed. They at least attempted to make a decent action film that you could spend a day wasting, but now the series has simply bled out.

'Child's Play 7' Now Titled 'Cult of Chucky' (Teaser Trailer Released)

Director Don Mancini revealed via Twitter that the seventh installment to the 'Child's Play' franchise has begun filming in Georgia for a Fall 2017 DVD/Blu-Ray Release. A teaser trailer has been released and although we have no footage from the new film within it, It really pumps you up if you're a big fan like I am. Check out the trailer at the bottom of the page.

From Universal Pictures:

Confined to an asylum for the criminally insane for the past four years, Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif) is erroneously convinced that she, not Chucky, murdered her entire family. But when her psychiatrist introduces a new therapeutic “tool” to facilitate his patients’ group sessions — an all-too-familiar “Good Guy” doll with an innocently smiling face — a string of grisly deaths begins to plague the asylum, and Nica starts to wonder if maybe she isn’t crazy after all. Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent), Chucky’s now-grown-up nemesis from the original Child’s Play, races to Nica’s aid. But to save her he’ll have to get past Tiffany (Oscar®-nominee Jennifer Tilly), Chucky’s long-ago bride, who will do anything, no matter how deadly or depraved, to help her beloved devil doll. 

 

Black Christmas (1974) (Blu-Ray Review)

'Black Christmas' arrived in 1974 and was directed by Bob Clark (A Christmas Story, Porky's). The film stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, and John Saxon in a take on an old urban legend in which a mysterious stranger invades and hides in the attic of a Sorority house during the Christmas break, terrorizing the young girls with various obscene phone calls. At first amused by the eerie calls, things soon turn sinister and deadly. Bob Clark is a very diverse director to say the least, with films ranging from college comedies, to brutal horror, to charming family films. He is talented in many ways and while 'Black Christmas' isn't the best film he worked on, it is still a solid watch that provides a very eerie atmosphere and some scares.

For a film with a small budget, it's strong performances from some A-list actors really elevate it up there from your usual slasher fare. Olivia Hussey had just recently starred in 'Romeo & Juliet' and Keir Dullea in '2001: A Space Odyssey' so you have some pretty great picks in what most would consider a cheap and lowbrow genre. The killer in the film, known as 'Billy' is one of the most disturbing I've seen in a horror film. His obscene phone calls are some of the scariest things I've ever heard and it is not for the easily bothered. The film's downsides mostly consist of the film's low budget, which results in a lot of technical and sound issues (which we'll discuss in a minute). The film also adds comedic scenes that do lighten the intensity of the film, but they feel quite out of place and really serve no purpose other than a chuckle or two. One minor nitpick that may be a clincher for some is that 'Black Christmas' has some very vulgar and lazy dialogue written throughout, particularly from Margot Kidder's character. While this usually doesn't phase me in the least, it seems pointless here, as if they felt the phone calls weren't horrible enough that everyone has to curse or scream vulgarities every few moments or so. 'Black Christmas' is a classic horror film despite all its warts and scars and would go on to influence the genre heavily in the years to come. If you're a big fan of horror, you likely already have 'Black Christmas' in your collection, but I do recommend checking out this newest release.

Video quality on this new SHOUT! Factory release is an improvement of the Critical Mass release a few years back, with sharper outlines and less of a blurry effect to the various lighting and brighter sequences. Unfortunately, the film has suffered for many years with a poor picture quality due to it's budget and lack of care since it's original release. Still, I commend and give SHOUT! praise for doing the best they possibly could and bringing a good-not-great picture for 2016's 'Black Christmas' Blu-Ray.

The controversial part of this release that has caused many fans issues is the sound quality. The film is presented with a new 5.1 digital remaster exclusive to this release that changes many sound effects and music cues and it sounds fine enough, however for those who have seen the film in its original format, the changes are quite noticeable and some are a little frustrating. The scene I personally have an issue with is the infamous 'Glass Unicorn' death scene that has many little changes to it, which I feel lessens it's impact somewhat. The main controversy here is the film's original Mono soundtrack is presented on the disc, which is plagued by strong hiss and various sound issues that SHOUT! has since repaired and sent out newly formatted discs to those who e-mail them with the issue. The sound is by far the worst aspect of this new release and hopefully the Mono track will be fixed when it arrives in the mail.

Special Features include 4 separate commentary tracks, including one from director Bob Clark and a commentary with the film's killer 'Billy' which is quite a fun listen. New features also include a couple new documentaries, new interviews with the various cast and crew, and promotional material including trailers and TV spots.

'Black Christmas' finally receives a decent Blu-Ray release in the US and through all of its issues, it's still a great SHOUT! Factory release and worth the empty space on your shelf.

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