• Tweet

One out of Five stars
Running time: 96 mins

Completely tactless and lacking in action, substance and entertainment, Resident Evil: Retribution 3D is just another sluggish and soulless instalment to add to the Resident Evil franchise.

What’s it all about?
Written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, Resident Evil: Retribution is the fifth instalment of the wildly successful film franchise and sees Milla Jovovich return as Alice, the super-powered and genetically modified zombie-killer. This time, the franchise (originally based on the popular Capcom video game) sees Alice once again fighting against the evil Umbrella Organisation, the creators of the deadly zombie-creating T-virus. As the virus continues to ravage the earth and transforms the global population into flesh-eating zombies, Alice must hunt down those responsible for the outbreak, a mission which takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington D.C. and Moscow and leads her to unveil and uncover more details about her mysterious past.

The Bad
Quite why Paul W.S. Anderson has decided to make another Resident Evil film is anybody’s guess, as Resident Evil: Retribution, like its predecessors, completely lacks in both style and substance. It is more like the five-minute introduction film you watch before a theme park ride, rather than the entertaining, action-packed 96 minute feature film it tries to be. The 3D effects are nothing special, if not pointless, and Anderson still hasn’t quite got the knack of creating suspense, tension and anticipation, without using his ever-reliant techniques of using deafeningly loud noises and throwing a hulking CGI zombie into the picture.

The Worse
Bar Milla Jovovich who, as usual, will satisfy target audiences with her routine act as the super sexy, zombie-bashing heroine, the supporting performances completely worsen the film, with their wooden and soulless portrayals of the film’s tedious characters. The Evil Red Queen is also still difficult to take seriously, given that she’s a British six year old who pops up on the computer every now and again to give stern orders and dreary threats. But at least this time, Resident Evil makes half an effort in recapping the situation to newcomers, which is more than can be said of its predecessors.

Worth seeing?
Resident Evil: Retribution 3D is like watching your friend play a zombie video game: senseless, pointless and mundane. Not even the Resident Evil fans will be pleased with this cruddy instalment.