Long have the fans of the Resident Evil franchise been forced to suffer through three sub-par live film adaptations. Milla Jovovich aside, Resident Evil and its two increasingly abhorrent sequels, (Apocalypse & Extinction, respectively), have offered little in the way of a satisfying experience. Finally, with Degeneration, Resident Evil fans have a movie which, albeit ultimately flawed, is essentially the series fanboy's wet dream.
Taking a page from the Zack Snyder school of zombie mayhem, Degeneration sets itself apart from the get go by actually including what most Resident Evil fans surely expect from a film adaptation of a game which is essentially about blowing the heads off of zombies. At precisely 8 minutes and 21 seconds, we are treated to a fervent slaughter of cannon fodder which is followed up less than three minutes later by a f**king plane decimating an airplane terminal. Here we are, not even 12 minutes into the movie, and already we have a film which happens to be far more enjoyable than three previous Hollywood incarnations, (it's even sadder considering the fact various studios have spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 million dollars putting out total s**t by comparison.)
In short, this is the Resident Evil movie to end all Resident Evil movies. So far. Long time fans will definitely get their knickers in a twist over seeing characters they actually recognize, (no offense, Milla.), such as Claire & Leon, feeling overall like the video game without feeling video gamey, (again, no offense, Milla.) Of course, the rather excellent CG likely goes a long way in that regard with most set pieces looking nearly photo-realistic. The "actors" on the other hand, are somewhat of a different story given their innate mannequin-ness. A trait only surpassed in previous installments of the film series.
In the end, though, I can't truly recommend it for everyone. I'm sure that hardcore zombie fanatics will likely balk at it and that's fine. That isn't who this movie is for. This is tailor made for those who have grown up on first person shooters, lacking any sort of subtlety whatsoever. The violence is turned up to almost cartoonish levels and yes, I am probably dumber now for having paid any sort of attention to it, but as far as mindless entertainment goes it really isn't half bad. You have your zombies and your humans. Everything is clearly defined and asks nothing of you, the viewer, other than to watch and drink it in. Within all that there are some very solid action spectacles. In effect, it's far more Hollywood than its Hollywood counterparts. How's that for a bit of irony?
Taking a page from the Zack Snyder school of zombie mayhem, Degeneration sets itself apart from the get go by actually including what most Resident Evil fans surely expect from a film adaptation of a game which is essentially about blowing the heads off of zombies. At precisely 8 minutes and 21 seconds, we are treated to a fervent slaughter of cannon fodder which is followed up less than three minutes later by a f**king plane decimating an airplane terminal. Here we are, not even 12 minutes into the movie, and already we have a film which happens to be far more enjoyable than three previous Hollywood incarnations, (it's even sadder considering the fact various studios have spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 million dollars putting out total s**t by comparison.)
In short, this is the Resident Evil movie to end all Resident Evil movies. So far. Long time fans will definitely get their knickers in a twist over seeing characters they actually recognize, (no offense, Milla.), such as Claire & Leon, feeling overall like the video game without feeling video gamey, (again, no offense, Milla.) Of course, the rather excellent CG likely goes a long way in that regard with most set pieces looking nearly photo-realistic. The "actors" on the other hand, are somewhat of a different story given their innate mannequin-ness. A trait only surpassed in previous installments of the film series.
In the end, though, I can't truly recommend it for everyone. I'm sure that hardcore zombie fanatics will likely balk at it and that's fine. That isn't who this movie is for. This is tailor made for those who have grown up on first person shooters, lacking any sort of subtlety whatsoever. The violence is turned up to almost cartoonish levels and yes, I am probably dumber now for having paid any sort of attention to it, but as far as mindless entertainment goes it really isn't half bad. You have your zombies and your humans. Everything is clearly defined and asks nothing of you, the viewer, other than to watch and drink it in. Within all that there are some very solid action spectacles. In effect, it's far more Hollywood than its Hollywood counterparts. How's that for a bit of irony?