Resident Evil [6]: The Final Chapter (2016) [Blu-ray]
Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller
As one of the few survivors of the zombie apocalypse, Alice returns to Raccoon City to join some unlikely allies in a fight against the undead hordes and mutant monsters that Umbrella Corp. plans to unleash on what's left of humanity.
Storyline: Picking 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. Written by Screen Gems / Constantin
Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, May 16, 2017 All good things come to an end. So too do mediocre and bad things. The Resident Evil franchise falls somewhere in that middle "mediocre" pack, standing as, arguably
(and there's not a lot of room for argument), the best movie series ever based on a video game. Where most of them have fallen flat or, worse, completely embarrassed themselves, Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil series is a beacon of competence,
excitement, and storytelling, none of those (save, perhaps, "competence") at any sort of high level but enough to keep the series relatively strong at six films and entertaining audiences in search of agreeable post-apocalyptic mayhem, replete with excess
violence, monsters, gunplay, clever kills, and mostly well-developed characters along the way. This "final chapter" doesn't deviate much from the formula, seeing the movie return to its roots and complete Alice's story of violent adventure through a dead
world, finally getting to the heart of Umbrella Corporation and fighting to put an end to the madness that has defined her life, or at least the life that she can remember.
Alice (Milla Jovovich) awakens amongst the ruins of Washington, D.C. She comes into contact with the Red Queen (Ever Gabo Anderson) who directs her to return to Raccoon City, and more precisely Umbrella Corp headquarters, and prevent those in charge from
releasing a deadly antivirus that will finish the job and wipe out the rest of the living. And she has only 48 hours to do so. At the same time, Umbrella is gathering forces to prevent Alice from successfully making her return. But she eventually teams up
with a band of survivors, which includes an old friend in Claire Redfield (Ali Larter), and the team makes its final push on Umbrella in a desperate attempt to save what's left of the world.
The plot is terribly basic, meaning the linear progression that sees Alice essentially thrown into action once again, this time with the stakes higher than ever. The film doesn't differentiate itself from others in the series in that regard -- it is,
stylistically, very much a Resident Evil film -- but its saving grace, and the reason to watch, is in how it unfolds Umbrella and universe lore, expands its story as the series closes it down, offering a final full-circle push as it approaches the
series' (supposed) climax. There's enough narrative relevance here, concerning the series rather than the individual film, to satisfy fans. As a pure standalone movie it's a bit of a failure, a tech reel, more or less, with various creative ways of
killing off heroes and villains alike, but as the end of what is now a six-film arc, the results satisfy. One must, then, view the film in its proper context. It's crude story means nothing. It's greater value comes to the series as a whole, making it a
fine finish for fans but a flop for newcomers, even for those who are just looking for something with action and violence to kill off 100 minutes.
Otherwise, it's fairly straightforward, a solid enough blend of crude action -- some of which hearkens back to previous entries in the series, particularly all of the various traps throughout Umbrella -- and lore. Anderson directs like a series veteran,
which he obviously is, squeezing out just enough intensity but also familiarity to amp up fans and keep the movie clicking along at a seriously high-level pace. This is Resident Evil without any training wheels, deeply established, confident,
and...not much else, really. Anderson has the formula down to a science, and he interweaves the action and dramatic bits with equal ability, the former a nice blend of grace and sledgehammer intensity and the latter in both slow-drip and sudden reveals to
keep the viewer glued to the screen in those rare instances where blood, bullets, and mayhem aren't littering the screen. The cast is equally up to the challenge. Jovovich is never phased, regardless of how deep into the ringer her character travels. She
maintains the same persona, intensity level, and believability for the duration, much like the movie, whether she's blasting baddies or sorting the story out. The movie is visually drab, but effective in painting the final picture of the world as it's
been for the series' duration.
The last Resident Evil film isn't the best, but it's the most important, with the possible exception of the first one. It's stylistically every bit Resident Evil, but its various revelations make it, obviously, a must-see for fans, even if
the action isn't particularly groundbreaking or, frankly, even all that exciting in the grand scheme of things. Anderson and company do well to bring it all full circle, including some moments that hearken back to the original, on the way to wrapping it
up nice and tidy but certainly leaving some wiggle room for a spin-off or sequel. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter's Blu-ray release is quite good. Video and audio are excellent and the included supplemental content is fine. Recommended.
[CSW] -2.4- The movie started with a montage that rewrote the history of the plot behind its predecessors. But its various revelations make it a must-see for fans, even if the action isn't even all that exciting in the grand scheme of things. It was full
of LOUD, speed blurred shots of monsters. The previous movies had the occasional creature jumping out, yet it then always showed you the monsters in full, normal view, seeing clear action & suspense without blowing ear drums. So the big question was how
were they going to resolve the saga? The answer? They didn't. They tried to totally rewrite the history of the Umbrella Corporation and Alice's own history, completely ignoring everything established in previous movies. Plus the zombie thing has been done
to death. I am a big fan of Jovovich but this one looks a lot like many of the other zombie series. The formula works but so does my 1976 VW bug. It gets the job done but bores us all doing it. Rent this on a slow night.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box
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