Resident Evil Retribution (2012)
Director: Paul WS Anderson
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez, Li Bingbing
Primary genre: Action
Secondary genre: Horror
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Following the hugely (and unexpectedly) successful “Afterlife” (2010), Paul WS Anderson came back to direct “Retribution” promising at the same time a lot. With “evil” unleashed on a global scale and fan favorites returning, Alice is still fighting off the Umbrella corporation and its endless goon supply led by the now brainwashed Jill Valentine.
As usual, Anderson’s writing ability involves taking a few elements of the games and throwing them into this hybrid of sci-fi, horror and action which is ultimately a vehicle for his wife/muse to kick ass. While building an entire franchise on Jovovich (who remains physically committed to her role) and her ingenuine ways of killing flesh eating zombies is admirable, “Retribution” does not have much of a soul.
Despite script attempts to make Alice a more sympathetic character by giving her … a daughter (in an obvious nod to Cameron’s “Aliens” (1986)), all the characters bear zero development and they are killed as easily as they are introduced. Fan favorites, Barry, Jill, Leon and Ada are invited to this undead Las Plagas party but besides shooting things and delivering (bad) lines of exposition, they are walking cardboards that resemble their game counterparts.
Following a videogame logic the same way a zombie seeks brain matter (i.e., aimlessly and from A to B to do C), “Retribution” features some ambitious sci-fi ideas but these are barely executed. At the same time the script rectifies (in typical “Resident Evil” fashion) story continuity, ignores pivotal characters and moments in order to go to the next action sequence. As for the global scale, this is more from a shooting schedule perspective rather than an actual plot point of view, to say the return of fan favorites is underwhelming is a compliment and the autopilot delivery of Sienna Guillory would make you cringe (a lot). Is this the same person who did “Mortal Kombat” (1995) and “Event Horizon” (1997)?
At least, one area that Anderson remains consistent is the visuals and action. “Retribution” is more polished than the previous entry and by far the most stylized in the franchise (MacPherson’s cinematography is crisp). The opening credits are perhaps among the best in cinema history (yes they are!), the now faded 3D usage allows for interesting environmental dynamics enabling Anderson to craft entertaining sequences. A corridor zombie face off sees Alice going “John Wick” (2014-2023) before the Baba Yaga style of shooting was a thing featuring slick choregraphy while a car chase in Moscow’s Red Square is quite fun. As the running time begins to drag, the sequences though become more standard and the flair gets toned down (e.g., the final fight is a wasted opportunity).
But then again in typical Anderson fashion, he never knows how to stop opting out for a yet another open ending which of course will be ignored in the final installment. But can you judge such a flick seriously enough when it is obvious that it offers only glorified B-movie thrills? It is all brainless fun really, perfect for a rainy Sunday night in company of at least a convincing and likeable action heroine. We do not get many of them you know.
Slicker, fun and soulless
+Likeable main lead and action hero
+More polished and stylish
+Ambitious ideas
+Excellent opening credits
+Fun action
-Except the last act
-Zero story
-Banal characters