Ending B

Hello internet. I'd like to welcome you to a new segment that I call So I've Been Watching... okay, it's basically So I've Been Playing except with movies... deal with it.

Over the weekend, I saw Resident Evil: Afterlife. So how was it? Let me tell you!

Please take off your 3D glasses. This review is in 2D.

As with most of my reviews, there will be a few spoilers, but I'll try to keep them to a minimum.

After an oddly artsy opening credit sequence (not in a bad way), RE:A is filled with plenty of action scenes to keep most patrons interested. While predictable in most of it's scary moments, there were actually a few places that were actually startling (again, not in a bad way). The actors did a nice job with their parts (I particularly liked Boris Kodjoe's character, Luther). Wesker was a little hokey at times, but so was his character in the video game, so I guess that worked.

The three main characters from left to right: Claire Redfield (Ali Larter), Chris Redfield (Wentworth Miller, and Alice... um... just Alice, I guess (Milla Jovovich).

Since I saw it in 3D, I should comment on that aspect. The 3D was well executed, though it had plenty of "OMG 3D stuffs iz flyin @ u!" moments. What's nice about the 3D experience, though, is it ups the definition quality of the movie, making it a lot prettier (okay, poor choice of words for a post-apocalyptic world). As a whole, the effects were not only nice, but better than most of the other movies in the series.

S.T.A.R.S... oh wait, wrong movie.

Where RE:A has some trouble is the assumptions that it makes about the audience. First of all, if you haven't seen the first three movies, you will be totally lost. The movie also assumes that the audience members have played the games as well. However, since the movie is so far deviated from the games, some of those assumptions don't make sense (AKA how Wesker knows both the Redfields). The Executioner monster almost seems to come out of nowhere as well (though it's assumed that Wesker sends it after Alice). These assumptions happen a few times and they can be a little distracting.

These guns are kinda awesome. Especially when you discover what they're loaded with.

Despite my complaints about assumptions, I had a lot of fun at this movie. It's not a cinematic masterpiece, but most horror/action movies aren't. I was entertained through the whole movie, and if you're a fan of horror or action (or both at the same time) and realize that it does NOT follow the games' story, only the setting, then you'll probably enjoy yourself.

Oh, and if you're the type of person to leave as soon as the credits start... DON'T! At bare minimum, wait a couple of minutes so you can see the special scene at the end.