Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Resident Evil Afterlife

 

Resident Evil Afterlife is the fourth installment in the Resident Evil franchise of action/horror movies starring Milla Jovovich. This one, released in 2010, is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and stars Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Boris Kodjoe, and Shawn Roberts. The events of the movie take place sometime after the events of Afterlife, in which Alice finds her other clones. It marks the return of Paul W.S. Anderson to the director role, having written all the movies but directed just the first. It starts out with Alice attacking the Tokyo umbrella facility, trying to take down Albert Wesker, who was shown basically as a hologram in the third movie. She ends up losing her powers and then ends up trying to evade another zombie horde while holed up in a prison and trying to find Arcadia and the refugees she sent off during the events of Afterlife.

I will not say more about the plot because to do so would spoil too much. The film brings back the character of Claire Redfield, played by Ali Larter, and also introduces the character of her brother Chris, played by Wentworth Miller. They are holed up with a new group of refugees, most notably the character Luther West, played by Boris Kodjoe. The climax of the film basically involves trying to take down Wesker and a rescue.

The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray is wonderful. I have the regular version, so I cannot tell you how the 3d version is, but it is much like the other films have been in 2d. The extras include deleted scenes, outtakes, multiple commentary tracks on the movie, and several behind-the-scenes and making of features. By now, almost everyone knows what the movies are and are not. Most likely, if you have liked the other movies, you will still like this one, although you have to be okay with it moving farther from the kind of basic zombie movies that parts 1 and 2 were and having ever-evolving threats. It will not win any acting or writing awards, but it is a good action, sci-fi, and horror blend and makes for an entertaining movie if you enjoy the genre.