Innovative action sequences and nods to other science-fiction films propel “Resident Evil: Retribution,” the 5th in a series of film adaptations based on the wildly popular “Resident Evil” video game franchise. “Resident Evil” video games have become a huge success thanks to their dystopic zombie-filled view of reality. In an alternate reality, “Resident Evil” and its film spin-offs tell how military industrial giant Umbrella Corp. has unwittingly unleashed a deadly weaponized virus which threatens to consume humanity in a zombie-apocalypse, leaving a team of well-armed security operatives and cops to fight their way to safety. The films modify the theme somewhat by introducing the character Alice (Milla Jovovich), an operative whose DNA has bonded favorably with the T-virus, making her a super-soldier who is determined not only to save the day, but exact revenge.
Paul W. Anderson, writer/director, manages to keep “Resident Evil: Retribution” fresh by giving fans more of what they love most: eye-candy of every flavor creatively hacking their way through thousands of rabid blood-thirsty undead in a high technology environment controlled by a menacing corporation. Jovovich is joined by several actors reprising fan-favorite roles including that of Rain Ocampo (Michelle Rodriguez), Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory), Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr), Luther West (Boris Kodjoe), James “One” Shade (Colin Salmon), and Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts). Three new characters from the games appear for the first time in the franchise: Ada Wong (Li Bingbing), Leon S. Kennedy (Johann Urb), and Barry Burton (Kevin Durand).
“Resident Evil: Retribution” entertains from start to finish mainly because of the film’s fight sequences, which were influenced by Asian cinema. “We watched a lot of Thai movies this time around because of the movies [Nick Powell, a fight choreographer and second-unit director,] has done” Anderson, said in an interview. “He did “The Last Samurai” as well. He has worked with a lot of Japanese stuntmen and he has worked with a lot of Hong Kong stuntmen. But we felt the area that hadn’t been mined by western cinema much was that whole kind of high impact Thai style of fighting. So we just watched a lot of action sequences from a lot of Thai movies. There were moves and just a general feel that we thought we could infuse the movie with. You know, that kind of bone crunch where you really feel the impact. We tried to bring that into the movie, which is also good for 3D because obviously 3D makes it harder to sell those kind of fake phony punches because you see the distance between the fist and the face. So that kind of Thai style of fighting where you actually make contact is a lot stronger.”
The effort pays of in an epic battle between Alice and Jill Valentine, and later Alice and Rain, where it seems Alice has finally met her match. The choreography is soaring, operatic.
Another thing that keeps “Resident Evil: Retribution” moving along is that the zombies are more sentient. Taken from the video game “Resident Evil 4,” a parasite called Las Plagas becomes a player in the film and allows the undead to “run around, ride motorbikes, and shoot machine guns. Also, writers drop in an action scene inspired by “Resident Evil 5,” where the characters are driving a Hummer while being chased by zombies. In the film, the Hummer is replaced with a stylish Rolls Royce Phantom.
Aesthetically, visual cues and some writing elements were clearly inspired by other popular science-fiction films. “I think Inception had a huge impact on everyone,” says co-producer Jeremy Bolt, “and I think “Westworld” is an important film to Paul. Everybody knows, because he talks about it enough, the “Alien” series, “Blade Runner,” all these things are inspirations.”
“Resident Evil: Retribution” gets a solid thumbs up.
