Theatrical Review: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)

"It's better than RE: Apocalypse. There's that."

(aka It's Finally Over.)
Release Date: In Theaters now.
Rating: R
Country: USA, Canada, Germany.
Written and Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson.
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Iain Glen, Ali Larter, Shawn Roberts, and Ruby Rose.

The Resident Evil Series has been an uneven one at very best. The first one (review HERE) was a fun zombie/action flick that could have been better, but entertained the hell out of us, even on repeat viewings.

The second movie sucked, and we like to pretend it doesn't exist.

Sequels like Extinction, Afterlife, and Retribution (Review HERE) got the series back on a good track and delivered all kinds of cool action, but little else, which became par for the course for the series. That's alright though, because we like big and stupid fun, and at times, we actually need it. 

The Resident Evil series exists to showcase Milla Jovovich kicking the ass of Zombie hordes, period. As movies, they're mostly kinda silly and there's basically no plot to them, but that's all by design; they've always played like Video Game levels to me, where you get some info at the start, work your way through a bunch of enemies, face the boss, and then prepare for the next level. 


And now we've arrived at The Final Chapter of the series, which we don't believe, because that's just not how Hollywood works, that the series closes out on a disappointing note.

Weeks after the events of RE: Retribution (which we honestly don't remember), Alice wakes up in the ruins of the White House (I see what they did there), and is attacked by a bat. Then, The Red Queen shows up on an old TV, and tells Alice that there's an airborne antivirus to the T-Virus in The Hive in Raccoon City that could save what's left of humanity, but she only has 48 hours to get there and release it, or all is lost. She also has a secret to tell Alice, but she's making her wait until the end of the movie to find out what it is.

ALRIGHT, MAYBE IT'S A DRAGON.

On the Post Apocalyptic road to Raccoon City, Alice discovers that Dr. Isaacs is still alive, and she runs into a gang of survivors ran by her old pal, Claire Redfield, who is also still alive. With Isaacs and his men, and three massive hordes of zombies on their tails, the gang enters the hive, where the antivirus, Wesker, and a stunning secret await them.

You've seen it all 5 times before this, so you know how it all plays out.

RUN, ALICE, RUN!

Sad as it is to say it, RE: TFC feels more like another typical entry in the series than it does any sort of finale. I mean, we weren't exactly expecting the world from this movie, because this series is what it is, but couldn't they have come up with something more... grand?

As it stands, there's a lot of action to be had here, with fights galore against evil humans and monsters alike, and if that's your thing, then it should please you. If nothing else, this movie is visually captivating.

This movie, and this series, has always been a showcase for Milla Jovovich and her sexy, crazy acrobatics, poses, and one-liners. That's a really cool thing, because she's awesome, and it's nice to see a girl of her talents be the focus of an action series like this. She's as good as she ever was in this one, and at almost 40 years old, she still looks and pulls off her stunts like she's in her 20's. With this series, she's given us one hell of a heroine in Alice, and she has easily earned her place in the hallowed halls of the Horror hall of fame by doing so.

Thanks, Milla, you rock. 

Iain Glen was his usual awesome self in this one, even though his character(s) aren't given anything of substance to work with. And of course we can't forget Ali Larter, who is still as hot as she always was, and she kicks her own brand of ass.

CAN WE TAKE A SECOND TO APPRECIATE HOW HOT ALI LARTER STILL IS?

The editing in this one is quick-cut and choppy, to the point where it confuses what we saw as it was happening. Given that this movie is packed full of action scenes, that made it a tough watch at times.

MILLA UNCHAINED.

What was with that twist at the end? Was it supposed to be shocking? This franchise has switched gears so much over six movies, that it had very little impact on us at all. Had they made this "reveal" in part three, and had it lead up to Alice's final mission in this one, it would have made it far more impactful.

YOU COULD HAVE TOLD HER EARLIER!

There's plenty of violence throughout this one, but it's not a very gory movie, per se. Standard fare for the RE series.

THAT'S NOT GOOD.

Nope. No one gets laid in a Post-Zombie world.

THE SHOWER SCENE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN... AND YOU KNOW THEY ALL NEED A SHOWER.

I know that the little wink that Alice gives the camera at the end of the movie means that she's still ready to kick some ass, but it's time to let this franchise rest. Also, Milla Jovovich has proven herself to be an ass-kicker of the highest order with the RE series, and we love her.

YEAH, WE'RE TIRED TOO, MILLA.

As a movie on its own, RE: TFC is not a very good one. It's not terrible, but they could have sent Milla out in better fashion than they did here. Resident Evil has been a fun, if hollow and imperfect, movie series, and as much as we've enjoyed its over the top craziness at times, we're glad that it's over.

Check it out in theaters if you must, but you should probably wait until it hits the VOD circuit, and go see something more worthy of your time and money.

D+

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is in theaters now.

Milla, Ali, Ruby Rose, and Rola.