Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts

 

Resident Evil Afterlife 2010

Alice is still trying to bring down the evil Umbrella Corporation in Resident Evil Afterlife 2010Review.

Resident Evil Afterlife 2010 Cover Image


Director: Paul W. S. Anderson

Writer: Paul W. S. Anderson

Cast

  • Milla Jovovich - Alice
  • Ali Larter - Claire Redfield
  • Wentworth Miller - Chris Redfield
  • Shawn Roberts - Albert Wesker
  • Spencer Locke - K-Mart
  • Boris Kodjoe - Luther West
  • Kim Coates - Bennett

Constantin Film, running time 97 minutes




In a world completely overrun by a virus, turning its victims into Zombies, Alice (Milla Jovovich) proceeds in her search for survivors. 


Resident Evil is here again, which is not a bad thing. I am a fan of the games, and when I watched the first Resident Evil, I was disappointed. 


The games were very atmospheric and scary, and the movie didn't match up. However, putting the fun aside, they were entertaining films.

Resident Evil Afterlife 2010 Woman With Guns


Resident Evil Afterlife 2010 is precisely that, entertaining. The acting and dialog are solid enough, there are plenty of excellent action scenes, and the soundtrack is effective. 


Afterlife is visually impressive. Everything about the movie looks great.


The story is told well enough, the pacing is good, and I wasn't bored during the film. However, not a masterpiece by any means and is not remarkably faithful to the games. 


Still, it's entertaining, it won't tax the brain, but it's one of those movies that can be watched repeatedly.


It has to be seen on a big screen with a good sound system to be fully appreciated. Without the sound and the visuals, it may struggle to hold someone's attention.


Review:


While the series required something fresh, and because Resident Evil Afterlife 2010 doesn't contribute anything, it was developed and released in 3D, right in the thick of the "everything needs to be 3D" mania. 


This additional dimension is likely to blame for Resident Evil Afterlife 2010's disappointment. The producers emphasized the core rather than an upgrade, ignoring other vital components. 


Resident Evil Afterlife 2010's narrative is as important as the film's subtitle. Alice keeps her word and sends her clones into the Tokyo headquarters of the Umbrella Corporation. 


Six months later, Alice discovers Claire Redfield in the exact location where the last film's party was supposed to find shelter, with no sign of anybody else. 


Claire has no memory of what happened because of a red scarab item stuck to her chest, but her memories gradually return. 

Resident Evil Afterlife 2010 Woman With Guns 2


She and Alice travel to Los Angeles, where they come into yet another set of survivors incarcerated.


Arcadia, the haven they were looking for in 'extinction' that holds a few mysteries, is revealed to be a gigantic yacht off the coast of Los Angeles. 


They must escape the jail and reach there by surviving a variety of deadly beasts. It follows the same narrative as the original Resident Evil film.


Tomandandy's the excellent soundtrack, Afterlife's most attractive feature. The industrial, electronic sound incorporates heavy metal elements in its composition and performs incredibly well every time employed. 


We could even go as far as to claim that Resident Evil: Afterlife's music is the greatest throughout the franchise thus far. 


Additionally, the opening titles effectively complement the 3D medium and emphasize Tomandandy's artistry, even if they create the events behind the T virus's rapid distribution even more confusing.



Alice's talents are finally taken away, something I was first pleased with. However, except for the removal of telekinesis, it doesn't seem to have created enough of a difference. 


She can survive an airplane crash with only a few scratches. 


Being slammed against a wall hard enough to break the tiles but not her bones or leave bruising, being stabbed in the arm and having the wound disappear in two minutes as if it never happened, and jumping three meters into the air in just a few steps. 


Even though she has lost her powers, it appears that not much has changed, creating another of the film's many story gaps.


There are some suspenseful situations, but the film might have benefited from a few more. Instead, this film sees the series shift from a horror-action hybrid to over-the-top action sequences with a few horror themes thrown in for good measure. 


All of the scares are of the 'jump' sort, and there is no tension as there was in the prior two films. The new creatures featured in the game series are another of the film's few high moments. 


Even if these additions have either a poor or no explanation, they are the least of the film's issues, in my opinion.


The Executioner appears out of nowhere, but I wasn't bothered by it because of the creature's overwhelming majesty—the sequence with the Monster carrying a massive ax that is supposed to be spectacular falls flat. 


Unfortunately, despite being one of the film's most incredible sequences, it suffers from the same flaws as the rest of the action scenes.

Resident Evil Afterlife 2010 Woman


The blatant errors in the sequences make it appear as though the filmmakers were too lazy to notice or care; a remarkable clip for anyone who follows the series and wonders what happened to Jill Valentine after Resident Evil. 


Apocalypse can be found around thirty seconds into the end credits. She went wicked after dyeing her hair.


Alice and her clones are now assaulting Umbrella's Tokyo underground base for the horrible stuff. 


An unintentionally comical Wesker, horrible wire stunts, overdone slow motion, umbrella staff who can't shoot straight, an unimpressive number of Alice clones, several continuity goofs, and lousy CGI blood are the worst of all gore sins in this segment. 


There's a problem when items like these appear only 10 minutes into a movie. Except for Tomandandy's constantly strong, throbbing soundtrack, this would foreshadow the rest of the film. 


A zombie apocalypse appears to be bringing the planet to an end. After all, the virus isn't that horrible for women; there's no need to put on cosmetics; it just shows up on you anytime the director is too sluggish to explain it.


 I expected Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter to make some prominent commercial placement for a beauty company.


Even though they allow Alice to show a smidgeon of emotion that is otherwise terribly lacking in her character this time around, Alice's self-centered recordings grow tiresome rapidly. 


The new characters we meet are either uninteresting or serve as two-dimensional Undead fodder. 


The latter group is just as easy to identify as they are to eliminate. Milla's Alice portrayal is a mixed bag.

 

She delivers her one-liners with joy, although she can be stiff at times—and trust me, as a fan, I hate to say this—and opted to deepen her voice and sound like Marge Simpson.


There are also difficulties with the film's pace. After about a third of the way through the video, things appear to slow down drastically with a lot of talking, to start up again in a 20-minute bore. It throws everything off, and it undermines the film. 


Resident Evil revenge would then go from one extreme to the other. More characters from the games are thrown in with no real relevance for anybody other than gamers, such as Chris Redfield. 


Who is horrifically miscast and poorly performed by Wentworth Miller, and the comically wooden Albert Wesker, portrayed by Shawn Roberts.


We learn that the Umbrella Corporation's underground facilities continue to experiment on individuals. 


The narrative line in Resident Evil, Extinction about finding a cure for the virus, is never referenced or explored, most likely because it would stop the franchise and its associated financial flow. 


The first film in the series that feels like a filler episode is Afterlife. In conclusion, nothing essential has been added to the tale. 


Very little has been done, leaving me with the impression that all preceding nonsense was relatively meaningless.


Albert Wesker's cheesy words in the end shamelessly pilfer from The Matrix. The action appears to be clumsy and upstaged. 


Alice kicking some of the previously mentioned zombie dogs' asses and a piece of very excellent music by 'the perfect circle' playing in the background are the only things keeping it from being a complete disaster. 


You're probably expecting a cliffhanger ending with a pan-out shot if you've seen any of the Resident Evil movies. 

Resident Evil Afterlife 2010 man


It's so over-the-top here that it loses its punch, and it's the icing on the cake for Resident Evil. 


With life being the worthless film that it is, making everything before it matters for nothing.


Finally, Resident Evil Afterlife 2010 is a dismal and needless addition to the franchise, failing to pick up the first and third films. 


Only Tomandady's fantastic score, some nice 3D effect shots, and a few monsters keep 'Afterlife' from being terrible as Apocalypse. 


The 3D trend continued in the newly released Resident Evil: Retribution.


As Alice's battle with the Umbrella Corporation escalates, she enlists the assistance of an old acquaintance. 

They get some new information that leads them in search of a safe zone, but when they arrive, the city is infested with zombies.

Hope you enjoyed my review of Resident Evil Afterlife 2010.

 

Dog Soldiers 

Dog Soldiers Review's 2002 British horror film is set in Scotland. An army training exercise turns into a war against werewolves.

Dog Soldiers Cover Image


Director Neil Marshall

Writer Neil Marshall

Cast

  • Kevin McKidd, Private Cooper
  • Sean Pertwee, Sergeant Harry G. Wells
  • Emma Cleasby, Megan
  • Chris Robson, Private Joe Kirkley
  • Leslie Simpson, Private Terry Milburn
  • Liam Cunningham, Captain Ryan
  • Darren Morfitt, Private "Spoon" Witherspoon

Kismet Entertainment Group, Running time 104 minutes.




A group of army soldiers is sent on a routine training exercise. They're expected to meet up with some SAS soldiers before beginning their training in the highlands of Scotland. Instead, upon arrival, they discover the SAS members torn to pieces. 


However, it turns out there is one remaining survivor, Captain Ryan. Captain Ryan gives the soldiers hints about what attacked him and killed his troops; distressed and traumatized, Captain Ryan cannot explain what happened.


There aren't many decent werewolf films, which is surprising considering how well-known the creature is. 


But, of course, I am talking about actual Werewolf movies, not films that include werewolves like the Twilight films. 


So we have the British low-budget horror movie Dog Soldiers. Because I am not a great admirer of British movies, I didn't have high expectations for this.


Dog soldiers certainly have plenty of action, shooting, blood, and swearing. The pacing is good, which prevents boredom. 

Dog Soldiers Werewolf


I like the Werewolf design. The wolf's humanoid creatures are giant, fast, and very deadly. Unfortunately, there seems to be no CG in the manner it should be. The werewolves are simply men in suits, which is OK. 


Still, the cheap budget occasionally shows in the effects, particularly the creatures and gore.


For the most part, the acting is sufficient. However, some of the dialogue is corny and coarse, typical of British films. 


However, things aren't that bad here. Isn't it true that (Sergeant Harry G. Wells) is by far the most lovable character and provides some amusing moments?


It's not very memorable, although there are some enjoyable moments. Nevertheless, Dog Soldiers is a fun film that everyone who likes werewolves should watch.


Review:


Dog Soldiers isn't for you if Hollywood glitz and glam is your thing.


After a short off-screen introduction to the Werewolf, we're introduced to the actors. Next, a ragtag group of British troops takes part in an exercise session right at the heart of the Scottish Highlands. 


The conversation is bright and British right from the start. There are no Dick Van Dyke accents or lines here; the language is genuine in a way that only a British person can understand.


The cast is also entirely British, with a dour Scot (McKidd) and two foul-mouthed, wisecracking Geordies leading the way. So there aren't any stereotypes there! 

Dog Soldiers Werewolf 2


However, there are a few aspects that stand out right away. One, most of the cast is unknown, except for Sean Pertwee. 


Two, some of the young performers nearly scream at moments, "How can I do this acting?"

But, on the other hand, the performers are at their greatest when the conversation is funniest when the troops are joking around. 


Darren Morfitt shines as Spoon, who is frequently amusing. This man does a fantastic job with his hilarious delivery.


The Werewolf makes his first appearance at the half-hour mark. But, unfortunately, it's only seen in glimpses at first, as it follows the troops through the twilit woods in silhouette. 


Nevertheless, it's an excellent introduction to lycanthropes. Seconds later, the Soldiers try and play patty-cake with the monster arm through the roof of a land rover. 


Act 2 sees the troops locked away inside an abandoned building, fending off the hairy goons after they escape from the clutches of the Werewolf.

Dog Soldiers Army


One of my concerns going into the production was whether the werewolves would be realistic enough to make Dog Soldiers an accurate horror picture.


That apprehension is allayed as soon as you have a good look at them, and I must say, they look fantastic. 


There's no CGI nonsense here; simply prominent men in big fuzzy clothes, but the wolves have an indefinable charm. 


They don't always appear or feel like suits-wearing males. They seem to act their movements occasionally, but only in long shots.


It's wolves disguised as humans. They even sound amazing, especially the yelps of pain after being shot. 


It's also at this moment that you grasp the film's actual direction. Dog Soldiers was supposed to be a true horror film, or at least that was my expectation. 


Instead, dog Troops was supposed to be a film about soldiers terrified of simple killing machines—Private Ryan's traumatic experience of only killing one opponent.


The further the film progresses, the less severe the issue and its enemies are treated. They take everything in stride, and weapons are drawn, gum chewing and sarcastically mocking the opponent. Saddam Hussein would be cooked if these soldiers were sent to Iraq.


Pertwee, the most outstanding actor, appears only briefly in the middle of the picture for some inexplicable reason. 


I suppose natural acting' isn't required in this picture because it isn't severe. But nonetheless, it was a squandering of talent.

Dog Soldiers Werewolf in Bathtub


Unfortunately, when Dog Soldiers need to go for the kill, we get legendary levels of 'quipping in the face of death.' 


Although this isn't an Evil Dead comedy, some of the last phrases must be heard to be believed. So, Arnie, take a bite out of your heart.


Without question, Dog Soldiers is a great movie. It's a lot of fun, to be sure. It features a lot of positive attributes that make it a good choice. 


Unfortunately, it's just not the movie I was anticipating. Despite this, I think that Dog Soldiers will grow on me, just like fur.