Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D (2010)
Certified: 14
Duration: 97 minutes
Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts, Spencer Locke, Boris Kodjoe, Wentworth Miller
KRS release

The Resident Evil franchise has always been loved by fans but not by critics. I happen to be both, but must say that I have seen the franchise get better with the latest instalment being the best one so far.

All the Resident Evil films were made from lower budgets than one would expect and all have cashed in more than triple of what had been invested. This latest offering seems to be on the way to be the most successful of the lot with the film already topping $200 million.

This shows the loyalty of the fan base and also, how by sticking to the formula of guns, girls and gore, the series is on a winning high. It’s not difficult to see why a fifth film is already in the offing.

Afterlife is the first film in the franchise which seems to be less of a video game and more of a proper film. Milla Jovovich returns as Alice: For the uninitiated this character had been a security agent for The Umbrella Corporation, the corporation that had unleashed a zombie apocalypse and the end of the world as we know it.

The opening sequence sees Alice and an army of her clones battle it out with the bad guys at the company’s headquarters in Tokyo. From these first few shots, the 3D effect is used to pitch the audience straight into the action.

Alice then resumes her search for survivors with amnesiac Claire (Ali Larter). In Los Angeles they find a group of them in a prison and help them make their way to the Arcadia which is supposed to be the safe haven for those who are uncontaminated.

The plot may be full of faults but these are all lost amid the debris of the explosions. The camera loves Milla Jovovich and Wentworth Miller, of Prison Break fame, who plays Chris Redfield, one of the original characters in the first video game.

Director Paul W. S. Anderson makes best use of the 3D technology. He presents us with epic battles and breaks them down into the minute details a he wears the influence of The Matrix proudly on his sleeves. The audience will have to really duck at what he throws in their direction, which includes body parts and coins.

Resident Evil: Afterlife is pure escapist fun which will leave the audience breathless and begging for more.