{"id":29673,"date":"2012-10-01T17:31:18","date_gmt":"2012-10-01T16:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/?p=29673"},"modified":"2012-10-01T17:31:18","modified_gmt":"2012-10-01T16:31:18","slug":"resident-evil-retribution-film-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/reviews\/resident-evil-retribution-film-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Resident Evil: Retribution film review"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s absolutely futile getting angry about what Paul W S Anderson\u2019s done to Resident Evil<\/em>. It\u2019s best now to accept the fact that the series is less an adaptation of the games and more a demented collection of disjointed set pieces devoted to making his wife look as cool as possible. His latest work of Dadaist genius Resident Evil: Retribution,<\/em> is easily the most gratuitous and shameless in this regard, making previous entries in the saga look like they were made by Ken Loach.<\/p>\n

Retribution<\/em> doesn\u2019t appear to bother with any sort of plot or semblance of structure (Alice has to escape from a facility. That\u2019s it). One brief recap of the previous entries\u2019 madness and we\u2019re away, snarling cadavers served up for Milla Jovovich to stylishly batter in slow motion countless times.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no character development, the acting\u2019s intolerable, the pacing\u2019s non-existent and the over reliance on 3D money shots is laughable. Worst of all, they\u2019ve made Leon S Kennedy a useless tit, the main man of the games reduced to being back up for Mary Sue Milla. The always reliable Kevin Durand is good value as the legendary Barry Burton though, looking like a gun nut David Gest, and Shawn Roberts clearly loves being supervillain Wesker, although he isn\u2019t in it nearly enough.<\/p>\n

Resident Evil: Retribution<\/em> is basically dreadful, a tour de force of incomprehensibility, needless 3D extravagance (Anderson is absolutely obsessed with slow motion shots of bullets zipping away in 3D for some reason) and amateurish direction. Yet somehow (through sheer bloody mindedness) its incompetence and buck toothed desperation to appeal ends up becoming strangely disarming, and even quite endearing.<\/p>\n

You know it\u2019s dreadful while you watch it, yet you\u2019re still paying rapt attention to its vehement anti-genius. It\u2019s like a cute puppy staring up at you, slavering blood flecked mandibles glistening away, doe-eyes silently asking \u2018Is this OK master? Do you like this?\u2019 The puppy meanwhile is about to make a billion dollars off this series. The puppy has won.<\/p>\n

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