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The “Resident Evil” films hold a special place in the hearts of certain people and I am not one of those people. I enjoy my guilty pleasures from time-to-time, but these films never resonated with me like I wanted them to. I went into “The Final Chapter” with an open mind, hoping to get some enjoyment out of this extravaganza. Instead, I wanted to get ripped to shreds by the zombies roaming Raccoon City.
This film was an absolute disaster, and I have no idea where to begin when talking about it. Paul W.S. Anderson is one of the worst filmmakers working today, as he made this feel like a project from a high school filmmaking class. His direction is mediocre, as is his writing. Anderson has no idea how he wants to structure his story and characters. That’s been an issue he has with all of his work.
Milla Jovovich is both beautiful and talented. She crushes it when given the right material and is generally solid as Alice in the other “Resident Evil” films. But in this, she felt like a machine: bland, flat and clueless. I can see that she was probably having fun making the film, but I wasn’t impressed with her work here. Can she just team up with Richard Linklater again or something?
The other performances were very wooden, with “Game of Thrones’” Iain Glen disappointing me vastly. I remember him being entertaining in “Apocalypse” and “Extinction.” He was a joke in this and that crushes me, since I love him in “Thrones.”
There were jump scares here that weren’t expected and they felt incredibly forced. I thought this was an action film. Seriously Paul? What were you thinking? But that wasn’t the worst part of “The Final Chapter.” That mantle goes to the editing.
I cannot remember the last time a film’s editing left me nauseous. It might have been “Hardcore Henry,” but this is one of the worst edited films I have ever seen. The maximum amount of time spent on a shot is under 10 seconds, even in the non-action sequences. The film went too quick and yet, I felt bored. I don’t understand why all action films nowadays have to use the quick-cut editing.
Speaking of the action, it’s absolutely horrendous. Due to the editing, I couldn’t tell what was going on, and the action looked over-choreographed. I was also able to point out that they were filled with stunt doubles every time.
If I keep talking, I’ll probably get a migraine. Don’t support this, even if you’re a fan of “Resident Evil.” The end.
