Big, Stupid, Action Packed Zombie Movie

Rating: 6/10 (10 September 2010)

Now, don't take my review title the wrong way. Big and stupid aren't necessarily bad things if you find that entertaining. I happen to find some big, stupid movies entertaining. This was one of em. Once again directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, this film is the second best in the series right behind the first film (possibly even the best), if only because the action was so kick ass.
The film once again picks up where we left off. Alice is still hunting down Umbrella, while Claire has gone off to find the source of the signal heard in Resident Evil: Extinction. However, not everything is as it seems, and it seems Umbrella still has a plan of action.
At this point in the series, if you're expecting anything more than an action packed, dumb zombie film devoid of scares, you've either stopped watching the film or are fairly low in the intelligence department yourself. This film is full plot holes, questions, and coincidences. Overall, the film is pretty ho-hum. The story is straight forward and of little consequence, and the disappointing ending once again leaves the series open, doing away with the promise for the film series' finale. But, with all that said, I regret nothing. The action was highly entertaining, the acting was actually pretty good (as far as this series goes anyway), and the RE fan service will bring a smile to RE fans faces.
The 3D is actually pretty good here, with some notably impressive effects, including a bunch of water effects. The shower room scene is simply fantastic in 3D. Anderson brings his Mortal Kombat A-game here with the action scenes being very well shot and a blast to watch. I won't lie and tell you that this film really goes any farther beyond that. For those that have seen ever RE movie in theaters, this is the film that we had hoped the sequel to the original would have been. Suffice to say, Anderson really is the only one who can handle it the way it should have been done after the first one. The music here is also fairly decent, with a nice soundtrack I will definitely have to track down. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it is pretty cool.
Obviously, this film isn't a great one. It's the fourth film in a series that has degraded in quality over its course. Heck, it never really won anyone over to begin with. However, my expectations were pretty low to begin with. The prospect of Anderson returning, this being the final film in the series, and the impressive trailers all encouraged me to see this one final RE film. I can certainly say I wasn't disappointed, as I got just a little more than what I expected. I probably won't be seeing the film again (except maybe on TV), but, for what I saw, I can say that I don't regret seeing it in theater. And if you're going to watch the movie to begin with, you really do have to see it in 3D. It's surprisingly some of the best 3D I have seen yet (and no wonder, with them using Jim Cameron's 3D camera technology. No post conversion doo- doo here).