"Hey boys, is that any way to treat a lady?"

Rating: 5/10 (10 September 2011)

After surprisingly enjoying the last instalment; "Extinction" which was directed by Russell Mulcahy. Filmmaker Paul W. Anderson would find his way back to the director's chair, not since helming the original film. He did however write the screenplay for all four. Now "Afterlife" continues on from "Extinction", but was somewhat a comedown and fairly underwhelming for me to put it down as being my least favourite of the lot so far. Done in 3D for its theatrical release, couldn't hide the fact it drew upon tired mechanisms. The special effects felt like it was taken out of the matrix, so therefore the action felt uninspired and sterile. Too bad because while it seems lazy the opening remains captivating in its execution of its searing action set-pieces and plot ties (the Alice clones being used to wipe out the Tokyo based Umbrella corporation facility). But after that promising start it loses its way by becoming bogged down, muddled and uninteresting in the direction it goes. This is when Alice discovers an old friend, where during a plane ride they end with a ragtag of survivors held up in a Los Angles prison and there she learns the truth about the safe haven of Arcadia. Anderson tries up the ante with showy techniques, by bombarding us with kinetic editing, slow motion activity, pounding heavy music and flashy computer effects in a repetitive parade of bloody carnage and smoking firepower. This focus seems like an attempt to cover up its thin narrative, stale script and minor characters, because it's all hot air in the way it goes about building-up plot progression. Really all it does it takes bit and pieces from the other entries and weakly puts it together in something of a long-running comic serial. The desert makes way for urban infrastructure. The prison setting makes it rather compact and drab, so are the characters that are included. Really it's about Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter. Jovovich might not be a dominant as Alice like previous entries, but she still strongly carries it along. Larter was better than expected. The scene with them together battling the Axeman in the prison shower block is probably the only highlight in the latter half. Shawn Roberts milks it with aplomb as an Umbrella Corporation associate. Also in the cast are Kim Coates, Wentworth Millar, Boris Kodjoe and Sienna Guillory as Jill Valentine makes a very brief appearance through the end credits. A forgettable fare, which is all dressed up but goes nowhere with it.
"This is a big mistake".