A solid definite maybe

Rating: 5/10 (23 September 2010)

I won't summarize the story because that has been done many times already. If you haven't seen the others before watching this one, then be prepared to be confused. It would be like walking into another movie halfway through as this one continues a story established in the previous movies.
I love movies in general and I enjoy a wide variety of movies. I love mostly mindless gory action movies and love them even more if there are strange and terrifying monsters involved. Every once in a while I just want a little mindless entertainment and these types of movies provide it for me. If you want a thought provoking movie, then this movie is not for you.
Don't go to see this if you want a lot of character development, a deep moving plot or a bulletproof story. Prepare to suspend reality at the door, expect a lot of guts and gore, expect loud explosions, expect unbelievable fight sequences and expect creepy things to jump out of nowhere for no other reason than to try to give you a heart attack. If you don't like those things then don't watch it and don't complain if you do see it against my advice. There are some people that like these types of movies and they will continue to pay to see them which ensures that more will be made.
Here is what the movie did well. There was a lot of fighting, a lot of guns and explosions and a bunch of people and zombies dying. There were a couple of hot chicks if that's your thing and a couple of not unattractive guys if that's your thing. For once, there was a reasonable explanation for the excessive amount of guns and ammunition available to the main characters. The 3d made the creepy things jumping out towards you even more creepy. The movie planned on using 3d from the beginning which meant that the 3d was better executed than some of the 3d afterthoughts that have come out recently.
Here is what the movie did poorly and why I gave it a 5/10. It relied a little too heavily on the 3d. The entire time I was watching it, I thought to myself that if I was watching it in 2d it would be a rather unimpressive member of the movie franchise. It threw in elements from the games without ever explaining them. I am not a big gamer at all and so these were lost on me and I had to look them up after the movie. There was a lot of slow motion during the fight scenes, again to take advantage of the 3d I think. It made the fights seem even more unbelievable than they normally are because everything is exaggerated. It's readily apparent when the characters meet each other as to who is zombie fodder and who will be left standing at the end. I know I said mindless entertainment but a little suspense couldn't hurt.
Overall, I've seen much worse, but I've also seen better. If you like the Resident Evil movies in general for the good points I've listed above then you will enjoy this one. If you don't like the other Resident Evil movies then don't expect this to be any different. If you haven't seen the others yet, rent them first because you won't really understand what's going on. As always, it's a movie. What's more, it is a zombie movie which by definition requires some suspension of reality.