The start of a much more episodic trend in the series, "Resident Evil: Afterlife" lacks identity, but isn't without its charm and some very fun moments and set-pieces.

Rating: 6/10 (11 January 2014)

There's something about the "Resident Evil" film franchise that keeps me watching. Despite its ups and downs (and those down points really are atrocious... just watch the second film if you want to see my point), the series has always maintained a degree of watchability, mainly pertaining to its high entertainment value as a glorified theme-part stunt-show on screen. It's clear that Paul W.S. Anderson, who launched the film series, wrote every entry and directed several (including this installment) isn't concerned with make a particularly deep or complex franchise. Nor is he very concerned with remaining true to the original game franchise that spawned the films. (Which still irks me to an extent, though by this point, I've decided to forgive this fact and try to enjoy the films for what they are.)
No, Anderson is more concerned with giving his audiences a hellish thrill-ride, full of over-the-top action set pieces, some admittedly fun horror beats and plenty of ridiculous and ludicrous eye-candy. And in that respect, "Resident Evil: Afterlife" excels, being one of the better entries in the series.
Following a wildly fun opening 10-minute action set piece that is the highlight of the film, Alice (Milla Jovovich) is left in tatters. Her army of clones destroyed, and her powers taken from her, she is left all but dead. After discovering and re-teaming with former ally Claire (Ali Larter), whom suffers amnesia following the influence of a parasitic device from Umbrella, Alice resumes her travels, gains new allies (including Chris, Claire's brother, played by Wentworth Miller) and continues the search for the safety of "Arcadia" (revealed soon to not be a town as initially thought, but rather a constantly traveling sea barge).
The film has some decent acting, to be perfectly honest. As usual, Jovovich is fun as the butt-kicking lead, and this film does correct the mistake of the first three by humanizing her as a character more. She seems to cover much more emotion. Larter is also pretty good as Claire, although they didn't do much with her amnesia. Miller isn't very good as Chris, sadly. He's a bit too brooding and "dark", making him feel one dimensional. However, supporting actors like Boris Kodjoe, Spencer Locke and Kim Coates are all pretty good in their short but well-played roles.
The direction is actually quite nice for the most part. Anderson steps back in the director's chair after a 2-film absence and brings us what he does best- an over-the-top sound-and-light show. His direction is slick and capable. (Which goes without saying. No matter how bad some of his scripts are, he's a talented visual storyteller) My only slight complaint is the over-use of slow-motion in some sequences, and his over-use of characters throwing things towards the camera, which becomes distracting. (And was obviously put in for the benefit of the 3D effect. Unfortunately I cannot comment on the 3D, as I have only seen the 2D version, but for what it's worth, I wish I could have seen the 3D version, as it was clearly shot with 3D in mind.)
The script is not so good, though. I will give credit in saying that it's better written than the first two films, but it just doesn't quite live up to the promise that the prior film ("Extinction", which I found the easily the most well-written entry).
The rest of the production is very good. The effects are stepped-up and look quite nice. The production design is top-class. (With the exception of some over-the-top Umbrella designs) The costumes are able to maintain a balance between realistic and stylized. And the music is serviceable.
The "Resident Evil" series has truly evolved into something of a mind- bender for me. As basic, under-written and clichéd as the films are, I can't help but admire Anderson's push to give us pure, escapist fun with each new entry. And I've gotta applaud that. I like dumb, under- written escapist popcorn flicks from time to time. And the "Resident Evil" movies fulfill that desire.
I give this a slightly above-average 6 out of 10. It won't win new fans, but it's a welcome entry full of carnage and fun.