A decent entry into a decent series

Rating: Null/10 (3 September 2011)

So, eleven years after the original movie was released, we are on film four in the successful Resident Evil film franchise. But does the latest entry succeed in being a great escape from reality into another zombie world or is it dead in the water?
The good news is that yes, this film does do its job as in it is a decent foray into the Resident Evil world and, if you head into this not expecting a massively marinated plot with character development and history defining dialogue then you wont be disappointed.
The film has a little bit more of a plot than the last entry in the series, as it focuses on the idea of a sheltering "community" called Arcadia. But Arcadia isn't what it seems. The overall plot flows fairly swiftly and the story is told in an interesting way. However, there are a few little sub-plots that really do bring the film down a little.
Claire Redfield's amnesia storyline is completely pointless in this film and feels as though it was only implemented to give her something to do. Nothing comes from the fact that she has amnesia, after being captured by Arcadia, apart from her locking her brother Chris in some kind of submission technique. It would have been far more interesting if she had not had the amnesia storyline and instead had to deal with the revelation that he brother is alive when she thought he was dead. Amnesia is often a lazy plot device and unfortunately, that was the case in this film also.
The acting was pretty decent; the cast gave out charismatic performances, especially considering the fact that there is no particular character development. Boris Kodjoe in particular played a very likable Luther West. While this was Milla Jovovich's weakest performance in the series, much down to her applying a huskier tone, she still shone as the lead heroine in the film.
So all in all, a decent film which offers some great escapism. If you are the kind of person who wants to watch cinematic masterpieces, then avoid this but if your into just watching something you don't have to think too much about and want to just have a good time, then this film is definitely recommended.