The Resident Evil™ movie/video game franchise is one that I’ve been following for many years now. Although I was a bit late to jump on the zombie bandwagon, the moment I did, I was obsessed. I wanted to play and watch every zombie video game and movie (not only limited to Resident Evil, albeit it being the most interesting) and learn more and more about the dreaded T-virus that took over Raccoon City in that fateful first video game; in my junior high years I was absorbed in the undead. Never had a day passed that I wouldn’t make a zombie joke or reference to one of my friends (which irritated them to no end, of course), making sure to let everyone know that I was for sure an avid Resident Evil™ follower.
So, since it had been a few years since the last Resident Evil movie had come out, I had lost touch with my zombie roots. When I heard Resident Evil: Retribution was being released, I was ecstatic to say the least; within a week of its release I was purchasing my movie ticket, getting directed to theater five to start my 5th Resident Evil™ movie experience.
And boy, did that movie not disappoint.
It started off with a reverse fight sequence, offering a head nod to the previous installment, along with something familiar. At the end of the previous movie the protagonist and her friends were under attack by the Umbrella Corporation, which was the fictional corporation that produced most of the world’s medicine and secretly sold viral weaponry to countries bent on destroying each other just so they could make a profit.
The setting of the movie is mainly underneath the frozen wasteland of Siberia in a secret underwater facility where the Umbrella Corporation tested the reaction of viral weaponry with actual humans. The story follows Alice, who got captured, attempting to meet up with a rescue squad so she can escape this underwater facility.
The movie introduced many new mutations of the undead, keeping the fighting both interesting and insanely gory, fit for a Resident Evil™ movie. Resident Evil: Retribution made a great installment to the iconic zombie-infested movie franchise.
However, the one issue I had with the film- and what it may still continue to feel like with the next installment- is that they may be pushing it; it felt as though they were grasping to make the zombie idea work, but really it’s an overused idea and they’re merely stretching it to make more money.
All of these thoughts contributed to my final rating which sits at a solid 8; the cliffhanger at the end left me begging for more, but unfortunately I’ll be left waiting a few more years for them to craft the next installment.