sábado, 1 de febrero de 2025

Resident Evil: For Better or for Worse

 

Back on 2002, I remember seeing for the first time Resident Evil, the first feature film based on the famous videogames that scare a whole generation and are still doing it with even animated tv series. I am quite conscious that the fan base really hated all 6 films that where release during 2002 to 2021, but it can’t be denied that the saga become a huge box office grosser after earning 1 billon dollars worldwide.

I was very young when the first videogames were on the market, honestly, I preferred to play Tomb Raider because I tend to ket easily scare with horror games. It took me months to complete Doom 3; therefore, it was never in my cards to play a Resident Evil game specially for the camera angles. I saw my brother get killed or jump every time I zombie appeared from nowhere, so at that time I thought that dealing with High School was enough.

But then, Paul W.S. Anderson decided to make an adaptation in a way that explain the origin of the T-Virus, and I really enjoy it seen it. Also having two beautiful girls as Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez fighting deadly zombies, I could ask no more.  I always asked myself why the hate on the Alice character?

If everyone could accept Steven Rogers as Captain America, why Alice no? Both had power caused by special serums. Both can fight, jump and do some espionage. I really love what Milla did to this character, it was something flesh that help attract people like that didn’t know anything about the Resident Evil lore. But I understand, but also I know that hated o loved, even the new Netflix Series and the reboot film could not live the hype as the version that brought us Anderson and Jovovich.

What I love about the first Resident Evil was that remind me of Aliens, since I was a child, I love those type of survival horror stories about monsters and fighting them. Suddenly Alice waking up and not having a clue of what is happening due to her recent erased memory and forced to infiltrate de Hive to reboot the AI, referred as the Red Queen, after killing all the personnel due to the unleashed T-Virus.

It is fascinating that everything is a set up and in the end the Umbrella Corporation commits the same mistake as Weyland Yutani did with the xenomorph. Instead of controlling the situation, they condemn the world so it is up to Alice to try to do the reference. The final scene, when she wake ups in a abandoned laboratory and goes to the streets to see everything is destroyed it is one of the best scenes ever for the zombie genre.

After that, I become a huge follower of the Saga and went directly to the theaters on 2004 to witness Resident Evil: Apocalypse and discovering Oded Fehr as Carlos Oliveira , I went nuts because he recently participated on The Mummy films. Also having Sienna Guillory as Jill Valentine, become easily my greatest team for this sequel.

Starting just went the first ended it went crazy since the first minute, Umbrella unleashing the deadly virus and sending STARS Commands to contain the situation but at the same time activating Alice and Nemesis projects to deal one another so that way Umbrella can choose the better version to keep and still working. Aside from recreating some famous scenes from the videogames, the final shutdown on top of the building was and it is still awesome.

Now for my favorite, Resident Extinction, I love the inspiration on Mad Max to put Alice in the middle of the desert due to how the world is literally destroyed. Opting for clarity in the image instead of the darker tones, it truly changes the meaning of making horror action films. Seeing Las Vegas buried under the sand and the confrontation with the super zombies, was a highlight. It hurt not having Jill Valentine and it even hurt more the death of Carlos.

 Claire Redfield was a good addition and Ian Glen function as a good villain but I felt his death was very quickly. We even had Christopher Egan, the actor from Letters to Juliet, make a good impression. Its death really hurt. Seeing all Alice’s clones outside the bunker really impact me and in some way, it make me feel nostalgic because back then, I I thought this was the end.  And it could have been a good end, because it made sense that the original Alice will revert the situation using her blood as an antivirus and with the assistance of all her clones.

But with Resident Evil: Afterlife is where the problem begins with this saga because it contradicted everything that followed. Sure I enjoyed the attack on the Umbrella Headquarters in Tokyo and the confrontation with Albert Wesker on the ship after escaping a prison. Also having the Redfield reunited brought warm feelings to my heart. Best trio ever.

Now I confess that I become obsessed with Resident Evil: Retribution, I declare myself guilty. I went three times to the movie theater, watch it on 3D and once available on demand, I watch it for several times. What can I say? I love everything, the designs, the music, the arenas, the technology… it reminds me of the original and having all characters from the previous fourth plus two new ones, it was a crazy ride that I still enjoying.

Obviously, the story does not make sense, Albert Wesker still alive and now offering Alice to help him only to discover that he is even below Dr. Isaacs. The Red Queen is not bad as we thought, it is very difficult to understand with how the direction of the Final Chapter went. It is no strange that the girls (Angela and Becky) does not even get a mention, it is like they never existed and suddenly the great reveal that the release of the T-Virus was orchestrated by the same Umbrella.

Like I said it before, the second trilogy was without direction, but ignoring all those narrative errors, omissions or contradictions, I did enjoy this ride that started on 2002 and it ended on 2027. Talking about 16 years of Alice killing all types of zombies.  The even joke about a Final Chapter Part 2, of which it would have been bad, the only thing that I regret was not seen the White House Battle that Retribution tease us at the end with all the iconic characters.

No, it simply put us hours after the battle ended, and following again a lonely Alice dealing with Dr. Isaacs. I think we would never know why it was written that way, but again, thus guilty pleasure is something that I am still enjoying despite all of their imperfections, and that’s it. My lovely dark secret revealed and hopelessly hoping to not be the only one.

Until next time... if there is a next time, of course.

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