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There is a reason why video game-adapted movies rarely see sequels: most of them are just flat-out terrible. While "classics" like Street Fighter and Super Mario Bros. occasionally warrant viewing just for the nostalgia and humor contained therein, the Resident Evil film franchise proved to be a relatively defensible example of how to properly adapt video games for the silver screen.
Never mind the fact that the scripts and performances in the Resident Evil movies have never been particularly memorable – the movies have been successful largely because of the directors' devotion to the video games' fan base and because they honestly represent and recreate the Resident Evil gaming experience about as well as any film could. The games do require an element of thinking and strategy, but are mostly composed of intense sequences of blowing up, shooting and otherwise obliterating hordes of mindless zombies.
The movies are no different –Resident Evil: Afterlife, the most recent installment in the series, is a solid hour-and-a-half of stupid, violent fun. Laughable writing, plot holes that defy common sense and frequent "staring contests" between the actors as they exchange dramatic one-liners have plagued the Resident Evil series since its inception – but who goes to an action movie for the dialogue?
Afterlife, the fourth movie in the franchise, picks up after the events of Resident Evil: Extinction, which left off with main protagonist Alice (Milla Jovovich) vowing to hunt down leaders of the evil Umbrella Corp., which has turned the free world into a zombified post-apocalyptic hell as a result of its biological weapon experiments. Alice tracks down survivors and eventually leads them to "Arcadia," a supposedly infection-free zone that is actually a trap set by Umbrella head Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts) to lure uninfected humans for the purpose of genetic experimentation.
Jovovich reprises the role of Alice easily and effortlessly in Afterlife. The character has become one of her most famous roles and has provided her with the unofficial title of "Every Geek's Dream Girl," according to MTV. Jovovich has shown off her acting chops in more sophisticated movies like Stone and Dummy; the Resident Evil movies have given her the chance to demonstrate her versatility and provided a generation that might've missed out on Ellen Ripley a chance to acquaint themselves with a true female action hero.
And a hero she is, filling the air with lead and executing feats of stupendous athleticism at every turn. Director Paul W.S. Anderson, like many other contemporary action directors, has taken note of the 3D craze and introduces it in Afterlife to great effect. Jovovich's blazing guns and lightspeed acrobatics are violently rendered in every perceivable dimension – although moviegoers will likely tire of the 3D trend before too long, it has certainly proved to be a worthwhile addition to any action director's artistic palette, and Afterlife is a perfect example of the technique in action.
Yes, the movie is replete with big zombies, big guns and even bigger explosions. But you'll be hard-pressed to find a nugget of logic in the writing or plot. No movie would be enjoyable without at least a little bit of suspension of disbelief, but Afterlife essentially requires you to leave your brain at the door.
Characters in Afterlife die off and reappear in later scenes almost at will; main antagonist Wesker appears to be killed off no fewer than three times throughout the film. Alice and her army of deadly genetically enhanced clones swarm Umbrella headquarters at the beginning of the film without managing to take Wesker down. But later, when she encounters him with only a rag-tag band of survivors as her backup, she manages to defeat a newly mutated and more powerful version of the villain.
The writing is appropriately cheesy as well; survivor Claire Redfield (Ali Larter) and Jovovich deliver their fair share of them. But again, these are the kinds of things that one tends to forget about when every other minute of the movie shows people shooting guns or getting shot at. Unfortunately, there are some portions of the movie where the action slows and the poor quality of the writing and acting start to grate. It's possible that Anderson thought audiences would be tided over by the occasional 3D slam-bang action sequence – in reality, the long gaps between some of the action scenes only serve to highlight the movie's worst qualities.
All in all, Afterlife is the very definition of a "popcorn" movie – a big, loud, dumb action film that you absolutely must see in theaters, or not at all. | 
