Resident Evil: Ultratumba

La trama duraría 15 minutos en una película normal, pero aquí se infla a 100 y termina en el momento cuando debe empezar la parte más tensa. El robo descarado de tomas específicas de Matrix o La Isla de Bay en el abrazo del «lavado de cerebro» radicalmente establecido de la lógica de los videojuegos solo confirma que a Anderson no le importa para nada lo que los demás piensen de él. Y lo disfruta. Disfruta de la imagen sexy de los tres personajes femeninos (¿alguna de ellas puede ser aún más sexy?), así como del decorado reventado (el mejor componente de la película), que combina las nubes de polvo y tuberías de metal podridas con las pálidas habitaciones limpias de laboratorio. Resident Evil: Ultratumba es el máximo fetiche de imágenes en 3D, una degradación de plástico con un jefe mega genial que tiene un hacha. Es una degradación que se mira muy bien. En la tercera película, Russell Mulcahy elevó la serie a una gran película apocalíptica, y Anderson la devolvió a los límites de juego. (01.10.2010)

The third instalment Resident Evil improved the reputation of the franchise, just like Paul W.S. Anderson with Death Race, so I started to look forward to Afterlife when it was announced. At least until I saw the first posters and trailers, which openly shared the unpleasant fact that, instead of horror, this time it would be a computer generated 3D action orgy – an incredibly boring and sterile orgy. Every scene leaves a sad fake impression, the performances are pathetic and the script is laughable. I can’t call this technological promo titled Resident Evil: Afterlife a film. 1/10 (08.10.2010)

Go ahead and get mad at me, but even in the traditional dimension, I enjoyed it as much as all the other films in the series. I have no love for the original Capcom franchise, but the movie series, spoiled by the hellish B-movie director Paul Anderson, always reliably puts me in a gaming mood, even if there’s really no plot, and if there’s meant to be one, it's the same thing over and over again. The fact is that it’s never boring, the slow-motion shots are not annoying, and the fetish of stolen action, which is mostly unleashed by girls, is damn emphatic. Subjectively, I have nothing to complain about. 3 ½ [I’m tempted to enjoy this romp using the effects of Cameron’s technology.] (26.10.2010)

Over-stylized and ultimately laughable in the most negative sense. Anderson takes the series back under his wings and thus returns it exactly according to my expectations into the waters of dull mediocrity. The perpetually slowed-down action quotes all the parts of Matrix, the actors literally kill it with their performances (surprisingly even the completely exhausted Milla), and the plot only moves forward thanks to the nonsensical behavior of the characters or glaring logical mistakes. Unbearable like the first two parts, but Afterlife is not. Its transparency and simplicity predispose it to a relatively brisk story and a few cool action moments. In everything else, however, the expected tragedy. (26.11.2010)

A stupid movie that tries to be incredibly cool, but wherever the director sets his foot, grass doesn't grow for seven years. The action scenes are dull with unbelievably long slow-motion shots, not-so-great characters, no plot progression whatsoever, and throughout the entire film, we only change locations maybe two or three times – very little for an action flick of this type. The ending and the main villain are not good either. We're basically back to zero again. The 3D definitely helps, not all the details are completely terrible. There are a few usable moments, but that is barely enough for a below-average rating. And this is considering the whole series, which didn't start off bad at all. (17.10.2010)

This is the thing about the Resident Evil series: The first one is stupid, tries to be something more than it is and is badly shot, the second one is also stupid but doesn't pretend and looks a bit better, the third one is good in almost all aspects... And the fourth one... It's in the same boat as the second film. Extinction, directed by Russell Mulcahy, simply set the bar pretty damn high and I don't know about others, but I expected Afterlife to be even bigger (which is not to say better). It wasn’t. I was actually quite surprised at how intimate a spectacle it is. The special effects and visuals are very good, but the rest... Brrr. The beginning with the clones is boring, the point with Alaska is expected, the characters from the Los Angeles prison are atrocious... And where's a big scene? And why was the ending completely lazy? Anderson just couldn't pull it off. When he rips off The Matrix, he does it as blatantly as he can (the comparison with the rip-offs of all sorts seen in the previous film, but which had energy and pizzazz, is pathetic), he runs out of ideas.... But what the hell, there's gonna be another film anyway. And I think I'm gonna watch it. But hopefully someone else will get behind the camera. (12.11.2011)

Despite my apprehension, the fourth installment of Resident Evil wasn't that bad, it was a tad better than Extinction. I appreciated that there was no annoying speechifying. The whole film would have looked much better if it hadn't been shot almost entirely in slow motion. I have to applaud the filmmakers for their exemplary knowledge of the laws of physics. I would encourage them to get thrown from the 20th floor in a metal container. As long as they hit water, they should be fine. I'm no Sheldon Cooper, but this was too much even for me. I don't mean to sound overly critical, it did make me laugh for a long time, so this scene was actually a plus. The action scenes looked decent, the monsters looked monstrous, and Albert Wesker looked positively sleazy. (08.11.2016)