I watched Paul W.S. Anderson‘s Resident Evil: Afterlife starring Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, and Wentworth Miller. Most of what the viewer was expecting from this horror franchise film is what they received. There are many things that the Resident Evil horror film series has done right: (initially) evolving lead character, moderately effective rock-and-roll score, Rated R violence, and an interesting – though severely flawed – plot. The plot was always nonsensical with massive plot holes, cop-outs, and was never scary in the slightest. What was surprising was that some of the things that the series did right were not mentioned in Resident Evil: Afterlife. If some were carried over from Resident Evil: Extinction to Resident Evil: Afterlife, they were dropped within the first fifteen minutes of the film. It wasn’t all bad though. I did like when Albert Wesker (Jason O’Mara) was approaching the the plane bleeding after the Tokyo facility attack. That was a well-shot scene and seemed like a segment from a far greater film outside of theResident Eviluniverse. The other *begin spoiler* was the Resident Evil: Afterlife: Jill Valentine Sienna Miller scene*end spoiler*.
Here is a comprehensive list of what went wrong with Resident Evil: Afterlife:
Clone Death
All the Alice (Milla Jovovich) clones were killed at the beginning of the film.
The Powers
All of Alice’s “powers” got taken away at the beginning of the film. What a cop-out and lack of writing prowess this script decision was by Paul W.S. Anderson. If Alice retained her powers, she would have been in virtually no danger from the enemies present in the film and something different and far more powerful would have had to have been her adversary in this film. This decision was a house cleaning, wiping the slate clean like David Fincher did at the beginning of Aliens 3. My question is: Why build Alice Abernathy up in that way if you did not know where to take it or her? Her escalating powers made her unique – a Firestarter if you will – in a zombie horror film. By taking her powers away, Anderson made her character less interesting.
The Logic Needle
Why didn’t Albert Wesker take Alice’s powers away and poison her coterminous with the same potion? Why go through the “recall” speech, which inadvertently was one of the better sections of dialogue in the film, and try to shot her afterward instead of that quick and easy approach?
My guess is that Anderson felt the audience had come on a journey with Alice and should continue with her, the original Alice, instead of a clone or the clones. I can understand this common writer’s logic but it was a non-forward thinking decision. It would have been far more interesting with multiple Alices in the series from that point on, each one trying to stake their own claim on a separate identity instead of the communal one they were born into.
The Trip Abroad
How did Alice get the clones to Toyko, Japan in that apocalyptic world? If they flew, wouldn’t Umbrella’s satellites have detected a plane or helicopter? They did later in the film. Big inconsistency.
The Goram Plane Crash
How did Alice survive the Wesker plane crash at the beginning of the film…without a scratch? She had her powers taken away i.e. no Wolverine-like healing factor. She was not strapped into a seat and went flying forward when the plane hit. How is that possible? That’s not even possible in a comic book. The plane suddenly stopped yet everything in the plane not strapped down continued forward at that speed. How could she survive that (with nothing broken no less)? Then in the next scene, she’s flying some other plane with no scabs, scarring on her face or neck of any kind yet is wearing make-up. Why? For the audience?
Why didn’t Wesker put the plane on auto-pilot after injecting Alice, before giving the “recall” speech? Planes do not fly themselves unless programmed and instructed to. Did he seriously forget he was the only one flying the plane? This was an severely asinine plot point by Anderson.
Ogre Champion
What is that giant in the film? How does that exist? Where did it come from? There is no human on the planet nine and half feet tall.
Salon Factor
As was mentioned in part under The Goram Plane Crash, why is the female cast of Resident Evil: Afterlife wearing make-up e.g. lip stick and how is their hair perfectly conditioned and styled? This is extreme nitpicking but that does not make it untrue. I know Resident Evil has always and will always be nonsensical popcorn-fare. This is what Screen Gems and Davis-Films want. I guess some beauty parlors and make-up shops never close, not even after a zombie apocalypse.
Body Armor
Body armor is either not worn or does not work in the film e.g. the Umbrella security guards. Bullets strike their chests and kill them. Why don’t the Alice clones wear any body armor at the beginning of the film? Wouldn’t it be prudent to protect your life as much as possible going into a dangerous situation?
More Gripes
Why does Alice’s plane never run out of gas yet is flying all over the world it seems?
How does Alice recharge her camcorder?
The amount of torches and their placement in the prison are completely ridiculous. Come on. Seventy or Eighty of them it seems. Thirty feet off the ground? Their going to go through all of that extraordinary effort (like this article) to light a single room? Please.
How does Alice know what plane Wesker will choose to escape the Tokyo facility in?
How do the people garbed in white in those tubes at the end of the film eat, drink and re-leave themselves? No tubes were hooked up to their mouths so they could eat or to their privates so they could excrete.
The Absence of The Queen
The A.I., Red Queen (Michaela Dicker) – nor its later incarnation White Queen (Madeline Carroll) – are present in the film. I was very happy that the A.I. was upgraded in the third Resident Evil film from the first film. The viewer was presented with a cleaner hologram in Resident Evil: Extinction and it made sense.
All of that was dropped in the Resident Evil: Afterlife. White Queen could have been present in the Tokyo Umbrella facility at the beginning of the film and on the ship at the end of the film. This was another unfortunate story decision by Paul W.S. Anderson. It would have been good for continuity between all of the films. That’s why the original Alice has been kept alive all this time, hasn’t it?
In Conclusion
Before anyone says anything, I know I analyzed and scrutinized this popcorn horror film far more closely than the film deserves, than the person that wrote it, and the team that read the shooting draft of the script and green-lit it. I’m well aware of these facts. I may even have too much time on my hands. These are all entirely possible. What is also true is that this horror film franchise continuously wastes the vast resources put into it, the talent bestowed upon it, and its intrinsic potential.
FAQs
Sadly, the Resident Evil adaptations have never recaptured this tone, with the early movies focusing too much on being cool and the later adaptations being filled with Marvel-tier comedy. Another big reason the adaptations have failed is that their original stories just aren't as good as the stories from the games.
Is Resident Evil: Afterlife a good movie? ›
An action-packed continuation of the Resident Evil franchise that is definitely worth watching in 3D. The 3D effects are excellent, and then the film becomes even better. Milla Jovovich is always excellent as Alice, and Ali Larter is the right choice for Claire Redfield.
How did Alice survive the plane crash in Resident Evil: Afterlife? ›
The original Alice ambushes him, but Wesker injects her with a serum that neutralizes the T-virus in her system, eliminating her superhuman powers and making her human again. He reveals that his T-Virus powers have surpassed her own, but before he can kill her, the aircraft crashes and Alice emerges from the wreckage.
Why is Alice not in the new Resident Evil movie? ›
Alice not appearing in a Resident Evil game also makes sense logically, since the movies depict a bleak, post-apocalyptic future, whereas the video games do not. The Final Chapter was conceived as the end for Alice on the big screen, so it's unlikely she'll appear in another movie.
Who is the woman at the end of Resident Evil afterlife? ›
SPOILER WARNING: After about a 1 minute or so of end credits there comes a surprise scene with Jill Valentine, even though Sienna Guillory receives screen credit before the scene appears.
Why do people not like Resident Evil movies? ›
The main reason is because the director & writer doesn't follow most of the source material. All they did was add zombies, a few references from the games like Umbrella, character names, Nemesis and so forth.
Is there a sequel to Resident Evil: Afterlife? ›
Resident Evil: Afterlife (September 10, 2010) Resident Evil: Retribution (September 14, 2012) Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (December 23, 2016) Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (November 24, 2021)
Who is the bad guy in Resident Evil: Afterlife? ›
The Axemen are major antagonists from Resident Evil: Afterlife and Resident Evil: Retribution. They are mutated zombies that serve as a recreation of the Executioner Majini from Resident Evil 5. They were portrayed by Ray Olubowale and Kevin Shand.
Why is Alice so powerful Resident Evil? ›
In Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Alice discovers that she has been genetically altered by exposure to the T-virus. Alice is explained to have adapted to the changes from the T-Virus, merging human characteristics and enhanced strength, speed, and agility as well as a limited degree of superhuman healing.
Why did Alice lose her powers in afterlife? ›
In Resident Evil: Afterlife, Alice's superhuman abilities have been taken away by Albert Wesker, who injected her with a serum that disabled her T-virus cells; however, at the end of Resident Evil: Retribution, Wesker injects her with the T-virus and restores her powers, saying that Alice and her powers are the last, ...
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)
The story comes full circle as Alice returns to The Hive below Raccoon City in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.
Which Alice is the real Alice Resident Evil? ›
It is revealed that her real name is not Alice Abernathy but Janice Prospero. A conscious decision was made early on to make this the bloodiest of the Resident Evil films.
Is Alice the cure in Resident Evil? ›
The T-virus was originally designed as a cure by Dr. James Marcus for his ailing daughter Alicia to cure her progeria. Dr. Alexander Isaacs betrayed Marcus, killed him, and set the virus loose on the globe.
Was Alice always a clone in Resident Evil? ›
The original Alice is in fact a clone herself, making these Alice clones, clones of a clone. A serum derived from the blood of the clones in Extinction that were used as test subjects resulted in the creation of the Super Undead.
Why did Jill become evil? ›
Her reputation was ruined after a botched investigation known as "The Arklay Mountains Incident". She gained insight into a "classified bioweapon weakness", which was said to be a "cranial flaw".
Is Alice the woman Alicia could never become? ›
Isaacs then reveals to Alice that she was always a clone of Alicia Marcus. With this revelation, the antivirus would kill her since it would destroy anything infected by the T-virus.
Why wasn t Jill in Resident Evil 6? ›
Given this, it is possible that the reason why Capcom has been ignoring Jill Valentine is due to the fact that the games where she served as the main protagonist didn't perform as well as those that featured Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy.
Who is the most favorite Resident Evil character? ›
Ranking The 15 Best Resident Evil Characters Of All Time
- 8 HUNK.
- 7 Ada Wong.
- 6 The Merchant.
- 5 Albert Wesker.
- 4 Chris Redfield.
- 3 Nemesis.
- 2 Leon S. Kennedy.
- 1 Jill Valentine.
While each version of Resident Evil 2 has its own strengths and weaknesses, Resident Evil 2's remake is almost certainly the scarier of the two titles. This is easily the scariest “over-the-shoulder” Resident Evil game ever made.
Was Resident Evil movies flop? ›
Though the films have received generally negative reviews from critics, the Resident Evil series has grossed over $1.2 billion.
Franchise: Resident Evil
| Rank | Release | Lifetime Gross |
|---|
| 1 | Resident Evil: Afterlife | $60,128,566 |
| 2 | Resident Evil: Apocalypse | $51,201,453 |
| 3 | Resident Evil: Extinction | $50,648,679 |
| 4 | Resident Evil: Retribution | $42,345,531 |
2 more rowsInstead of filling the screen with hordes of monsters you have to defeat, Resident Evil 7 took a step back and concentrated its efforts on making every enemy meaningful. While minor creatures are still threatening Ethan's life, these simpler enemies are confined in specific sections of the game as a challenge.
Who released the T-virus in Resident Evil movie? ›
Spence and Alice remember that Spence was the thief who stole and purposefully released the T-virus, and hid the T-virus and anti-virus on the train.
Where is Raccoon City? ›
Raccoon City is a fictional city in the survival horror franchise Resident Evil where it was the setting of many games. It was a small, industrialized city located in Arklay County, an isolated mountain county in the Midwestern United States.
Who is the strongest Resident Evil villain? ›
While almost all of the big bosses in Resident Evil 7 and superhuman levels of powerful, Mother Miranda is the one who created them all, and as such she's the most powerful overall.
Who is the most annoying Resident Evil character? ›
It is safe to say that Ramon Salazar does not have many fans and is considered one of the most irritating villains in the franchise. His obnoxious laugh, dialogue, mannerisms, and childlike behavior led to players rejoicing when they finally got a chance to get rid of him.
Who is the scariest Resident Evil villain? ›
One of the scariest and best Resident Evil villains is the Umbrella Corporation employee Alex Wesker. A part of the infamous Wesker Family, Alex was raised under the wing of Oswell Spencer in the hopes of inhibiting a Progenitor Virus.
Who is the smartest Resident Evil character? ›
1 Alexia Ashford
agent Rebecca Chambers proved their raw intellect, achieving degrees and doctorates very young. In that regard, Alexia Ashford has everyone in the Resident Evil franchise beaten: she was just ten years old when she got her job at Umbrella after graduating!
Who is immune to the T-Virus? ›
One of the few positives of the T-Virus is that it can't infect everyone. Around 10% of the population are naturally immune to the virus. The cruel geniuses at Umbrella, however, found a workaround by creating Hunters to kill any survivors.
Who is stronger Wesker or Alice? ›
In the movies obviously Alice wins the good guys always have to win. But if a realistic fight between the two provialed I honestly think Weskor would take it through cunning, speed and just overall being a little ahead of Alice.
The original Alice ambushes him, but Wesker injects her with a serum that neutralizes the T-virus in her system, eliminating her superhuman powers and making her human again.
Is Alice immune to the T-virus? ›
Alice has the rage virus teeming in her blood but is immune to its effects. However she is a carrier who could infect others with her saliva or blood.
Why was Daphne not in afterlife? ›
She has been replaced by Kath Hughes as Coleen. “We tried to make it work with Mandeep," Gervais told RadioTimes.com. "So did she, but she had a contract with this thing in America and it got closer and she just couldn't do it. Because of COVID, she had to go early.
Who betrayed Alice in Resident Evil? ›
In the film, Alice and her friends are betrayed by Albert Wesker, who gathers the entire forces of the Umbrella Corporation into one final strike against the apocalypse survivors.
How many kills does Alice have in Resident Evil? ›
Lead heroine Alice (Milla Jovovich) was responsible for 271 of the film's kills. Other notable films based on videogames with high body counts include Resident Evil: Extinction (195), House of the Dead (166), Bloodrayne (102), Doom (96), Far Cry (65) and the 2007 original of Hitman (56).
Is Alice in Resident Evil Raccoon City? ›
There are treats in Welcome to Raccoon City—the inclusion of a Palm Pilot is one of them. In lieu of Alice (who would still be in grade school according to the timeline of the Resident Evil universe) is former Umbrella Orphanage resident Claire Renfield (Kaya Scodelario).
Did Alice have a daughter? ›
Alice's Daughter is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. She is portrayed by Milli Wilkinson.
Why is it called the T virus? ›
Marcus-Birkin project
Dr. James Marcus' research led to a breakthrough on January 13th, 1978, which led to the coining of the name "t-Virus" to distinguish it from the Progenitor Virus. The new strain was developed by splicing annelid genes into the viral genome.
What happened to Jill Valentine? ›
Neither of their bodies were recovered, and Valentine is declared dead. In fact, she was injured by the fall and taken hostage by Wesker, who then used her as a test subject in his biological experiments.
What virus does Alice have in Resident Evil? ›
In The Final Chapter, while Alice has the T-virus inside of her, she displays none of her former powers. The Red Queen states that Wesker had only pretended to restore her powers. All of her T-virus cells and any abilities they may have granted her are eradicated by the anti-virus at the end of The Final Chapter.
He injects her with a watered-down version of the T-Virus, falsely claiming that she now had all her powers back. Wesker explains that she is THE weapon that humanity needs to win the war against the Red Queen.
What happened to Alice's daughter in Resident Evil final chapter? ›
In the novelization for Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, Becky is revealed to have survived the destruction of the White House because someone locked her in a safe room. At the end of the novel, Alice finds her again with the help of the Red Queen.
How did Alice survive the plane crash? ›
How did Alice survive the Wesker plane crash at the beginning of the film… without a scratch? She had her powers taken away i.e. no Wolverine-like healing factor. She was not strapped into a seat and went flying forward when the plane hit.
Why didn't Alice mutate? ›
Alice is a composite engineered being, created after the likeness of one of the director's daughters and given the memories (in one of the later subsequent films) of another. She was infected with the T-virus but proved to be unaffected by the virus itself, thanks in part to her genetic structuring.
Did the Resident Evil movies do well? ›
Resident Evil is one of the most successful video game to movie adaptations ever, spawning an entire series. Using IMDb ratings, we find the best one. It's no secret that most movies based on video games are met with a lackluster response from audience members.
What made Resident Evil 6 so bad? ›
Capcom created an expansive story that has players travel the globe, but that takes away the essential isolated feeling of Resident Evil games. Capcom made RE6 too big and action-oriented, which ends up being detrimental to its reception by players.
Why did Netflix Resident Evil fail? ›
While the show was successful in terms of viewership, many who watched it seemingly only did so in order to see how much of a train wreck it was. Resident Evil also released during a time of instability for Netflix, with a large number of subscribers canceling their subscriptions due to a lack of quality content.
Which Resident Evil movie made the most money? ›
Franchise: Resident Evil
| Rank | Release | Lifetime Gross |
|---|
| 1 | Resident Evil: Afterlife | $60,128,566 |
| 2 | Resident Evil: Apocalypse | $51,201,453 |
| 3 | Resident Evil: Extinction | $50,648,679 |
| 4 | Resident Evil: Retribution | $42,345,531 |
2 more rowsBest-selling Resident Evil video games worldwide as of December 2022, by units sold (in millions)
| Characteristic | Unit sales in millions |
|---|
| Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999) | 3.5 |
| Resident Evil Revelations 2 (2015) | 3.1 |
| Resident Evil 4 (2016) | 2.9 |
| Resident Evil (1996) | 2.75 |
9 more rowsFeb 2, 2023
Resident Evil's haunted house atmosphere and limited combat options always made it scarier than many subsequent titles in the series. Well, this remake ups the ante through the introduction of the terrifying Crimson Heads enemies who just might be the most intimidating “regular” foes in franchise history.
The Scariest Resident Evil Games, Ranked
- 8 Resident Evil: Revelations.
- 7 Resident Evil 4.
- 6 Resident Evil (2002)
- 5 Resident Evil 2 (2019)
- 4 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)
- 3 Resident Evil 4 Remake.
- 2 Resident Evil Village.
- 1 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.
Resident Evil: 14 Scariest Villains
- Oswell Spencer. As the CEO and President of the Umbrella Corporation, Oswell Spencer is known to make such heartless decisions that have led to many viral outbreaks and deaths all over the world. ...
- Alex Wesker. ...
- James Marcus. ...
- Eveline. ...
- Nemesis. ...
- Lisa Trevor. ...
- Living Dolls. ...
- Jack Baker.
For many fans, Resident Evil 2 (both the original and the remake) are the gold standard when it comes to both gameplay and story. Much like its sequel, Resident Evil 3, RE2 sees its principal characters, Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield attempting to navigate the zombie-infested Raccoon City.
Why is Resident Evil 7 the scariest? ›
Part of what makes Resident Evil 7 so scary is its array of villains and enemies. Whether it be killer insects or a marauding member of the Baker family, the shadows always carry a promise of danger.
Why was the Resident Evil series Cancelled? ›
Although there is no official reason as to why Netflix did not renew a second season, it is felt that the series failed on numerous levels, such as horrendous dialogue like the reference to Zootopia fan fiction, its confusing narrative, and also poor performances.
Did Resident Evil get cancelled? ›
'Resident Evil' Canceled After One Season at Netflix - Variety.
Did Netflix Resident Evil get Cancelled? ›
Netflix cancels Resident Evil after one season. The show premiered on July 14. It's game over for Netflix's Resident Evil TV series.
