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Monday, January 10, 2011

BD impressions: Resident Evil: Afterlife

5:10 PM / BD Impressions / 2 Comments

The film: To the surprise of absolutely no-one at all, this fourth instalment in the RESIDENT EVIL series is mind-bogglingly stupid, filled with inane plot contrivances, one-dimensional throwaway characters, dodgy acting and less than convincing visual effects. That doesn't stop it being very entertaining. Paul W.S. Anderson, who has written each instalment in addition to directing the first one, returns to the director's seat, and while I'm not about to make any great claims as to his abilities this is, as per the quote on the front cover from that esteemed journal of film criticism, The Sun, "The best Resident Evil sequel yet." The first one (which is actually a pretty solid zombie action movie once you accept that it has little to do with the video games on which it purports to be based) still reigns supreme, but this sequel does exactly what it sets out to do, and doesn't try to punch above its weight - would that all summer blockbusters were this unabashedly entertaining. Predictably, it ends with what is basically a teaser for RESIDENT EVIL 5, but I can't say I'm complaining: this is one of those series where an endless deluge of sequels aren't going to do much to damage its credibility or reputation. 6/10

Image quality: The first RESIDENT EVIL film to be shot digitally (and the first 3D entry too, though I picked up the 2D version as it worked out £2 cheaper), and the image is very good indeed. The compression is superbly handled throughout and detail is at times jaw-droppingly good, although on other occasions it's less impressive. These discrepancies are, however, unlikely to be due to any sort of tinkering and are more than likely simply down to the original photography. For some reason the blacks are raised throughout (really noticeable during the opening logos, closing credits and various fades to black), which is annoying because if ever a film called for deep, inky blacks, it's this one.

As a result, it doesn't look quite as good as RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION, the best-looking instalment in the series on BD, though it's not a straightforward comparison to make given that it was shot on 35mm (the more aesthetically pleasing of the two, in my opinion) while this one is digital. At least one stylistic trait has been carried over from #3 to #4, though: the sporadic airbrushing under Milla Jovovich's eyes (see Example 1). Note to filmmakers: please stop doing this. It looks awful. 9/10

Resident Evil: Afterlife
studio: Sony Pictures; country: UK; region code: ABC; codec: AVC;
file size: 25.4 GB; average bit rate (including audio): 37.58 Mbit/sec

2 Comments

 
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