Sunday, August 9, 2009

G.O.R.E. Score Review: "Resident Evil: Degeneration"

G.O.R.E. Score Review: "Resident Evil: Degeneration"

Let me start by saying that “Resident Evil: Degeneration” is not a bad movie. But that could be, at least in part, because “RE:D” feels like you’re watching someone else playing a video game more than it feels like you’re watching a movie.

“RE:D” is the first movie to bear the “Resident Evil” label that isn’t attached to the so-called “Alice trilogy,” the three live-action movies starring Milla Jovovich that focused primarily on the devious Umbrella Corporation and their creation of the zombifying T-Virus. Fans of the Resident Evil/Biohazard video game series know that the story of “RE:D” has branched off from the events of the video game series, reuniting the characters of Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy for the first time since the game Resident Evil 2, first released back in 1998.


The pacing of the story is good, but as I mentioned before, it’s hard to shake the fact that it truly feels like you’re watching a video game unfold before you. And it’s not just because the movie is totally computer-generated; indeed, that’s one of the best things about the film, as the rendering is gorgeous and the “acting” is significantly better than many live-action zombie movies. Observe, if you will, the basic plotline of this movie, and note the comparisons to your average video game:


--SPOILERS HO!--

-->The movie opens with a nice “newsreel” recap of the timeline of events relevant to the videogame-version of the RE universe, to help separate itself from the “other” RE movies (Videogame equivalent: opening scene/Start screen).

-->The first 30 minutes of the film is comprised of Claire and Leon fighting their way out of a zombie-infested airport (Videogame equivalent: Level 1).

-->The next 20 minutes are spent in unnecessary info-dumping, dragging along with irrelevant sub-plot exposition and just being generally confusing (Videogame equivalent: those annoying in-between level scenes!).

-->The next 40 minutes are spent with the two main characters working their way through the same “level” along different paths: Claire winding through the maze of the WilPharma building, attempting to reach the Control Center; and Leon fighting with the “level boss,” one of the characters who injected himself with the Nemesis-inducing G-Virus for no apparent reason (Videogame equivalent: Levels 2 and 3).

-->The final 20 minutes are spent in the “final fight,” as –surprise!—the “level boss” that should be seven kinds of dead already, has somehow survived for one last climactic fight, a fight that ends ridiculously easily: a team of Marines spent five minutes shooting the Nemesis-man point blank and he was crushed by a falling steel walkway, but ultimately one simple bullet to the head makes him release his grip on the token Girl In Trouble and fall to his death? (Videogame equivalent: Final Level!)


--END SPOILERS--

Okay, now that it sounds like I hate the movie – which I don’t, it’s just a very different kind of film – let’s check in and get the official G.O.R.E. Score numbers:


G: General Entertainment – as I mentioned, the pacing of the story is very high-action, and definitely keeps you entertained. The plot, however, is a little lacking and contrived, especially in the middle of the movie, where things get weighted down with unnecessary attempts at corporate double- and triple-crosses. 6/10
O: Original Content – not really anything significantly different from your average zombie movie here. In fact, the content of actual zombies was pretty slim; the movie focused more on the corporate scheming, and the G-virus/Nemesis “monster,” and the zombies in the movie actually felt like an afterthought. 2/10
R: Realism – the voice actors did the best they could with what they were given, but just as the rest of the movie felt like a video game, so did the dialogue, unfortunately. Attention to “realistic” detail was also fairly slim, with lots of “goofs” noticed even in my first viewing. 2/10
E: Effects and Editing – again, the CGI rendering was amazingly good-looking! Zombies, monsters, explosions, and violence were all top-notch for all a completely digital film. The score was very effective – again, very video game-ish, but it completely fit in with the feel of the film. 8/10

Putting these scores together, we come up with a TOTAL SCORE of 4.5 for “RE:D.” Not exactly top-notch, but I’ve seen much worse, and I suspect you have too. It’s a visually enjoyable film, as long as you don’t mind suffering through the occasional plot hole and kitschy dialogue.

And now, my friends, you know the Score!

--Tony

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