Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

by Julianne Snow:

Synopsis:

Resident Evil: Retribution picks up right where Resident Evil: Afterlife leaves off. With Arcadia not the safe haven they once thought it was, the survivors are violently gunned down and Alice is captured. Beneath the snow of an undisclosed location lies Umbrella’s last remaining secret underground facility. In it, you find Alice and a multitude of simulation environments mimicking the outbreak sites from around the world, including Racoon City.

After escaping with the help of a power failure, Alice meets Ada Wong. She tells Alice that Wesker and herself have gone rogue and are now fighting for humanity. Ada also lets Alice know that a team is on the way to the facility to help them escape.

Needing to get to the rendezvous point, Alice and Ada set of across the simulation environments, continually thwarted by the Red Queen’s release of zombies, monsters and more.

Their destination: Topside

Their mission: Get through the simulations alive

Their fate: Haven’t you learned by now that I’m not going to tell you?

Review:

Resident Evil: Retribution is a fantastic film. It picked up right where Resident Evil: Afterlife left off and answered the questions that had been eating away at me since Resident Evil: Extinction. To finally have the franchise come full circle is amazing. Most of the time, you don’t get that with franchises. One plot line can build from the last, but some aspects never get revisited.

The plot was solid and you saw the introduction of new characters, as well as the return of older ones. The mix of characters was brilliant, especially when some of the actors played good and bad “versions” of themselves. Standout performances are given by Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Sienna Guillory, Kevin Durand, and Aryana Engineer.

If you’re looking for zombie action, you’re not going to be disappointed in the least. With scenes you’re sure to find eerily familiar, Anderson definitely keeps the franchise alive while paying homage to the scenes we found disturbing in other installments. The addition of the Las Plagas zombies was brilliant, but don’t worry – your other favourites all make appearances from the Lickers to The Executioner.

The ending of Resident Evil: Retribution is certainly not to be missed either. True to form, Anderson leaves himself open for another installment of one of the best franchises in genre history.

Resident Evil: Retribution is now in theaters.

DarkMedia contributor Julianne Snow was first lulled into the horror genre by her parents during an ill-advised viewing of Alien when she was only 4 years old. Since that date, it’s been a given that Julianne will watch and read anything that is horror related. Her short fiction has appeared in anthologies from Sirens Call Publications and Open Casket Press, as well as The Sirens Call and various other websites showcasing short fiction. She is the author of the Days with the Undead series, which can be found on her website dayswiththeundead.com. Her first novel, Days with the Undead: Book One was published in early 2012 and is based on her popular web serial. Find her on Twitter @CdnZmbiRytr.