6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
While still out to destroy the evil Umbrella Corporation, Alice joins a group of survivors who want to relocate to the mysterious but supposedly unharmed safe haven known only as Arcadia.
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts (II), Sergio Peris-MenchetaAction | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 66% |
Thriller | 61% |
Horror | 42% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Hindi, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Bonus View (PiP)
BD-Live
Blu-ray 3D
movieIQ
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
There is hope.
Director Paul W.S. Anderson is back behind the camera for Resident Evil: Afterlife, the fourth installment in the popular zombie-infested,
video
game-based franchise that's made actress Mila Jovovich something of an Action icon as a gun-toting, butt-kicking lead, settling in as Hollywood's
number
two guns-blazing star of the fairer sex behind Angelina "Salt" Croft. With Zombies as popular as ever and playing the part of featured attraction
in,
it seems, as many movies, novels, and video
games as there are meandering undead in and around Western Pennsylvania's Monroeville Mall, Anderson's franchise seems a safe bet to keep on plopping
Jovovich in front of hordes of disfigured baddies, armed with as many guns and bladed weapons on her person as she can safely tote. Still, amidst all
the
Zombie hoopla, Resident Evil just doesn't seem to epitomize the genre. The movies favor slick visuals rather than bleak backdrops and
prefer
to riddle the screen with bullets rather than take the time to develop characters. It's all good, though; the Resident Evil series
works as mindless fun, just the kind of entertainment any zombie worth its weight in maggots will love.
More double-barreled fun...now in 3D!
Resident Evil: Afterlife may have been filmed with the Avatar 3D system, but the results aren't nearly as good, at least on
Blu-ray.
Sony's latest Blu-ray 3D release just doesn't have all that many extra-dimensional muscles to flex. The majority of the 3D presentation is almost
indistinguishable from
the 2D counterpart; depth is quite weak for a native 3D title and only printed text, a few gimmicky effects, and several segments in the final act truly
differentiate themselves as obviously 3D in nature. Most of the movie lacks that 3D punch and depth of field, with most scenes sure to leave viewers
wondering of their glasses are even turned on. That the transfer does handle some of more gimmicky effects quite well, which seems fitting for a
movie made to
entertain the senses first and engage the mind second. The 3D transfer does well to send spent shell casings flying out of the screen and throw
chunks of
concrete walls and blood and gore towards the audience as they're ripped apart by flying bullets during the film's extended opening action sequence.
Weapons pointed outward seem to want to protrude from the screen
in
several scenes but ultimately fail to really do so. There are a few spurts of solid 3D depth; the long-deserted makeshift airfield in Alaska as it appears
in
chapter four sees dozens of planes stretching well back into the recesses of the screen, and various overhead shots do well to offset objects closer to
the
frame from those further away from it, but otherwise, this one's just not very eye-catching from a purely 3D perspective. Things do improve in the
final act when the characters
find themselves in vast, nearly empty white rooms that appear to stretch well beyond the limits of the television. The transfer manages a sustained
3D
appearance in several sequences, but even they don't necessarily make watching the movie in 3D worth the effort.
Aside from the disappointing 3D aspects, Sony's Blu-ray 3D release of Resident Evil: Afterlife impresses a great deal. The remaining factors
are practically identical to the film's 2D-only counterpart. The color palette appears accurate and true to the source
during 3D playback with the picture remaining grounded in a bleak gray and blue color scheme while emphasizing only reds and, later in the movie,
bright white.
Detail is striking throughout as well; faces could stand a bit more texture and realism, but dirty clothes, long-neglected planes and choppers covered in
rust and dust, and other assorted objects manage to look quite good. Blacks are inky and accurate, rarely appearing too dark and therefore proving
detrimental to fine details. Additionally, the transfer is technically sound; the HD video source is meticulously clean and appears free of excess noise,
and banding is kept to a bare minimum. It's unfortunate that, despite a few strong elements, the 3D image can't sustain a high quality for the
entire runtime. Fortunately, there's no drop off in terms of color, detail, and the like between the 2D and 3D versions of the film (both of which are
available on this disc), but Resident Evil: Afterlife just doesn't give viewers too many reasons to choose the native 3D over the traditional 2D
presentation.
Much like the movie, Resident Evil: Afterlife's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack offers no surprises, but in this instance, that's a good thing. This is a killer listen typical of Sony's usual high quality output. The track delivers a full surround sound extravaganza that boasts crisp highs, a thorough midrange, and punishing lows, all of it perfectly balanced into a track that's a pleasure from beginning to end. Imaging is excellent and directional effects seamless, whether evident in the sensation of heavy doors sliding open towards the sides of the soundstage or bullets zipping mercilessly through the listening area. Gunfire is no doubt this track's signature element, and every shot pops with a distinct clarity and a deadly edge, and the subsequent impact of bullets slamming into various surfaces -- including living, dead, soon to be dead, or undead flesh -- is thoroughly convincing. Music is handled crisply and efficiently around the stage, with the fronts, of course, carrying the bulk of the material but the rears handling their fair share of the action, too. Various atmospheric effects, whether more subtle environmental nuances or more immediate and loud effects such as a screeching alarm klaxon are all handled with precision and a realism that pulls the listener into the movie. Bass is punchy and aggressive; several explosions -- notably a rather large one in chapter three -- toss around some punishing LFE, a key ingredient for any action movie. Rounded out by perfectly balanced and centered dialogue, Resident Evil: Afterlife's soundtrack is primed and ready for zombie killing goodness.
Resident Evil: Afterlife's supplemental section is extensive and maybe even overkill for a movie of this sort. Nevertheless, fans will love the
plethora of featurettes, a multi-participant commentary, and a picture-in-picture supplement. All extras are in 2D.
Ultimately, Resident Evil: Afterlife is, no surprise, nothing but a generic Action movie that's big on spectacle and low on meaning. There's zero originality and the film does nothing that hasn't been done better elsewhere, so there's really not much of a reason to watch. With a storyline that's mildly engaging but that's ultimately just a flimsy excuse to shoot or otherwise maim and (for the second time) kill zombies and most of the main characters, Afterlife is meant to be taken not as a serious picture but instead a comfortable little shoot-em-up that treads well-traversed ground, only in a different pair of shiny new shoes. Unfortunately, Sony's Blu-ray 3D release of Resident Evil: Afterlife lacks the dazzle and depth associated with the better 3D presentations, a surprise to be sure considering the film was shot natively in 3D rather than converted after the fact. Nevertheless, the accompanying extras are solid and the audio track is excellent. Considering that a 2D version is included, 3D ready fans are encouraged to pick up this version, anyway, if it can be found at a price that's no higher than the 2D-only release.
2010
2010
2010
2010
Project Pop Art
2010
The Complete Collection
2010
2010
2012
2007
2004
2002
2016
バイオハザード:ディジェネレーション / Biohazard: Degeneration
2008
Special Edition
2000
1997
2013
Ultimate Collector's Edition
1986
2009
40th Anniversary Edition
1979
1992
2010
2011
バイオハザード ダムネーション / Biohazard: Damnation
2012
3-Disc Set
2010
Collector's Edition
2013
1998
2007