Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 16, 2017

All good things come to an end. So too do mediocre and bad things. The Resident Evil franchise falls somewhere in that middle "mediocre" pack, standing as, arguably (and there's not a lot of room for argument), the best movie series ever based on a video game. Where most of them have fallen flat or, worse, completely embarrassed themselves, Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil series is a beacon of competence, excitement, and storytelling, none of those (save, perhaps, "competence") at any sort of high level but enough to keep the series relatively strong at six films and entertaining audiences in search of agreeable post-apocalyptic mayhem, replete with excess violence, monsters, gunplay, clever kills, and mostly well-developed characters along the way. This "final chapter" doesn't deviate much from the formula, seeing the movie return to its roots and complete Alice's story of violent adventure through a dead world, finally getting to the heart of Umbrella Corporation and fighting to put an end to the madness that has defined her life, or at least the life that she can remember.

Alice (Milla Jovovich) awakens amongst the ruins of Washington, D.C. She comes into contact with the Red Queen (Ever Gabo Anderson) who directs her to return to Raccoon City, and more precisely Umbrella Corp headquarters, and prevent those in charge from releasing a deadly antivirus that will finish the job and wipe out the rest of the living. And she has only 48 hours to do so. At the same time, Umbrella is gathering forces to prevent Alice from successfully making her return. But she eventually teams up with a band of survivors, which includes an old friend in Claire Redfield (Ali Larter), and the team makes its final push on Umbrella in a desperate attempt to save what's left of the world.

The plot is terribly basic, meaning the linear progression that sees Alice essentially thrown into action once again, this time with the stakes higher than ever. The film doesn't differentiate itself from others in the series in that regard -- it is, stylistically, very much a Resident Evil film -- but its saving grace, and the reason to watch, is in how it unfolds Umbrella and universe lore, expands its story as the series closes it down, offering a final full-circle push as it approaches the series' (supposed) climax. There's enough narrative relevance here, concerning the series rather than the individual film, to satisfy fans. As a pure standalone movie it's a bit of a failure, a tech reel, more or less, with various creative ways of killing off heroes and villains alike, but as the end of what is now a six-film arc, the results satisfy. One must, then, view the film in its proper context. It's crude story means nothing. It's greater value comes to the series as a whole, making it a fine finish for fans but a flop for newcomers, even for those who are just looking for something with action and violence to kill off 100 minutes.

Otherwise, it's fairly straightforward, a solid enough blend of crude action -- some of which hearkens back to previous entries in the series, particularly all of the various traps throughout Umbrella -- and lore. Anderson directs like a series veteran, which he obviously is, squeezing out just enough intensity but also familiarity to amp up fans and keep the movie clicking along at a seriously high-level pace. This is Resident Evil without any training wheels, deeply established, confident, and...not much else, really. Anderson has the formula down to a science, and he interweaves the action and dramatic bits with equal ability, the former a nice blend of grace and sledgehammer intensity and the latter in both slow-drip and sudden reveals to keep the viewer glued to the screen in those rare instances where blood, bullets, and mayhem aren't littering the screen. The cast is equally up to the challenge. Jovovich is never phased, regardless of how deep into the ringer her character travels. She maintains the same persona, intensity level, and believability for the duration, much like the movie, whether she's blasting baddies or sorting the story out. The movie is visually drab, but effective in painting the final picture of the world as it's been for the series' duration.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter isn't an inherently attractive film. It's digital, and even shot at high resolution, the movie is fairly pasty and certainly lacking much, if any, significant color punch. The film's drab, dreary post apocalyptic landscapes present in earthy, worn-down, fatigued shades of brown. Even blood lacks any real substance. Bright red digital holograms are about the only source of exceptionally vibrant color. The palette shifts to a cooler blend of blues and grays at Umbrella, but even still the movie takes on a predominantly dark, inhospitable filtering. Details are fine, but the movie's natural state doesn't allow for any serious dazzle. Skin can actually appear rather pasty, though clothes and various environments, whether real or digital, to take on an appropriate level of sharpness. Still, the image appears fairly accurate to the source; Anderson's film is intentionally worn down and never intends to dazzle audiences with its visual wares. With solid black levels, flesh tones that are reflective of the film's color scheme and lighting, and precious few source flaws or compression artifacts, this is a rock-solid reproduction, even if it's somewhat underwhelming.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

With Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, Sony has once again left out the UHD's Atmos track in favor of a scaled-down audio presentation, this time serving up a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack in its place. The good news is that the track is just fine as-is. It's exhilarating, really, with only one or two areas in need of improvement. Music, which is often sharp, edgy, and heavy, comes widely spaced along both axes. Fronts are pushed hard, surrounds engage quite a bit, and the subwoofer carries the load, resulting in a wonderfully immersive expanse of industrial-type Action/Horror score that always sets the right tone for any given scene. Action effects are unsurprisingly strong, though the counter comes by way of puny gunfire during a major battle sequence in chapter seven. Things do improve on that front as the film moves along and shots gain significant strength and depth. General action chaos -- crashes, screams, explosions -- are appropriately dense, detailed, and pack the soundstage with smartly positioned and seamlessly immersive chaos. Discrete and in-motion effects alike are well balanced and aggressive. Atmospherics, as small as they may be, do help to open up the stage in quieter moments and draw the listener into the movie's world. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized from its natural home in the front-center speaker.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter contains a picture-in-picture feature and several featurettes. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Retaliation Mode with Paul & Milla (1080p, 2:16:42, DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1): In lieu of a commentary track, Sony has included another intercutting behind-the-scenes supplement that features the married couple reminiscing about the series and, of course, covering this film in some detail: cast, crafting various scenes, and plenty more.
• Stunts & Weaponry (1080p, 9:03): As the title suggests, this piece examines the elements that allow the movie to flex its muscles.
• Explore the Hive (1080p, 4:18): Taking a look at a key location in this film and the franchise.
• The Bad Ass Trinity & The Women of Resident Evil (1080p, 6:32): A quick discussion of the series' female-centric presentation and the strong female characters throughout the franchise.
• Sneak Peek: Resident Evil: Vendetta (1080p, 4:22): A short preview for the upcoming digitally animated film, including interviews and clips from the film.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The last Resident Evil film isn't the best, but it's the most important, with the possible exception of the first one. It's stylistically every bit Resident Evil, but its various revelations make it, obviously, a must-see for fans, even if the action isn't particularly groundbreaking or, frankly, even all that exciting in the grand scheme of things. Anderson and company do well to bring it all full circle, including some moments that hearken back to the original, on the way to wrapping it up nice and tidy but certainly leaving some wiggle room for a spin-off or sequel. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter's Blu-ray release is quite good. Video and audio are excellent and the included supplemental content is fine. Recommended.