Last showing in franchise follows video game film pitfalls with overdone violence 
As history has shown us, it’s a clear sign of critical doom for a film when it isn’t released for an early showing for critics. It usually means that either the filmmakers know the critics won’t like it or they don’t care because they know it’s going to be profitable.
Video game movies have never been favorites in the eyes of critics, but apparently they have been favorites in the eyes of the public. This is especially true for the “Resident Evil” franchise, which has grossed over $660 million at the worldwide box office becoming the highest grossing video game movie franchise in history.
So why have people been seeing these movies? Well, if it’s not for compelling stories, interesting characters, believable dialogue and gripping action (because they don’t exist in the franchise), maybe it’s for the flat acting, bad writing and violent, ludicrous bloodbaths.
Besides the fact that it makes money, the title to the fifth film “Resident Evil: Retribution” probably fully explains why there actually is a fifth film in the first place: as punishment for all of us who don’t like the franchise and are forced to sit through yet another movie.
Explaining the story to “Retribution” would require some reflecting of past “Resident Evil” plot points, but I don’t want to waste your time or mine. In fact, the movie does that for us with an extremely blunt rundown of the series’ story line with the camera reminding us about how easy on the eyes Milla Jovovich is.
All one needs to know is that Alice (Jovovich) is back fighting the evil Umbrella Corporation, a company responsible for letting loose a virus on the world that caused the zombie apocalypse.
So what does Alice do about it? The same thing that she has been doing for the past 10 years and four movies: strut around in a skin-tight suit that would make Catwoman envious while possessing enough firepower to make her an honorary member of al-Qaida.
Earlier this year when I reviewed the mundane “Underworld: Awakening,” I recall writing that the “Resident Evil” has become to Jovovich what the “Underworld” series is to Kate Beckinsale: a critically-hated series that brings in the money and keeps giving her work. After seeing the fifth installment of the “Resident Evil” franchise, I still stand by that statement to the full extent of my soul.
If the Resident Evil series is trying to confirm that Jovovich can act, it’s really hard to tell when she’s constantly trying to rival Uma Thurman (“Kill Bill”) and Beckinsale for “bad-ass woman of the century.” She keeps delivering one flat performance after another that includes feeble one-liners. But to her credit, I’m sure as that she has realized by now that these movies don’t require much effort when it comes to acting.
If this installment does come off as bloodier than its predecessors, it’s only because of a special staging trick that director Paul W.S. Anderson employs. Some of the bloodier brawls occur in white, bright futuristic hallways where Alice shoots some zombie brains and the blood comes out redder.
But what’s terrible about this film is that Anderson doesn’t just sacrifice plot and character development, but he refuses to add any inventiveness to the story. Anyone who has seen some of the most well-known and well-made science fiction films could easily recognize the borrowed plot elements.
For instance, there’s the motherly compassion that Alice feels toward the little clone Becky. This relationship is supposed to be a way for Alice to keep her sanity among all the killing and zombies, but did Anderson really have to make it obviously similar to the Ripley and Newt mother/daughter relationship from “Aliens” (I mean, little Becky gets trapped in a gleaming egg-like container, for crying out loud).
Anderson may mean well by giving returning audiences what they like about the franchise. But for newcomers, the experience can serve as a reminder of how joyless video game movies can be, as joyless as watching your friends play a video game and never getting the chance to try it yourself.
For the next sequel ----— and yes, there will no doubt be another sequel as the ending — the franchise will be more creative and rip us off. Or maybe not. Maybe the real “retribution” here is to keep making these films terrible until critics start liking them.