Resident Evil 3D : Afterlife

Review by Anthony Morris

It would be nice to think Resident Evil : Afterlife's title is a nod to the fact that any life in this videogame-based franchise died long ago. 

But where the zombies here are animated by the T-virus (which some people seem somehow to be able to fend off and stay semi-human, while others are turned into giant monsters) this film is animated by something far more sinister : 3D. 

But as the latest long-dead film series given new life by new visual effects, at least director Paul W.S. Anderson knows what to do with his new bag of tricks and for the most part the 3D here is put to relatively good use answering the question :

"What if The Matrix had been filmed in 3D?"

As for the actual story, don't ask.

After an opening battle in a massive underground base involving a regular army versus an army of clones of our heroine Alice (Milla Jovovich), suddenly it's four years later and the now de-super-powered Alice is flying a light plane around looking for survivors. 

Of course, when she finds them they're holed up in a giant prison in L.A. with a massive horde of zombies pounding on the gates.

It doesn't take long for the average folk to get eaten / chopped up / dragged off into the darkness while the badasses get to run around firing guns that don't seem to need reloading no matter how many times you shoot (seriously, it's way over the top). 

While the story alternates between the ultra-simple (they have to escape from their zombie-surrounded jail) and the outright confusing (what the hell is going on with the Umbrella Corporation?), all you really need to know is that the fights are generally entertaining and the dialogue is laughably tough-guy.

Oh, and Jovovich remains a fair better actress than this series deserves or requires.

2.5 out of 5

Resident Evil 3D : Afterlife
Australian release: 14th October, 2010
Official Site: Resident Evil 3D : Afterlife
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Wentworth Miller, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts, Spencer Locke, Kacey Barnfield
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson