Resident Evil 5: Retribution (2012)

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez

Alice fights alongside a resistance movement to regain her freedom from an Umbrella Corporation testing facility.

‘Resident Evil: Retribution’ offers lots of action and shootouts galore, but what’s the plot? There clearly isn’t much to tell in this franchise anymore.

From the very confusing opening to the cliffhanger ending, ‘Retribution’ has very little substance, but plenty – and I mean plenty – of shooting. Many of the familiar characters from previous installments are back (Rain, Carlos, Jill Valentine, Clarence…), but in very different roles. There simply is no way you can watch this and understand what’s going on if you haven’t seen the previous films. Hell, I’ve seen them all and I’m still confused!

Many of the action and events are simulations, and not real, causing further confusion. Alice now also fulfils another role: that of Mother. Yup, mother! But only because of a memory imprint in a little girl (Becky)’s brain. Her capture and rescue scene is so reminiscent of Newt in ‘Aliens’, it’s almost identical. The action scenes are fast-paced and relentless, so action buffs will have a great time with this movie. As for a sequel to a zombie franchise, it is very disappointing. There are hardly any zombies here, and the story itself is…well, erm… there is no plot, really. It’s just running, shooting, fighting, running, shooting, fighting, running… you get the picture.

It felt as if the writer/director had too many ideas for one movie – just like ‘Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse’ – and blended them all together, hoping it would gel. Well, honestly, I’m going to have a difficult time remembering what this film is actually about. It doesn’t contribute anything to the series. I will remember all those muscled hunks, though! At least they make the film more watchable. Oh, and Wesker – the ruthless antagonist from ‘Resident Evil: Afterlife’ – is back, as well, but this time to help Alice.. Ok, talk about confusing…!

‘Resident Evil: Retribution’ was still a box office success, earning $240 million on a $65 million budget.

Would I watch it again? Uhm, not sure. Even if you don’t watch it as part of the series, you won’t miss anything.