1. The Opening Sequences
The opening sequences of the Resident Evil movies are invariably those parts of the movies that actually demands cinematic credit. Anderson can craft an opening, and in particular the 3D flicks go their best efforts to showcase that extra dimension of screen, and God damn are they impressive. Afterlife's opening involved a Japanese pop star, Mika Nakashima, standing in the slow motion rain as credits appear outside of the screen. It was at this moment that I knew Afterlife would be an improvement from the previous film, Extinction. The scene then ends with Mika biting a poor man, and the camera pulls back from Tokyo to outer space, all in glorious 3D. It was one of the best things I've ever seen in any movie. And then when Retribution 3D came out I was wondering how Anderson could top his last effort off - and he managed it, making Afterlife look bad. Terrible, in fact by comparison. Retribution opens with some production credits, accompanied by gunfire and people dying. We then see a serene shot of a woman underwater, with "RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION" appearing on screen. The woman then flies out of water, revealing that it is Alice, who glides from the water back onto the deck of the
Arcadia, and a large scale 3D fight breaks out. But there's a twist: the whole scene is played in reversed- implosions turn into grenades, pulling civilians back into the flames, guns fly back into Alice's hands and a spent shell picks itself up off the ground and rechambers itself into Alice's handgun. It was without a doubt one of the most amazing scenes I've ever seen. The film making is really extraordinary in those opening shots, and the sequence ends with a replay of Afterlife's closing shot, but in reverse. A quick story recap, and the scene then plays forward at full speed. I've really seen nothing like it before, and I implore you to go and see the movie just for that sequence alone. So that concludes my list of reason why the Resident Evil film series deserves more credit: while they are hardly film-making gold, they're far from unpleasant experiences, and though they have their faults - inconsistent effects, occasionally dull script-writing - the movies are good for some Sunday viewing when you're feeling lazy and there are some genuinely inspired sequences thrown in that might tease a disarmingly positive reaction from you. If you gave up on the series long ago, maybe give Afterlife and Retribution a quick look as they may just win you over again. What do you think of the Resident Evil movies? Do they get an unfair ride? Share your thoughts below.