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A Touch of "Evil"

Don't write off the "Resident Evil" franchise as just another video game adaptation. I mean, it certainly is. But it's also got nerve. It has used Capcom Entertainment's wildly popular video game to kick off an unlikely series of films that have defied all manner of critical drubbing. The franchise is now in its fourth (yes, fourth!) entry which, after the false promise of 2007's "Resident Evil: Extinction", goes by the name "Resident Evil: Afterlife". And this time, it's in 3D.

Yes, what started as a modest zombie rehash has now become a full-on cinematic saga. With its film school lighting and cheesy special effects, the original 2002 "Resident Evil" looks positively quaint compared to its successors. It should've quietly gone the way of similar adaptations, like The Rock's ill-advised "Doom" (seen by die-hard fans, dismissed by critics, quickly forgotten), but no, like one of its lumbering undead, the "Evil" films had lived on. Don't worry, though, this isn't a "Harry Potter" - or even a "Twilight" - franchise. No knowledge of the previous films is necessary. All you need to know is Milla Jovovich and zombies.

Taking the directorial seat for the first time since the original (though he wrote each film) Paul W.S. Anderson, opens "Afterlife" with a gutsy homage to "Blade Runner". The rain-soaked streets of Tokyo pulsate with life as an ambient soundtrack floats by our ears. Soon, the zombies come and Ms. Jovovich's familiar voice-over ("My name is Alice...") brings us up to speed: it's been four years since the viral experiments of the sinister Umbrella Corporation have turned most of humanity into walking dead. Now, only Alice and her army of clones (see the third movie for an explanation) survive to pick up the pieces. The opening set-piece is a typically bombastic series of post-"Matrix" explosions and gunfire culminating in a whirling vortex of destruction. Then, surprisingly, Mr. Anderson's script takes a turn for the quiet.

The Alice character (such as it is), had become virtually indestructible and - like Superman or The Hulk - difficult to empathize with. So, Mr. Anderson wisely relieves her of her powers early in the film. This turn of events has the side-effect of allowing Ms. Jovovich to appear vulnerable for the first time in the series since, perhaps, the original film. And don't discount this actress. As is evidenced by Ali Larter - who returns as Alice's dull-as-a-wall sidekick, Claire - Ms. Jovovich makes it looks easy to be an action heroine. Alice may not be Ripley, but she's still managed to carry the franchise.

The newly-human Alice takes to the skies (somehow, she has a plane) in search of survivors along America's West Coast. Eventually, this brings her to the smoldering ruins of Los Angeles and a group of humans barricaded in an abandoned prison. Interestingly, up until this point in the film, there have been precious few zombies. As the film lurches forward, it's clear Mr. Anderson is more interested in progressing some larger story arc than providing his audience with zombie mayhem. I respect what he's going for (the film has some nicely rendered post-apocalyptic cityscapes), but those expecting the non-stop blood-and-guts of the previous films may be disappointed. Yes, by going for something more, Mr. Anderson may alienate the few loyal fans this franchise still has. Of course, as the "Resident Evil" films have shown in the past, they're hard to kill.