I expected zombies' heads to explode (in 3D) and I was not disappointed. I also expected Milla Jovovich to come running at me in a tight latex outfit in slow mo (in 3D!) and I was not disappointed either. And I'm not even going to bother critiquing the plot, dialog, characterization, world-building etc. of "Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D" because clearly the filmmakers didn't think too hard about those things, and neither should anyone going to see this movie.
However, I'm also a dedicated fan of the original video games (at least up to RE4) and that's where my feelings begin to get complicated. For instance, when Japanese snipers congratulate each other on terminating another "biohazard" (the original European and Japanese title of the RE video games) I had to chuckle. And when the Executioner from RE5 just shows up out of NOWHERE, for NO REASON, it was kind of kool, in a "why not?" sort of way. But Chris Redfield is also introduced, late in the game, for no particular reason, in an awkward reunion with his sister Claire (who is suffering from Umbrella-induced amnesia or something) which brings me right to the point: the RE movies are ultimately neither fish nor fowl, not in any way faithful to the games, but not exactly standing solidly on their own legs, either. They borrow liberally from the games' plots, characters and institutions, but jumbled up in an unrecognizable mish-mash unsatisfying for the fans of the games and simply confusing for the uninitiated.
Resident Evil: Afterlife also borrows liberally from another source, The Matrix, going so far as to be either shameless rip off (eleven years later!) or a very straight-faced and out of place parody. Here, Wesker is an attempted duplication of Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith, copied down to the detail of cracking his neck loudly before a big fight. Even some of the shots and kung-fu moves from the Matrix movies are copied and pasted into this movie (in 3-D!).
But all the above can be forgiven. What I can't forgive is that we have a completely unrealistic and unmotivated set up for Milla to have a shower scene (running water years after the apocalypse?) and then she never even takes her clothes off, before she hears a SOUND OFF and has to investigate. Couldn't she have at least gotten her shirt half-way off for a little flash of midriff (in 3D!!!) before the inevitable intrusion? At least the first RE movie got that part right, but alas, only in two measly dimensions...
