Resident Evil: Afterlife

Milla Jovovich is something else. And in the opening action sequence here, she is more than that, somethings else, as her character's genetically-enhanced clones throw down Matrix-style on the evil corporate stronghold. Actually, I don't know what this movie would have looked like if there had never been a Matrix, right down to Umbrella Chairman Albert Wesker, the Big Bad played by Shawn Roberts as Agent Smith--sunglasses, voice, movement. I know director Paul W.S. Anderson isn't exactly the other Paul Anderson, but he could have tried to be a little less obvious. Then again, Agent Smith is one of the best villains ever so it's not like he's paying homage to Arnold's Mr. Freeze. Plus, Anderson is married to Jovovich so what the hell does he care what I think. Particularly at night. About his wife.

So, what, this movie blows? Not at all. In fact, it's pretty damn good. Like I said, Milla is something else. She's in total kick ass mode throughout and, really, that's what this entire franchise is about. That and zombies, which are out in full force here as Milla's Alice has to break out of an undead besieged prison with a small band of fellow survivors that includes Wentworth Miller...from TV's Prison Break. Get it? His character turns out to be none other than Chris Redfield, the star of the original Resident Evil video game and brother of Claire Redfield (Ali Larter) who just so happens to be buddies with Alice. Anderson knows his audience.

And the zombie dobermans are back. And this giant killing machine known as The Executioner. It's a lot of fun.  PLUS

Playlist: Stone

When discussing a prospect in sports, scouts often refer to the player's floor and ceiling. The better the player the higher the ceiling for their potential success. If the player has a health risk or is still very young, their floor is also low, as in there's a good chance they might never even make it. Weighing these risks is the heart of player development and goes a long way to deciding the fate of your favorite franchise.

Average players, the necessary filler guys who allow you to field a full team, are generally low ceiling, high floor. Keep your expectations in check because what you see is what you get. Stone has nothing to do with sports, but I couldn't help feeling that I was watching a film with a low ceiling. It's a small story without much promise of being more than what it presents in its first half. I wasn't in the least bit surprised to discover that it was originally conceived as a play. 

None of which is to say it was bad. Actually, I'm not really sure if it's a plus or a minus in the ultimate Distillery sense of things (not that director John Curran is anywhere near the front of the Big D queue). I admit I lost interest during some of the slower scenes, particularly when it became apparent that nothing "bigger" was going to happen. I do think movies need that extra something. Not a car chase or an explosion, but some bump up in tension. 

The actors, though, are in top form. Robert DeNiro does his best work in a decade, probably since The Score, also not about sports, but also with...Ed Norton, who plays a white trash con trying to get parole. For the record, Ed Norton should not be playing a white trash con, especially one with corn rows. He's just too Ed Nortonish, too smart-looking. But he committed and I stopped being bothered by it by mid-movie (though seeing him in prison made me think of American History X.) Finally, stealing the movie from these two titans is none other than Milla Jovovich, getting the chance to show off some thespianic chops after years of kicking ass on screen. As I've mentioned before, I'm a fan, and not just because she's gorgeous (a word that feels oddly outdated to use, but also seems to fit perfectly). That said, let's just leave it with how it's a shame her nipples didn't receive some sort of Academy recognition this year. Travesty.  

Playlist: The Perfect Getaway

What would we do without the twist ending? Well, for one, watch a lot fewer bad movies. Does that describe last year's Hawaiian honeymoon in hell thriller? I...think so.

My hesitation comes from the fact that the twist in question is actually pretty good. The problem is everything around it. For starters, director David Twohy's tone is a bit off-kilter throughout. Some forced humor here, some way played out self-referential movie insider talk there. All of it unnecessary and distracting to the central tension, which isn't bad at all and greatly enhanced by a strong cast including Milla Jovovich (actually underused here), Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors), and relative unknown Kiele Sanchez.

But the lethal blow for this film comes the moment after the big reveal. Rather than using the momentum to play out the climax, they inexplicably embark on a completely superfluous 20 minute backstory of the major characters. In black and white no less (actually, blue and white--is that more or less pretentious?). Without giving anything away, here's the premise: three couples hiking along a remote path; one couple are serial killers. That's not exactly screaming for SparkNotes, is it? (And if it were, they would be written in crayon on the back of a Steak 'n Shake menu.)

Honestly, it just comes down to poor filmmaking, a bit of a surprise since Twohy's 2000 Pitch Black was a very good and original film and probably one of the top science fiction movies of the decade. Then again, it also gave us 10 years of Vin Diesel. And counting.