When you watch a movie and realise has a surprisingly relevant subtext, you usually gain a newfound appreciation for that piece of work. The Resident Evil movies, at least on the surface, are not good films. The characters lack complexity, the narratives range from basic to nonsensical and worst of all, they seemingly tarnish a much loved videogame franchise. But what if there is some kind of genius hidden within these abysmal films? For all it's faults, the series is actually a clever meta-representation of the very zombie outbreak it chronicles.
1. The Start - Not so Bad
Just like at the start of an epidemic, the first film is seemingly not so bad. Cool moments such as the laser room help propagate the feeling that the lesser parts of the film can be contained in the future; there is some hope.
2. Thing's have spread.
You know that hope about containment? It's gone. Along comes Resident Evil: Apocalypse with it's complete abandoning of horror in favor of B-Movie action. Things have gone from bad to worse and you just hope that the destruction of Raccoon City represents the end; surely people don't want more of this?
3. Let's just end this now.
By the third film any hope that things will be alright have vanished. The virus has spread to unmanageable proportions along with the popularity of this horrific franchise. You've pretty much decided that death is the only way out of this zombie nightmare, just as you hope this movie will create and ending to the story of Alice and her Resident Evil world. At the end you realise a sequel is coming...apparently there will be no quick and easy escape.
4. All hope is lost...
The world, these movies, you; all shells of former selves. A 3D showcase hammers home that fact that this nightmare will never end.
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