Film Review: Resident Evil Apocalypse

Time for a review of the second Resident Evil film!

Resident Evil Apocalypse is set after the events of the first film and the T - Virus has made it's way out of the Hive and has now infected most of the population of Raccoon City. The Umbrella corporation has locked the city down, evacuated their most important personal and are even taking advantage the viral outbreak to test their latest Bio - Weapon; Nemesis. Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory), a disgraced member of the elite S.T.A.R.S unit with a grudge against Umbrella, tries to survive in the zombie infested city. Meanwhile Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr), an Umbrella commando, is trying to combat the zombie menace with his squad but soon begins to question the corporation he works for. In the midst of this former Umbrella employee Alice (Milla Jovovich) awakens after being captured at the end of the first film and finds out that Umbrella as done something to her.



It would be so cool to be there right now

Unlike the first film this one is directed by Alexander Witt and I admit that I have never heard of him before this film however it is produced and written by Paul Anderson so it is still in a similar style like the first film. The most noticeable difference however between the first film and Apocalypse is that this one borrows heavily from the game source material, for which I am glad they did. Writing a great original story in the Resident Evil story is a good move if it worked (and it sure did in my opinion) but sooner or later it had to stick more closely to the games and that is what Apocalypse does. It's plot is influenced mainly from the second and third games but it also uses elements from CVX, three of the best games in the series. I do really like the story that have here because it is so close to RE3 but they nicely fitted in the events from the first film.

"Time to blow some zombie heads off!"

For the location of Raccoon City I have to admit that is where it deviates quite a bit from the games; Raccoon City is supposed to be a lonely, simple mountain community surrounded by a dense forest. They chose Toronto for the film and it is a little too modern looking and has a too many skyscrapers, going on about the location might be nit picking but I have played the games too many times not to notice. However to do have many great inner city locations that suited the film; the gothic style church, the school and they did a really excellent job in making the streets look ruined, looted and devastated. Plus I read that is was Milla Jovovich's idea that their be a heat wave in the film so Alice and Jill can have a more practical reason for their outfits; my thanks to her!

One of my favourite Resident Evil characters ever right here!

As for the cast it is almost completely new seeing how that Alice is the only returning character from the previous film. Firstly there is Oded Fehr as Carlos and I have to say I am really glad that they gave Carlos such a large role; those who read my Resident Evil rants know that I hate that most Resident Evil game characters are being pushed aside in favour of Chris and Leon (both of whom I think have been used a main characters too often). Carlos is one of the characters I wanted to see more of in the games so being a main character for the film franchise is the next best thing for me. Also Oded Fehr is probably one of my all time favourite actors who I think is perfect in the role; they dial down his "ladies man" personality from the game but in return he is a badass soldier and I read that he did most of his marital arts moves and gun handling himself.

If I saw Nemesis walking down the street I'll be like "Hell no!" and gotten out of there

Next we have Sienna Guillory as Jill Valentine and again an excellent cast choice, she even looks a lot like Jill and wears her outfit from 3. She had a really large role in this film for which I am glad for but I kind of wish it was even bigger if that was possible. I really like Milla Jovovich returning in this and she even brings some great action sequences because of her heightened abilities but she overshadows Jill's character when she joins the main group. I'm a bit in two minds about these characters; I really like Alice but at the same time I wanted Jill to be the main leading role throughout the entire film. Maybe that is because Jill is one of the characters from the games I really wanted to see in the films but she has to compete with Alice in this.

We're back b***hs!

Now a complete standout in this film for me and who has become one of my favourite Resident Evil characters (film and games) is Mike Epps as L.J.. His character is just so funny and so likable throughout the entire film, every scene he is in is great and steals most of them in my opinion. We also have Thomas Kretschmann as Major Timothy Cain (only named in the novels) an Umbrella Security operative who is in charge of handling the Raccoon City incident. Cain is definitely the villain that was needed for the film because that is what the first one truly lacked (as I mentioned in my review of it).

"Even if where supposed to just be a medical company, lets slaughter all these civilians" 

Gone on about the characters for quite a bit but just a quick mention of the supporting ones. We also have Raz Adoti as Peyton Wells another S.T.A.R.S member, who is really great in the film but looks so much like Kenneth Sullivan from the games I wonder why they didn't just name him that. There's also Jared Harris and Sophie Vavasseur as Charles and Angie Ashford; I've always liked Jared Harris so his great in this as the T - Virus creator and Sophie Vavasseur also did a good job, I even like the nod to the Ashford family from the games even if they are two original characters. Lastly we also have Zack Ward as Nicholai Ginovaef (interesting to see a good Nicholai!) and Sandrine Holt as Terri Morales who has a great small role. All in all I have been pleased with the casting for the film and its characters.

"You looking at me?"

As for the monsters I am really glad that the Licker has made a return and that there are even more of them this time around. They are done this time in CGI but it is way better than what they used for the first film, Lickers are my favourite RE monster so glad there back. However once again I wished they could have included more monsters from the game like Hunters, Brain Suckers, the Mutated Plants etc. what sets the Resident Evil game apart form all others in the zombie genre is that its not just about the zombies, its about the dangerous and creative creatures you come across too. The zombies and zombie dogs are back in all their glory from the first film but also again there is a severe lack of gore; even when a zombie gets shot (even in the head) there really is no splatter.

Run Alice!

Now for the most iconic creature in the RE universe, Nemesis, I have to say that it could have been slightly better. I really liked the look of Nemesis in this film, I think the make - up and the suit are all impressive, however it doesn't seem that imposing like it was in the game. The main reason for this is because they made him rely too much on weapons throughout the film like his rail gun; unlike the game Nemesis does not use any of his tentacles concealed underneath his coat. Before I saw this film but after I heard that Nemesis was in it I was so looking forward to seeing Brad Vickers's famous death captured in live action and I was disappointed that not only Brad wasn't in it they didn't even use anyone else to have a sharp tentacle shoved through their throat. Plus I think the final show down between Nemesis and Milla was a bit because it was just hand to hand combat. I did like the Nemesis in this it just wasn't exactly what I thought it would be.

Oh Yeah!

Overall this is a great squeal to the first film even though I really wish that it could have been even longer like two hours because we could have had some more iconic scenes form the games.

Highlights: Characters/Cast (Jill, Carlos, L.J.)
                    Story (Influenced by the games more)
                    Locations

Let-downs: Nemesis could have been a bit better
                    Needed more gore and monsters from the games
                    A longer run time to fit in more events from Raccoon City

SCORE: 8/10

You can find all of the great screenshots I used right here;

http://ladymanson.com/ShadowofReflection/home.php

Bleach Review: Rubb - Dolls



The release was a bit late but here is my review of the latest Bleach chapter!

The chapter begins with Mayuri stabbing Toshiro with his released Ashisogi Jizuo, thus paralyzing him and then injecting him with a drug that covers him with a black liquid (I'm guessing it is going to heal his zombie status). However during this the zombies of Kensei Muguruma, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi and Rangiku Matsumoto arrive but Mayuri simply tells his revived Arrancar to deal with them so that they don't interrupt the experiment. The scene then changes to Byakuya Kuchiki who has seem to have defeated the Sternritters Candice Catnipp, NaNaNa Najahkoop and the Unnamed Male Sternritter. Meninas McAllon and Liltotto Lamperd discuss how Byakuya could be this powerful and where Pepe has disappeared to when Shūhei Hisagi approaches Byakuya from behind and also makes a comment of his handy work. However Byakuya suddenly attacks Hisagi because he believes he is under the control of a Sternritter which then turns out to be true; Pepe reveals to be the Sternritter L for "The Love" and then uses his power to control Meninas and has her attack Liltotto.

I have to say that I am very disappointed with the chapter this week, it wasn't anything I expected it to be and not in a good way either!

It starts off really great, carrying on with the Mayuri fight, and it looked like we where going to have some great match ups from with the Arrancar and the Soul Reapers. Unfortunately this is not the case since Kubo has decided to move on from the zombies even though there isn't a conclusion yet and where the hell has Giselle gotten to?

Next it is revealed that three Sternritter have been defeated in fights that we did not even get to see and this included the Unnamed Male Sternritter and NaNaNa; we barely know anything about those two or the extent of their powers and it looks like we are not going to now. It also annoys me that Byakuya took them all out, I know he has gotten more powerful by being in the Royal Realm but this is just going overboard. Plus why didn't NaNaNa fight Renji since several chapters ago it seemed that NaNaNa was preparing for it by spying on him.

Finally Pepe has turned out to be a lot more wacky than I thought he would be, especially with so much panels wasted about him going on about love. Also why is he making he fellow Sternritters fight against each other when they should be fighting the Soul Reapers.

Overall this chapter is a real let down in this arc so far because a lot of stuff has happened in this chapter that I just don't like. I know that is my opinion but I cannot see how anyone can like any of the events or reveals that happened when it moved away from Mayuri.

SCORE: 3/10

TV Series Review: The Walking Dead Season Four

Took me longer than I thought to get round to a review of The Walking Dead Season Four but I have finally got round to it.

Taking place a few months after the events of season three the prison now seems to be a really stable and flourishing camp. With the inclusion of the Woodbury survivors in their group now, Rick and co are now trying to make a proper life for themselves again. Rick however, wanting to set a better example for Carl has resigned from the leadership position and is now basically the farmer along with Carl. However the peace they have created does not last in the form of the hordes of zombies, a deadly virus and the Governor who is gunning for revenge.

I have been really looking forward to this season because my favourite parts from the graphic novel is the attack of the Governor and the events that happen after and for the most part it does not disappoint. I will now go in to three of my favourite highlights of this season and be warned; SPOILERS AHEAD!

First is the story of a deadly virus that sweeps through the prison and infects many of the residents, this is also why they included a lot of red shirts. I did like this part a lot because it was a good original plot they made for the series, plus Hershel gets an episode all to himself on dealing with the virus which is one of my favourite episodes. I have always like the casting of Scott Wilson and he was just so good as the main character for the episode.

Next is the second attack of the Governor, which unlike the last season, was not a disappointment. It included the tank from the graphic novel and it was all guns blazing and zombie action. They also include the Governor's famous decapitation scene of a major character and that was just so cool. The only let down though the extended flashback of the Governor of what he did after season three that covers two episodes. While this was interesting in its own way it suffers from what a lot of original series content suffers from; it just dragged on!! The flashback really could have just been one episode or just a half an episode, it was just really slow in some parts. Also again I praise David Morrissey as the Governor and again I feel like it is the writers who let down is character a bit not the actor by dialling down the brutally of him.

Thirdly is the introduction of three of my favourite graphic novel characters; Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos) and Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt). Not only was their acting just for the characters was perfect but they really, really look like who they are supposed to be. I really want to see even more of these three in the next season.

There are however a couple of let downs in this season and that has mainly to do with some of the characters during the second half after the attack from the Governor, while the group is split. While this does include the introduction of the three characters above from the graphic novel it also includes ALOT of original series content that spans across eight episodes. While some of this original content is good it is the same as with the Governor's flashback; it just drags on too much. Whole episodes are given over to pairing of characters like Daryl and Beth and Tyreese and Carol and while I like these characters I felt a lot of screen time was wasted on them.

Also I think that this season really messed up three events from the graphic novel by mixing it in with original content, the first with the two sisters Lizzie and Mika. These two obviously took the place of Ben and Billy and if I'm honest I never really liked them that much. Ben went crazy and killed his twin because he had psychopathic mental problems and never understood what he did. For Lizzie killing Mika they had her being sympathetic to the zombies and wanted to be friends with them, I never liked that and I found her scenes when she is playing with the walkers just very annoying.

Another event is the group Daryl ends up with for a short while after Beth is kidnapped by an unknown person. I admit I really liked this group when they were introduced and also liked the group's leader Joe (Jeff Kober) because he as a really dark and interesting antagonist. I even thought he could have been a new main enemy for Rick and the rest after the Governor and before the introduction of Negen but I was wrong. After such a hype Joe and his group got they merely took the place of the three rapist that attack Rick, Carl and Abraham for a few pages before being quickly dispatched and that is what happen here. That was a major disappointment for me.

Finally the thing that bothered me the most out of this whole entire season is that Judith is still ALIVE! Don't get me wrong it is not like I want a baby to die but she does in the graphic novel along with Lori and it is the biggest failure Rick has done that haunts him ever since. At first I thought it would be best if they did not kill her off but when they showed the blood stained baby chair at the end of the Governor's attack I thought; "wow the writers actually did it after all, they killed her off but in a way that is more appropriate for TV." But then she was shown with Tyreese and Carol. Sorry but I do not know were they are going to go with this and I don't want Rick to be burdened with looking after a baby for the entire rest of the show. This is also another example of the writers dialling down the brutally of the graphic novel like the stuff the Governor does, Rick losing his hand and now this! Makes me worried about what they are going to do with Negen?

Before I end this there are few other good points to mention like the episode Rick and Carl to themselves that adapted really well from the graphic and the inclusion of Bob Stookey (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.) who has become one of my favourite characters. He is a lot different from his graphic novel counterpart but I defiantly prefer this one because he has such a larger and important role. His struggles with alcoholism he touched more in this and when he had his flashback of being alone for ages I think that was acted just so well, I really felt sorry for that guy and you really feel that he has just been through hell. My hats off to Lawrence Gilliard Jr, I hope you continue to be a member of Ricks group for a good long while.

And that is it, overall it was a solid season but the first half was a lot better than the second and they messed up some iconic plots form the graphic novel that I really cannot forgive them for. However the action and casting are great as always and I really hope it gets back to the proper story of getting to Washington soon.

SCORE: 7/10

Resident Evil 6 Monster Fanart

TV Series Review: The Walking Dead Season Three

Finally it is time for my review of The Walking Dead season three, after this I will be up to date on the series and will wait until season four is finished to do another review on it.

This season takes place after the winter (based on Lori’s pregnancy almost nine months after the conclusion of season two) and is based on the prison arc of the graphic novel. The prison arc was one of the longest settings in the comic and also one of the most iconic. During this season the group not only have to deal with the undead but also the threat of other humans, in particular the near by town of Woodberry run by a man who calls himself the Governor (David Morrissey). This season also brings back the character of Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) and introduces fan favourites from the comics Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman).

I will start by saying that this season was a major improvement over season two since not only does it focuses on a popular arc in the comics it all so stick more closely to the source material on several occasions it also introduces another threat to the group besides zombies and that is another group of humans. Because of this and probably because there was not that much of it in season two this one has a lot more action in it but it does not sacrifice character development in the slightest.

If there is anything I disliked is that we have more insight and time in the town of Woodberry than we did in the comics, they used original material for this and I have to say that a lot of it I did not like. Not that I am saying that it was all bad it was just that if it was not about the Governor I just wanted it to go back to the group at the prison. My opinion might be affect because Andrea is at Woodberry and those who have read my previous reviews know how I feel about that useless character.

The prison however was something I always enjoyed watching; from the old inmates who where staying there to the breaking down of Rick’s mental state was all superb.

Now as for the new cast I will say first that David Morrissey was great as the Governor, sure he looked nothing like him but he was really menacing when he needed to be. I have heard complaints that they dialled down some of the truly gruesome acts (e.g. raping and mutilating) of the Governor and I have to admit they are right however I blame the writers for this because I am sure David Morrissey would have nailed whatever scene they gave him. Another one I really liked was Tyreese because not only did Chad L. Coleman look exactly like him but he is just how he was in the comics. He is one of my favourite characters from the comics and I cannot find a single fault in the TV adaptation. As for Michonne however while I do really like her in this she it a lot quieter and withdrawn in this; in the comics she is more open and I guess cheerful with the other characters. She does get better in later episodes but it was annoying to begin with.

Some more characters that I also have mixed feelings about were the old inmates at the prison that Rick and the group find locked up. On one hand I really liked the character from the comics and Nick Gomez as the murdering Tomas and Markice Moore as Andrew where really great as their roles however I was slightly let down by the characters of Axel (Lew Temple) and Oscar (Vincent Ward). Don’t get me wrong their portrayals where great but it was how their characters where treated; Axel in the comics struggles with trying to prove himself to the group even though he was a prisoner and he does, he becomes a major help to the group. In this season he does do that as well but he does not get as much interaction and much screen time as I would have liked and is killed off just way too early for my liking. The same goes for Oscar, an original character who plays a similar, I really thought he would be a great character for the series yet they just go a head and kill him off. 

Now just like my last review I want to talk a bit about the previous cast members;

Firstly there is the character T – Dog (IronE Singleton) someone I have not mentioned before and that was because he was a minor character who with barely any character development. Sure there is the feeling that he is trying to prove his worth to the group but that is never really built upon. However in an episode in this season, which is also the one he dies in, he really stands out for once and trying to convince Rick about trusting the prisoners and saving Carol from zombies. Just when was becoming really interesting they go a head and get rid of him which I have to say was a shame.

Next is the character of Lori and I have to say that even though I knew she would eventually die I was completely taken by surprise at how they did it. She sacrifices her life at so her daughter could live and her death has an emotional impact on the group (especially Rick and this begins his mental break down, which I have to say is one of the highlights of the series).

Now it is the character of Andrea worst adaptation of a comic character to film/television I have ever seen. Her story does not improve in this series at all; she is at Woodberry and becomes involved with the Governor while being conflicted about stay with him or going back to the old group and it was just utter rubbish. It takes her so damn long to make up her mind and a lot of unnecessary screen time but the good thing is this eventually leads to her death. That is right; she may be a major character in the comics but the TV writers messed her up so bad that they thought it would be better to get rid of her and I say good riddance.

Finally the return of Merle was also another highlight of this season, during the first one he might have been a one dimensional racist but he is a lot more developed now and one hell of a good character. Along with Daryl he is one of the best zombie killers in the series and his death and reanimation was just so well done. He tired to take out the Governor all by himself and he was just so badass in the episode and Norman Reedus gave a great performance when he had to put the zombie Merle down.

All in all this has got to be one of the best seasons of The Walking Dead let down slightly by the waste of good characters, some scenes in Woodberry involving Andrea that I did not like at all and the disappointing finale with the lacklustre attack on the prison by the people pf Woodberry. I have gone on longer than I thought with this review but with good reason because despite what I have mentioned above this season was damn good with adapting one of the best parts of the comics. I think this one was better than season one and season two.

SCORE: 8/10

TV Series Review: The Walking Dead Season Two

Took me longer than I thought to get round to this but I am finally doing a review for The Walking Dead season two. As always these reviews contain spoilers so I advise you not to read this review unless you have watched season two first.

This season begins almost immediately after the events of the final episode of season one and Rick and his group have now left the Atlanta area and are now on the road. Without going in to too much depth of the plot this season focuses on the events of the graphic novel that takes place at a farm owned by a man named Hershel Green (Scott Wilson) and he lives there with his daughter Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and several others.

What I immediately like about this season is that the number of episodes has been increased from six to thirteen and it introduces more characters from the graphic novel. However while this is great it is also a let down because it means more room for filler that was not included from the source material. A notable example of this is that a lot of the content for episodes one through seven focuses on finding Sophia Peletier (Madison Lintz), the daughter of Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride). Even thought this story arc is interesting I just felt that it did not need seven episodes to devote to it. Also another example stretching out something that seems trivial is that half of an episode is about the group trying to pull a zombie out of a well and another is deciding whether or not to kill someone they captured who is from a dangerous group. I know deciding to kill some one is a serious thing to do but it took a whole episode and really nothing else happens in it.

However I am not saying that all original stuff in this season is bad there is a great episode where Shane goes to a school to find surgery equipment, a shootout at a bar, a fight between Rick and Shane and the final episode are all great moments. The final episode is really great because any zombie killing action moments that might be lacking in some of this season’s episodes are all made up here.

The new cast additions are great, especially Hershel who is really similar to is comic counterpart and whose acting is great. It is really seeing him and Rick’s conflicting views on the zombies for the first half of the season. The rest of Hershel’s family and friends are great as well and the old cast still does a great job but once again this is let down slightly by Andrea who I have mentioned before as being a complete miscast and annoying character. She is more annoying than ever now that she wants tries to act tough with a gun; she listens to no one and thinks she is the best zombie killer of the group. There is a scene where Lori says she dies nothing to help out anymore only stands on the RV with a gun getting a tan and she is right about that. Andrea contributes nothing to this season what so ever; her character development is uninteresting and not done well and she has no major consequence on what is happening.

Now I will be talking about the deaths of a few characters now so I am saying again to be wary of the SPOILERS a head, I am leaving nothing out now:

First let us focus on the death of Sophia; in the graphic novel she is a minor character who is mostly there as a romantic interest for Carl. She does not die but neither is she really the most interesting of characters, so since her death scene was done so well in this really took me by surprise. It was really so emotional and you can really tell how hard it was for Rick to but her down when they found her as a zombie. This was one hell of a great moment for the Walking Dead series.

Another death that I think was completely unnecessary however was the death of Dale near the end of the season. He lives a lot longer than this in the graphic novel and was such a major character as well, so killing him at this point at Hershel’s farm was something I did not like even though I did not see it coming. Another thing about it was that he was killed by just one zombie so it was a poor way to kill him, plus Jeffery DeMunn as Dale played the role perfectly so I really wished that is they had to kill a major character early it should have been Andrea.

Finally the death we graphic novel fans have been waiting for was the death of Shane at the hands of Rick and then shot in the head as a zombie by Carl. Like Sophia this was done really well because you can just tell that Rick seriously did not want to kill Shane that he was made to do it. It is a shame that it was not exactly like the death in the graphic novel, fans will notice that the roles of Rick and Carl are reversed in his death. Still it was a good way to end his character who has been around a lot longer than his graphic novel counterpart.

Overall this is a good follow up to season one with interesting new story arcs and characters but it is however let down by those same story arcs being dragged on for an unnecessary long length so it makes some of the episodes feel more or less like filler. No matter how good the rest of the season was because of this fact I have to give this season a lower score than the first one.

SCORE: 6/10