Resident Evil: Vendetta
Kennedy, Chambers, and Redfield, oh my!
Still hungry for more Evil in the wake of Resi VII and The Final Chapter in Milla Jovovich’s live-action movie series? Then you’re in luck, because the third game-canon CG Resident Evil film is ready to rise from the grave.
Set between Resident Evils 6 and VII, it unites Chris Redfield (Kevin Dorman), Leon Kennedy (Matt Mercer) and Rebecca Chambers (Erin Cahill) in a mission to stop immaculately tailored terrorist Glenn Arias and his hulking sidekick from unleashing a deadly viral strain on New York City.
Opening with a raid on a mansion that plays like a loose remake of the original Resident Evil, Vendetta initially ramps up the horror compared to previous CG Resi movies (Degeneration and Damnation), but quickly abandons its fright-filled approach, favouring OTT, anime-inspired action. One stand-out sequence features a motorcycle-riding Leon pursued at speed by two zombie dogs, while another has Leon and Chris buddy up to take down a corridor full of bloody zombies, the camera pirouetting around their fast, fluid fisticuffs in impressively kinetic fashion.
The story is complete bobbins, of course, with dialogue and voice acting not terribly far from “Jill, master of unlocking” standards. Annoyingly Rebecca spends most of the film kidnapped and helpless. And it feels strange to sit through a Resi story this traditional so soon after VII tore up the rule book. But if you’re craving a dumb, fun tale starring some old favourites you won’t go far wrong with this.