balthazar13

Long have the fans of the Resident Evil franchise been forced to suffer through three sub-par live film adaptations. Milla Jovovich aside, Resident Evil and its two increasingly abhorrent sequels, (Apocalypse & Extinction, respectively), have offered little in the way of a satisfying experience. Finally, with Degeneration, Resident Evil fans have a movie which, albeit ultimately flawed, is essentially the series fanboy's wet dream.

Taking a page from the Zack Snyder school of zombie mayhem, Degeneration sets itself apart from the get go by actually including what most Resident Evil fans surely expect from a film adaptation of a game which is essentially about blowing the heads off of zombies. At precisely 8 minutes and 21 seconds, we are treated to a fervent slaughter of cannon fodder which is followed up less than three minutes later by a f**king plane decimating an airplane terminal. Here we are, not even 12 minutes into the movie, and already we have a film which happens to be far more enjoyable than three previous Hollywood incarnations, (it's even sadder considering the fact various studios have spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 million dollars putting out total s**t by comparison.)

In short, this is the Resident Evil movie to end all Resident Evil movies. So far. Long time fans will definitely get their knickers in a twist over seeing characters they actually recognize, (no offense, Milla.), such as Claire & Leon, feeling overall like the video game without feeling video gamey, (again, no offense, Milla.) Of course, the rather excellent CG likely goes a long way in that regard with most set pieces looking nearly photo-realistic. The "actors" on the other hand, are somewhat of a different story given their innate mannequin-ness. A trait only surpassed in previous installments of the film series.

In the end, though, I can't truly recommend it for everyone. I'm sure that hardcore zombie fanatics will likely balk at it and that's fine. That isn't who this movie is for. This is tailor made for those who have grown up on first person shooters, lacking any sort of subtlety whatsoever. The violence is turned up to almost cartoonish levels and yes, I am probably dumber now for having paid any sort of attention to it, but as far as mindless entertainment goes it really isn't half bad. You have your zombies and your humans. Everything is clearly defined and asks nothing of you, the viewer, other than to watch and drink it in. Within all that there are some very solid action spectacles. In effect, it's far more Hollywood than its Hollywood counterparts. How's that for a bit of irony?

holy sweet murder this is quite possibly the least funny movie i've ever seen. you can take my word for this as truth because it's playing on television right now. it's really one of the most pathetic productions i've ever seen. there is not a single redeemable aspect of this flick. it just lacks any humor whatsoever. the only good thing it possibly has going for it is that it's so unfunny that it's wholly unmemorable. in fact, i just sat through some ridiculous sub-plot and i can't really tell you what went on. the only reason i can even possibly remember having seen this movie is because it's so absolutely humorless it will stick in my mind forever based on that alone.

an absolutely must miss. if your friend wants to show it to you, shoot him and save yourself the boredom.

after the lackluster "alien 3" and bizarre "alien: resurrection", the epic battle geek fanboys had been dreaming about for years, (second only to danzig vs. rollins), was just the thing the franchise needed to jump-start itself back into the hearts of obsessive nerds all around the world. unfortunately, "aliens vs. predator" was hardly the film revelation anyone expected and wound up alienating the very demographic intended for the movie in the first place. despite this, a small band of people were determined to make a piece of cinema history worthy of the title "aliens vs. predator". everyone involved seemed have a fervent desire to make this as disparate from the original as possible. the directors involved even felt it necessary to point out what an insult to the movie-going public "aliens vs. predator" was. they were bound and determined to ensure their film would not simply be a re-tread. "we're keeping it close to alien & aliens." what fan wouldn't be excited for that?

while it's true that this isn't "predator and pals", avp:r doesn't fare much better than the original. though the film is far more relentless than "aliens vs. predator", "requiem" falls into much the same trappings as its predecessor.

the biggest problem with this movie are the human characters. very early on in avp:r, we are shown that absolutely no one is safe, which i thought was great. women and children are murdered in grotesque fashion. i have no qualms with this. what i do take issue with is the very fact that by the time we are forced into caring about these characters, several of them are brutally killed off. this wouldn't even be so offensive except for the fact that they waste a significant chunk of the movie attempting to build them up.

though i understand that the filmmakers probably had a desire to mislead or confuse the audience about who would survive, (something else i thought was great), considering that the movie isn't very long, it really takes away from what people came to see "aliens vs. predator" for - the aliens and the predator. we are teased with flashes of facehuggers only to be pulled away where we are forced to endure long scenes of exposition about these characters who don't even matter.

the first half of avp:r is paced so frustratingly slow that when it comes time for the chaotic second half, it simply seems a mad dash through leaving us with the impression that it was all over too soon. as the scant few moments in avp:r when our aliens and predator actually do come head-to-head are actually quite engaging, the film only becomes that much more unsatisfying to watch. the film itself is even presented in such a fashion that we don't ever really feel the true menace of the aliens or the predator. they are simply set pieces for a brief action spectacle.

while it is admirable that the people involved did have the desire to make a great movie based on the alien and predator franchises, this just isn't it. here's hoping the inevitable avp 3 will fare better.

as you can no doubt tell by looking at the rating and comments on "we are the strange", the film has a distinctly polarizing effect about it. it is very easy to level negative criticism at a film of this nature. i will not necessarily disagree with some of their comments. to the casual viewer, the film may seem a disjointed mess without a single cohesive idea. in fact, most people will probably not like this film, though this film was not created to be liked. it is what it is. to some, it will seem inflated with its own sense of self-importance. and the very notion of adapting cg and stop-motion animation into one medium is hardly as revolutionary as the hype surrounding it. these are all fair criticisms.

though, to look at a film such as "we are the strange" in terms like this is a disservice. it is not so much a movie as much as it is an abstract painting or a collage and should be watched thusly. in fact, the inclusion of typical movie structuring is almost to the detriment of the work - though, the plot is simple, to the point of it being unnecessary. we are to sit back and engage the film just as the film is attempting to engage us. it is ANTI, yet, it is so human. we can find themes of pathos, desire, and fear if we choose. the room for interpretation is endless.

"we are the strange" is a vibrant piece of art, but it's not for everyone. undeniably, however, it is something to behold and a grand statement from a writer/director who has yet to realize his full potential.