Resident Evil Still Fighting Negative Waves
The reviews are in, opening week is passed and the critical consensus seems to be that Resident Evil: Extinction is a waste of time. This isn't a new conclusion for the Resident Evil franchise, but I can't help but wonder why the negative waves? It's Resident Evil. Not Citizen Kane. Should we honestly expect such brilliance from a show whose source material is a video game franchise? It's like expecting Pirates of the Caribbean to be of the same caliber as Fassbinder's BRD Trilogy.
Extinction doesn't even get the bogus criticism of being 'so bad it's good'. Perhaps people would be happier if Russell Mulcahy and Paul W.S. (not just one initial, but two!) Anderson had said Extinction was meant to be bad, or they were paying tribute to fellow bad movies. Heck, if Tarantino and Rodriguez can do Grindhouse and convince people it's great cinema, why can't Resident Evil exist as what it is: a pulp sci-fi/fantasy, fully equipped with poor lines and gun/machete-toting women who always look beautiful.
Extinction does have flaws, as do most shows like it. . . . or maybe just most shows. It would have been cool to see more of Vegas and spend more time in Vegas. I could have done without Ashanti. The ending was rushed and not explained very well. Well, then the show was ok. Not terrible. Not amazing. I got what I expected and was satisfied. Maybe that makes me just really easy to please, or just a sucker for pulp sci-fi.
Extinction doesn't even get the bogus criticism of being 'so bad it's good'. Perhaps people would be happier if Russell Mulcahy and Paul W.S. (not just one initial, but two!) Anderson had said Extinction was meant to be bad, or they were paying tribute to fellow bad movies. Heck, if Tarantino and Rodriguez can do Grindhouse and convince people it's great cinema, why can't Resident Evil exist as what it is: a pulp sci-fi/fantasy, fully equipped with poor lines and gun/machete-toting women who always look beautiful.
Extinction does have flaws, as do most shows like it. . . . or maybe just most shows. It would have been cool to see more of Vegas and spend more time in Vegas. I could have done without Ashanti. The ending was rushed and not explained very well. Well, then the show was ok. Not terrible. Not amazing. I got what I expected and was satisfied. Maybe that makes me just really easy to please, or just a sucker for pulp sci-fi.
Pulp shows like Extinction have their place and are fine in their own right. The issue with them is perhaps not so much the quality of these films as the expectations put on them. It seems they're supposed to stand up against shows they have no business being associated with. It could also be that the easy thing to do is trash shows like Resident Evil, Aeon Flux [2005], and The Island. Kinda how it's easier to praise stuff like The Departed, Saving Private Ryan, and Braveheart rather than be the guy ripping them apart.
posted by Jon at Friday, September 28, 2007
2 Comments:
I think the issue also lies in the fact that each installment has gotten worse. Although I was not expecting anything of the first, second, or third film, I would have hoped that they would have cut their losses sooner. Although then they would not have made all that money for making a terrible movie. Paul W.S. Anderson needs to think about his projects more thoroughly before committing.
7:37 PM
Thanks for the comment, David. You make a very good point and are right on. These shows don't need to be great, but it's also nice if they don't get progressively worse. Anderson (and others) could be doing some good stuff, but has instead gone for an easy buck with these mediocre sequels. Too bad.
9:19 PM
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