Movie Review: Death Race

Death Race (2008) 

Directed by Paul W.S Anderson 

Written by Paul W.S Anderson 

Starring Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane

Release Date August 22nd, 2008

Published August 22nd, 2008

The description of Roger Corman's 1975 cult classic reads like a description of the latest Grand Theft Auto-style videogame. Racing across the country in souped up death cars, drivers in the death race get points not merely for winning but for killing opponents and pedestrians alike. Points are assigned for killing particular types of pedestrians such as old people or children.

A controversial premise back in 1975 becomes something only eye brow raising today thanks to the rise of the first person killer videogame. Why then did writer-director Paul W.S Anderson abandon the gimmick for his modern Death Race remake? Who knows.

In the new Death Race Jason Statham stars as Jensen Aimes, a former Nascar driver convicted of murdering his wife. The reality is that Aimes was framed for his wife's murder by Hennessey (Joan Allen) who needed him in her prison to drive in the ratings champion Death Race. Her former top draw Frankenstein has died and ratings have been dropping ever since.

However, after hiding Frank's death from the public and helped by the fact that he wore a mask, Hennessey plans on subbing Jensen for for Frank. The Death Race features some of the most violent and disturbed men in the world including the multiple murder convict Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson) and the man who actually killed Aimes' wife, Ulrich (Jason Clarke), driving cars equipped with weapons. The goal, win the race and kill your fellow racers. Win five races in a row and you win your freedom.

The plot construct of Paul W.S Anderson drives wildly off course from the Corman original. The future setting of this death race for some reason includes giant prison colonies, corporate run prisons and other such unnecessary nonsense. The race itself is an whole other kind of nonsense. It's called Death Race yet racers have survived race after race so well that each of the 8 to 10 racers has their own history and fanbase.

Then Jensen joins and suddenly racers are dying left and right. Half way through this death race Hennessy introduces a new danger, a giant truck filled with her henchman that begins killing racers. She seems to have instructed it to kill everyone but then there wouldn't be any more death racers and their is half a race left?

Now, I realize I am injected logic where none is welcome, this is after all a supremely dumb action flick and not some high minded drama. But, when the action is as lame as that of Death Race, I am left only to my logical mind to survive such tripe. Pulling apart the ludicrous nature of Paul W.S Anderson's script just gives me something to do while I wait for the movie to be over.

Aside from his good work in The Bank Job, Jason Statham's act has gotten supremely tired. The Transporter movies, Crank, War, Statham is playing the same character over and over and over again, varying only the character name. Sure, sometimes, as in War, he speaks with a slightly more clipped pace, but otherwise it's no different.

His Jensen Aimes is merely his Transporter sent to prison. Writers and directors may as well start naming his character Jason Statham just to make things as simple as possible for the action star. Even the sense of humor he developed working with pal Guy Richie on Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch has devolved into a tired, unfunny, deadpan.

Death Race never set out to be anything more than a cheap, second rate, z-movie. Roger Corman was even kind enough to add his imprimatur just to make sure you didn't expect to much quality from this enterprise. But, most of the credit for the crappiness of Death Race falls on Paul W.S Anderson who adds to his resume of debacles from Resident Evil to Alien Vs Predator, another stupidly violent, mind numbingly idiotic, action flick.

Movie Review Resident Evil Afterlife 3D

Resident Evil Afterlife (2010) 

Directed by Paul W.S Anderson

Written by Paul W.S Anderson 

Starring Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Wentworth Miller, Boris Kodjoe

Release Date September 10th, 2010 

Published September 10th, 2010 

The idea behind each of the “Resident Evil” films is watching Milla Jovovich in states of undress or in exceptionally tight fitting outfits. Jovovich is a walking fetish for director Paul W.S Anderson and a legion of geek fans who flock even to the shoddiest made films to see the object of their lust.

Now, Milla Jovavich in tight leather and in 3D threatens to make going to see “Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D” something akin to attending a porn film with greasy, glassy eyed geeks under giant coats ducking low so what they're doing cannot be seen. Sure, there are zombies and guns, but if you can’t figure the true interest of the “Resident Evil” creators and fans, consider yourself naïve but also kind of lucky. I wish I didn’t know.

In this 3rd or 4th or who the hell cares numbered sequel in the video game to movie franchise, Alice (Jovovich) is in Japan seeking the headquarters of the evil umbrella corporation. They are the ones who invented the T-Virus that has turned most of humanity into flesh eating zombies while turning Alice superhuman.

Yes, Alice is infected by the T Virus but something makes her immune and adaptive and superhuman, thus she is perfect to take on an entire army of faceless corporate mercenaries. Oh, but Alice is not alone, in a move that will no doubt please the geeks in most disturbing fashion, Alice has been cloned and several of her are on the attack in tight leather jumpsuits.

That's just the opening minutes, once we've been whittled down to just the original Alice, we get to the much more dull story of Alice's travel to Alaska seeking her former friends and the search for a place called Arcadia that claims to be a disease free paradise filled with survivors and supplies.

Soon, Alice is reunited with Claire (fellow fetish object Ali Larter) and though Claire has lost her memory, they soon are traveling to Los Angeles searching for Arcadia and more survivors. The few they find are hiding in a giant prison surrounded by the undead. Boris Kodjoe and Wentworth Miller lead a ragtag bunch of cannon fodder destined to die horribly for our amusement.

The best of the supporting cast is not one of the survivors but rather a reject from another movie, a zombie giant with an ax/hammer he intends to use to crush all non-zombies. Where did this freak come from? Why is he killing survivors and not crushing zombies? Who knows, he makes for a cool visual and a strong foe for Alice and that's all that matters.

Sadly, the zombie giant ax/hammer guy, who looks like he wandered over from the unmade sequel to Silent Hill, is not the big bad in Resident Evil Afterlife. He's barely a foe at all, dispatched in a single scene with barely a fight. I wasn't rooting for the bad guy but he was the most interesting looking thing in the film, not counting Ms. Jovovich, and the film definitely loses something after his scene ends.

Don't let me overstate, the giant ax/hammer zombie dude is certainly not enough to recommend the dull slog of zombie goofiness that is “Resident Evil Afterlife.” There is no doubt that Milla Jovavich is completely gorgeous and looks amazing but this type of puerile interest cannot sustain interest in a full length feature and is really better suited to the privacy of home viewing, even without the 3D.

Movie Review Resident Evil Apocalypse

Resident Evil Apocalypse (2004) 

Directed by Alexander Witt

Written by Paul W.S Andersn 

Starring Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Jared Harris, Mike Epps

Release Date September 10th, 2004

Published September 12th, 2004 

As bad as the first Resident Evil film was, written and directed by Paul W.S Anderson (ugh), could the sequel be any worse? Paul W.S Anderson stepping aside as director was a good first step, as is a script and story more faithful to its videogame source material. However first time director Alexander Witt, who's assistant director resume includes Speed 2, XXX and The Postman seems uninterested in improving on the original, unless you call being bigger, dumber and louder an improvement.

We begin where the last film left off. Our heroine Alice (Milla Jovovich) has just escaped from the Umbrella Corporation's evil underground lab The Hive, where she spent the previous night fighting the undead. Temporarily captured by Umbrella's evil scientists for a quick genetic upgrade, Alice finds herself in the chaotic remains of Racoon City, which has been overrun by zombies.

With most of the once peaceful town infected, and the evil Umbrella scientists having closed the only way out of town, Alice must team with the remaining survivors to fight the zombies and find a way out. With Alice are former cop Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory), armed forces specialist Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr), former pimp L.J (Mike Epps) and a small band of cannon fodder who are picked off in rather predictable fashion.

As the survivors battle the zombies, the chance to escape comes from a former Umbrella scientist Dr. Ashford (Jared Harris). The good doctor will get them a helicopter if they will go to the town’s only school and retrieve his young daughter Angie (Sophie Vasseur). Standing in their way are an assortment of zombie children and a return of those feral organs-on-the-outside Dobermans from the first film.

Let's start with some good things like star Milla Jovovich who, though she has limited range as an actress, is amazingly hot and has a terrific physical presence. She's agile and good with a gun and a believable action heroine. In a better action movie she could be quite effective, but in the midst of this film’s mindlessness she's reduced to repeating herself into tedium.

The supporting cast of Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr and Mike Epps don't have much time to make an impression in between all of the explosions, zombie bites and gunfire. Epps at least has a couple of humorous moments that he is well suited to deliver. The film could have used a little more of Epps' humor but that would require a far better script.

We cannot be surprised that a script this witless and banal was written by the master of witless banality, Paul W.S Anderson. Every line of dialogue, every moment of exposition is just killing time till the next explosion of big, dumb, loud violence. This can work if you have the slightest bit of wit or sense of irony but Anderson has none. Director Alexander Witt doesn't have any either. His visuals consist of properly framing for the explosion and.... well, that's it.

This plot is at the very least more closely related to the popular video game, a fact that might appeal to fans of the game but is of little comfort to non-fans. Compared to the first film, this Resident Evil manages to be bigger, dumber and louder than the original and that is certainly not an improvement. On the bright side it's still a better video game based movie than Tomb Raider.

Movie Review: Alien Vs Predator

Alien Vs Predator (2004)

Directed by Paul W.S Anderson 

Written by Paul W.S Anderson

Starring Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen

Release Date August 13th, 2004 

Published August 12th, 2004

In my research for reviewing Alien Vs Predator, one recurring theme kept coming up that absolutely fascinated me and that was the highly pretentious indignity of Alien fans who cannot fathom the idea of their beloved character being teamed with the Predator. Regardless of the fact that comic fans made Alien Vs Predator the fastest selling independent comic in history, Alien fans remained indignant. They were likely egged on by star Sigourney Weaver who famously dismissed any involvement of her Ripley character in an AvP project. 

Despite the outrage, Alien Vs Predator has finally made it to the big screen and maybe those fans were right to be so upset. Where the Alien has been dramatized by such action auteurs as Ridley Scott, James Cameron and David Fincher, Predator had the capable John McTiernan and Stephen Hopkins. Now both franchise characters come under the hack guidance of Paul W. S. Anderson, a director who has far more scorn than any director of his limited experience. Maybe Predator deserves this but Alien may in fact have deserved better. 

Alien Vs Predator's place in both franchises timeline is murky at best. It is set in modern times, after the Predator's have battled Arnold in the jungle and Danny in L.A but long before Ripley began kicking Alien ass. As the story goes a millionaire industrialist named Charles Bishop Weyland (Lance Henriksen) has discovered something beneath the ice in Antarctica that could be the most significant archaeological discovery in history. 

Using his vast fortune, Weyland puts together an international team of scientists and archaeologists to dig 2,000 feet into the earth and uncover this major find. This being unfamiliar territory for human beings, Weyland calls on one of the very few people in the world who can navigate the Antarctic, an environmental scientist named Lex Woods (Sanaa Lathan). Lex will prepare the crew including archaeologist Sebastian (Raoul Bova) and a cast of edible extras for the difficult trek. 

What the group discovers is indeed remarkable. It's a temple that combines the architecture of the ancient Mayans, Incas and Cambodians. Inside the temple is a complex technological maze that randomly shifts its walls in ways that something that old should not be able to do. Eventually they come to realize that the temple and its inhabitants are not human and there is more than one non-human in the place. Our human protagonists find themselves in the midst of an ancient Alien ritual that pits two awesome species against one another that could end with the destruction of mankind. 

That's as spoiler free as I can be without giving away which side the humans must choose in order to survive. I can say that, box office willing, there will be a sequel so don't look for a tidy resolution. Does it matter that I spoil things or not? No, but some people will sample this film whether I trash it or not so for those brave souls I have been discreet. With that out of the way, let's get to the trashing. 

Director Paul W.S. Anderson wrote and directed Alien Vs Predator and the hack style he brought to his previous films, Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, Event Horizon, et al, is in full effect here. He should be banned from writing in the future as his ear for dialogue is akin to recent George Lucas, without the imagination. The story is credited to Anderson which is somewhat curious and controversial. Fans of the comic book will recognize the character arcs of the Alien and Predator rivalry as well as that of Lex who is very reminiscent of the Japanese heroine in the Dark Horse comic series. Anderson is the only one with a writing credit though the creators of Alien and Predator films do get character credit. 

It's understandable why no one would choose to sue for credit on Alien Vs. Predator because as it is on the big screen I can imagine people not wanting to be associated with it. 

Maybe the most egregious error of the film is it's PG-13 Rating. This clearly studio-ordered commercial choice compromises the one thing this film had going for it: the possibility of some serious headsplitting gore. Once you agree to the compromised PG-13 rating you have to keep the blood to a minimum and the deaths to their least horrendous. Immediately you lose one of the great Alien set pieces in which the Alien children explode from human chests. This spectacularly gory scene has been a staple of the franchise and here it lasts all of one second! And that one-second shot is nearly bloodless and very cheap looking. 

The film is deathly serious and could use a little humor. Not that there aren't laughs, there are laughs but they are the unintentional kind like when a character is introduced and immediately begins talking about having been away from home for too long and can't wait to get home to his kids. Like a teenager having sex at Crystal Lake, this characters fate is sealed the moment he whipped out the baby pictures. 

Poor Sanaa Lathan. This terrific young actress has had a run of good performances, mostly in romantic dramas like Love and Basketball, Disappearing Acts and Brown Sugar. Most recently she was a Tony nominee for Raisin In The Sun on Broadway. What possessed her to take on this character is beyond me. In the future, she might read the script before accepting a role, that is the only explanation I can think of for her to taken this gig. 

You might say it's noble of Paul W.S. Anderson to continue the tradition of female action heroes but as thinly written and characterized as this character is, she may have set back the cause of female action heroes for years to come. Unless you like your action heroines running and screaming in terror before luck and a very male extra-terrestrial figure enters to save their lives. 

I will say that the film does thrill when Aliens and Predators go mano a mano but the film takes a bad dialogue laden while to get to that first fight. The subsequent fights are such that you can keep score on which species is winning and that is at least momentarily involving. It's involving until one of the species wimps out and becomes an ally of the humans. The last thing anyone wants is for either the Alien or the Predator to be sensitive but that is what we get near the end. 

Now I can see why Alien fans were so upset about this film. Though their venom, or acid blood if you prefer, may be better aimed toward Paul W.S. Anderson than the Predator.

Movie Review Resident Evil

Resident Evil (2002) 

Directed by Paul W.S Anderson

Written by Paul W.S Anderson 

Starring Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, James Purefoy, 

Release Date March 15th, 2002 

Published March 15th, 2002 

I hate science fiction!

If it's not Star Wars or Star Trek: Next Generation, it's almost guaranteed I'm going to hate it. So you're probably wondering why I would subject myself to the Sci-fi schlock of Resident Evil. Maybe I'm a movie masochist. Or maybe I'm open-minded enough to see a film before I judge it. Or maybe I heard Milla Jovavich gets naked and I'm just a perv.

Resident Evil is the latest video game-to-movie adaptation, a combination that has yet to yield a solid effort. It's the oh so original story of an evil, futuristic corporation that develops evil biological weapons because they are a corporation and they are evil. After a break-in leads to a biological weapon being deployed in the evil corporation's evil underground lab, killing thousands of employees, the company's evil supercomputer locks down the facility. The company then sends in their crack security team to investigate. Well, investigate or just blow stuff up and die weird painful deaths, it's all in how you look at it.

That leaves our heroine Milla Jovavich to fight the evil supercomputer which is a combination of Hal from 2001 and the little girl from Poltergeist. She's not just fighting the computer though; there are also the zombified corpses of the evil corporation's former employees.

All of which makes Resident Evil a weird amalgamation of George Romero's Living Dead and every bad science fiction movie of the last 4 years from Hollow Man to Ghosts Of Mars. The most egregious are the direct lift from Ghosts of Mars. I kid you not, Resident Evil lifts an entire scene directly from Ghosts.

Milla Jovovich is a talented actress and she does all she can with the material she is given. The same goes for her co-star, Girlfight's Michele Rodriguez, who hits all the tough girl poses that in a better film might make her a viable choice for an action leading lady.

Resident Evil isn't the worst video game adaptation, that title still belongs to Super Mario Bros. and Tomb Raider. That's about the nicest thing I can say about Resident Evil.