*Disclaimer, this is a review of the edited version of the film so that it is TV-14. The uncut version would likely get a lower score*

How can a film about people fighting zombies not be an instant global hit? We’ve seen what the Walking Dead did right? (Although, I’m sure that it was a one hit wonder. We won’t be seeing another Walking Dead with that much success) That being said, I’ve never liked any zombie film that I’ve seen or heard about. Zombies are some of the worst enemies that can appear in a film and their only competition would be Vampires of Werewolves. That being said, this film is based off of a video game, which is always cool!

The plot of the film involves a woman named Alice, although she is missing from the very first scene. The first scene starts out as most films start out. There are some employees who are having a good ole time and you may figure that this will be the feel good film of the year. This quickly changes when a vile is dropped and horror ensues. Meanwhile, with the real plot, Alice has lost her memories and she doesn’t have time to gather them as a team of trained professionals breaks into her(?) mansion and quickly take her to a secret passage. These guys want to get to the bottom of the tower so that they can shut down an A.I. that has gone rogue. Alice doesn’t fully understand what is happening here, but she goes along with them. (It should be noted that she’s not really given much of a choice) The group also runs across a police officer and another guy who has amnesia. It’s all pretty routine at first, but can these trained professionals possibly take down such an advanced computer?

Notice that I did’t mention the zombies. That would almost be a spoiler since they don’t arrive until we’re decently late in the film. The reason that it’s not a spoiler…is that zombies are the whole point of Resident Evil. It’s like when Godzilla doesn’t appear for a very long time in his Final Wars film. We all know that he will appear…it’s just a question of when. The zombies are what you would expect from this kind of film. They’re mindless, slow, but get a lot of help from plot hax and sheer numbers. Traitors in the midst of the heroes are also welcome additions to their army.

I should get into the negatives before I go into some of the other details and positives of the film. One negative will be the unnecessary fanservice scene. (Spoiler alert, we get one of those in basically every film. The 4th film may be the only exception, but I may have just forgotten something) The scene is likely there to make sure that I take some points away from the film, but there are classier ways to do that. The scene could have been worse, but it stays for way too long. Luckily it was just that one scene..sort of. The very ending can be a little dicey as well.

The other negative would be the sheer violence in the film. You can immediately tell why this film got such a strong rating when the laser scene pops up. Action violence will always be around in a zombie film, or any kind of action film. Still, the film goes way over the top in this area and that’s another way to take out some points. The scenes where they destroy the zombies actually isn’t extremely violent, (yet) but the zombies themselves look pretty gruesome. Whenever they bite one of the humans, it may make you wince a little.

There is also some unnecessary romance that involves Alice’s previous life. (Not literally, but before her amnesia) It’s not around for too long, but the scenes are pretty unnecessary and they’ll make you wince again. That’s essentially it for the negatives, but those are pretty critical. Let’s go to a happier section as I list the positives for the film!

The soundtrack is easily 5 star worthy. It’s one of the best soundtracks that I’ve seen in a live action film and it can hold its own against any other. It’s really cool to see the schematics of the base because we get a really cool theme going. It gives us a video game impression while also making the film 20% cooler. The ending theme of the film is also great and really makes you hyped for the sequel, no matter how much you liked or disliked this film. The soundtrack is just that good!

Another positive for the film would be the very ending. It’s easily one of the best endings in cinematic history. Not only does the ending pave the way for a sequel, but it shows us what the true scope of the zombie threat is. These guys are playing for keeps and it’s up to Alice to stop them once and for all. It’s really rare to see such an ending make it onto the big screen and it was a good move.

The film does have a final boss and this guy is more of a beast than a zombie. He gets stronger whenever he consumes another person and his abilities may be limitless at this point! He’s very durable and while he may not be completely bulletproof, he can definitely endure a lot of shots. Unfortunately, the way that the heroes beat him is pretty gruesome. Still, this guy was definitely a powerful final boss and he caused a lot of damage.

The real villain would be the Red Queen A.I. She was pretty cool and you could definitely sympathize with her if not for the fact that she murders everyone in her path. It may be the voice that makes her amusing, or the fact that she’s basically in control the entire time. She’s essentially the mastermind of this whole film.

Alice is the main character and she’s a decent protagonist. She doesn’t have her full memories so she’s not as powerful as she usually is. She learns how to fight during the later portion of the film and by the end, she seems to be at her peak once again. Can she truly stop the zombies with her shotgun? Well, we’re going to find out!

Matt is the police officer of the group and he even comes equipped with an emotional backstory. He’s a decent character as well and he does try to get to the thick of things. This guy is tough, but fighting zombies takes more than a handgun. (Unless the person in question is a trained professional) The ending will likely be pretty sad for his fans, but nearly every character in the film gets a sad ending as well. Matt is not alone!

One of the things that helps the film, is the overall atmosphere. It feels like a mystery while adding in some thriller and horror elements. The film did a good job of mixing the three of those together. This is essentially how I would picture a Metroid film if it came out. The atmosphere would be perfect for that kind of film.

Overall, this zombie film was better than the others that I’ve seen, but it could still use a lot of work. While the film had many pros, it had many cons as well. The violence was definitely over the top and unnecessary additions like the main character’s medical capture at the end definitely bring the film down. It’s definitely not the kind of film where you walk away with a big grin on your face. One also feels bad for the monsters. At least the edited version took out most of the language and the soundtrack is sill solid. I can’t really recommend this film, but you may enjoy it if you like zombie films and don’t mind the excessive violence. For minors, your best bet for a good horror film is to check out Batman Phantasm. I actually recommend that Batman film as a solid alternative to all horror fans! I will be reviewing the second film soon, which adds some more positives, while also falling into some new holes.

Overall 2/10

A mission to Mars always sounds fun, but it’s not something that I would want to do. Those voyages take way too long and space isn’t my thing. Still, the plot has is intriguing since space films can always add aliens and it’s hinted at in the plot. Was this film a success or did it turn out like most other space films? Let’s find out!

I’ve always been a big fan of alien/creature films. They’re always fun to watch and the films always have potential to be great. I usually end up dishing out low scores to those films because they make a lot of mistakes, but I always get my hopes up when a new one comes out. Unfortunately, this film may disappoint you if you’re looking for some solid aliens!

The plot involves a group of characters as they head off to Mars. The only one that you need to remember is Luke, as the rest of the crew is quickly destroyed by what seems to be a Kaiju. Luke quickly radios for help, but then the channel is cut. On Earth, they know that it’ll take a long time to get to Mars and Luke may already be dead. That’s definitely not going to stop our heroes! Jim, Terri, and Phil are some of the members who are a part of the new crew. They know the risks and while they are not prepared for any hostile encounter, they have determination on their side! Let’s just say that they’re in for a surprise when they finally make it to Mars!

Well, that’s the general plot and it’s a decent way to start a film. We got a party scene at the beginning, which is supposed to help us relate to the characters and maybe even sympathize with them. That part wasn’t bad and it was definitely an explosive beginning when the monster appeared. Unfortunately, nothing really happens after that. The rest of the film is basically set up for something that doesn’t even get to happen. A little on the sad side eh?

There are aliens in this film, but they have a very generic design. I have to say that they were also some of the worst aliens that we’ve seen in a while. On one hand, they seem to have almost limitless power as they hint that they are the ones who created humanity, or at least the ones who made the animals. They started the evolutionary process. You may be trying to suppress a laugh during the big scene that showcases this, but you may as well let it out. These “all powerful” aliens are quickly forced to retreat when an asteroid shower takes out their planet. So much for their technology and powers!

One part of the film that may annoy most people is the decision that Jim makes. It basically means ditching his whole race and also trusting the word of a being that he’s never truly met. That doesn’t seem like a smart move and it makes Jim unlikable. It’s impossible to agree with this choice, at least for me. That’s why I was glad that the other characters didn’t choose the same path.

I also noticed that this film was PG. I think that a PG rating doesn’t really suffice. The scene where the Kaiju murders the team is pretty intense and PG-13 worthy. Some films do skirt that edge nowadays and Prince Caspian is a good example of that. Still, this film isn’t very violent and that is really the only scene that gets intense. The rest of the film plays it safe and we don’t get any real action scenes. There are some emotional moments in the film, like one guy (not literally) self destructing so that someone else wouldn’t die in a rescue attempt. Still, watch that first Kaiju battle and tell me that the film should be PG!

This film is essentially why I’m not a fan of space movies that do not involve aliens or creatures. Being in space is like being underwater of in the dessert. Those scenes just aren’t interesting in movies and that’s the case here. The scenes could have been worse and they were decent, but they just didn’t mean anything in the end. The film was very misleading and maybe the score would have been better if we didn’t get the Kaiju scene.

See, the Kaiju scene was very intense and it hinted that there were creatures on Mars. I won’t spoil the “epic” twist, but there is no life on Mars. That scene was just meant to trick the audience and keep people watching. There were so many ways that they could have achieved that part in a better way. It was pretty sad when the twist happened and I’m sure that many viewers were not pleased.

Aside from being very uneventful and disappointing, Mission to Mars did have some things going for it. For one thing, there are no really big negatives to the film. It didn’t fall into any of the usual holes like Animal Violence. The film may not have achieved a lot of success in its pros, but the fact that it doesn’t really have any cons, helps it to get such a rating. A 4 isn’t exactly Oscar worthy, but it’s not bad considering the genre and lack of action. Comparing it to some of my recent reviews, this would technically be one of the higher rated ones.

The characters were decent for the most part, but many of them went south. Luke essentially cracked after the Kaiju attack and Jim didn’t make a great move. Self-Destructing isn’t going to help anyone in my books and the other characters were just around. I suppose that I liked the commander who allowed the mission to proceed, but he didn’t get a whole lot of screentime. Maybe he’ll get some more next time!

Overall, this is not a space film that I would recommend. I guess it would be like watching Apollo 11 or Gravity. Space isn’t a great backdrop for me unless there is a lot of action. I like seeing people inside of spaceships or objects in space, but not space itself. A Metroid setting would do very well, but we also need the sci-fi that accompanies that. Adding in aliens just helped to confuse the audience, since it never really amounted to anything. Most of the drama and suspense comes from ship malfunctions and other disasters. They’re sad, but I don’t think anyone paid 20 dollars to go and see people plug the leaks of a space ship. We came for aliens and explosions! If you like realistic space films, then I’m sure that you would like this film. It’s just not my cup of tea. If you want to see a really epic space film, check out DBZ: Broly The Legendary Super Saiyan!

Overall 4/10

Pulse is a horror film that deals with the dangers of the internet. Horror films usually do not draw high scores from me, but it’s still nice to see them give it their all. Maybe this will end up being one of the best horror films that I’ve ever seen. The concept is interesting and the film is actually pretty recent. Let’s see how it fared!

After a guy named Josh is quickly defeated in the library, the film lets you know that Mattie will be the main character. She’ll need to be tougher than Josh, since he gives up on life and dies pretty early in the film. Mattie has a few friends with her and they’ll try to figure out what happened to Josh, but it may be a losing battle. They have two clues to go on….his computer and red tape. Meanwhile, a guy named Dex happens to be around and he’s quickly pulled into the thick of things!

First of all, it should be noted that the villains are only mildly tough. They manage to overpower several of the main guys in the film and also defeat an old man. (The latter case is not confirmed, but the man was with his cart and then the cart comes back…but the guy is gone!) The ghosts were trapped in the internet by a “super” genius, but they escaped thanks to our local hacker, Josh. Once the ghosts are out, there’s no getting them back in.

Personally, I think that the heroes got off lucky. The demons from The Grudge and The Ring are far scarier and more threatening than these guys. These guys suck a person’s will into them so that the person ends up wanting to die. I don’t buy that kind of power. These guys must have had a very weak grasp on their will to live. (Bleach actually agrees with me in the latest chapters of the final arc.) The humans should have tried harder! The ghosts seem like they can also blow a person up by infecting them with a disease if they don’t succumb to depression quick enough.

There’s also a pretty neat counselor at the school, but one can tell that he is an expendable character. After he gives Mattie a pep talk about how ghosts aren’t real, he is attacked. I won’t say if he wins or not, but let’s just say that you can’t really call it a “fight”.

By the end of the film, almost everyone in the entire school has disappeared. Only a handful of people are left and one would think that the government would get involved. We’re talking about 100+ people disappearing in an instant and it actually reaches up to the millions area before the very end. The ghosts work pretty fast!

Mattie is not one of the better main characters. She’s all right I suppose, but she’s not quite as intense as the average main character. That being said, she’s much better than Josh. Josh is the first to go and hacking never ends well. Stone is another one of the main characters, but diving under the bed to hide from the ghosts may be a plan that he regrets.

Tim has the right idea as he hides out in his room with a lot of red tape. His only mistake is that he takes some of the tape off so that he can see what’s happening outside……….pretty big mistake. Douglas is the guy who originally trapped the spirits, but it must have been a fluke because he quickly hides when they escape. He actually survives and he’s still hiding in his closet which is surrounded by red tape. I guess we’ll see how long he can stay in the closet before having to make a trip to Wal Mart for some pizza and chips. He’s going to need food at some point! Dex is the “tough guy” of the group and he knows exactly what needs to be done. Unfortunately, he is faced off against the spirits of two little boys and it’s enough for him to take a few steps back. I won’t say if he gets through the predicament alive, but it’s an intense scene!

So, the film doesn’t sound that bad right now right? Maybe it’ll actually get a positive score! Well…..that’s not going to happen. It’s time to launch into the negatives of the film. The first big one involves…animal violence. Unfortunately, the film sunk to that low. It’s a pretty sad scene and it instantly destroyed a few points from the film. We see a cat who is in Very bad shape. It’s enough to give you an upset stomach to be honest. The cat was also locked in the closet and it’s a very sad and unsettling scene.

Another thing that doesn’t help its case is an unnecessary bath scene. They’re always unnecessary, but it’s still sad that they keep on adding those type of scenes. I’m sure that the films would get much better reviews and also sell more if they didn’t add those scenes. Just look at The Avengers!

I also can’t give this film a very good score considering how all of the characters are pretty annoying and unlikable. They are easy prey for the villains and they should have put up more resistance like the old couple who had a shotgun. Those guys knew the score and they were actually fighting against the spirits!

Overall, this is another horror film that I cannot recommend. It falls into the big animal violence and fanservice holes, which don’t bode well for it. I did like the ending since the Government is finally getting involved as they’ve gotten people to Dead Zones so the spirits cannot hurt them. (Spirits can only operate in places with Wifi) That’s a good first step, but I want to see what the human’s counter attack will be. After all, we do see Josh in the very end and the war is just getting started! The film got a pair of sequels, but I can’t say that I’m really planning to watch them. If you really want to watch something scary, then check out the final season of Yugioh GX!!!

Overall 2/10