Review: ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’ orders up more blood and guts, hold the brains

Boasting a higher body count than its IQ, “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” is violent, idiotic fun. Newcomers to these video-game adaptations may feel like they’re being pummeled by Milla Jovovich’s hard-punching Alice and the pounding metal score from Paul Haslinger, but those who have sat through five previous films will feel right at home.

Its house-of-cards plot falls apart with light breeze, but fans were never here for the storyline. Instead, they expect to see Alice’s superhuman fighting skills, zombie dogs, laser deathtraps and mutated monsters, and director Paul W.S. Anderson knows his audience.

This sixth movie in the franchise brings Alice back to Raccoon City and the Hive. Less than 5,000 people remain on an Earth overtaken by the T-virus-infected zombies, and an antivirus hidden in the bowels of the Hive is the only hope. Just 48 hours remain before the final survivors are overtaken by the hordes, and Alice alone can save the world.

Though new faces join returning actors (Iain Glen, Ali Larter and Shawn Roberts), “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” is mostly about its impressive heroine. It doesn’t bother fleshing out other characters, since that flesh is likely to end up in a bloody heap anyway. Without developed characters, this zombie movie lacks not only brains but also a heart; most fans, however, will be too busy cheering Alice on to mind.

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‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’

Rating: R, for sequences of violence throughout

Running time: 1 hour, 47 minutes

Playing: In general release

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