Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment – 1 hr 36 mins – 2009 – Rated R – 1080p -Widescreen 1.78: 1 – TrueHD 5.1

The Resident Evil franchise keeps on going, plowing through ever medium from games, comics, movies, and now a feature length animated film. Let’s face it, people love zombies and Capcom will not stop its cash cow moving. Resident Evil: Degeneration comes to Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, so if you don’t know how to pull off a headshot, run.

THE MOVIE

For those of you who are hardcore Resident Evil fans, Degeneration technically takes place after Resident Evil 4 and before the upcoming fifth game. The story is fairly simple surrounding the events of the aftermath of Raccoon City, where the Zombie outbreak has spread to other territories. The Umbrella Corporation, which was the center of the original games and films, has fallen and a new threat has emerged with the rise of WilPharma, and medical company that claims it has a cure for the outbreak, but is actually attempting to do more harm than good.

Two familiar faces from the game series are in the center of the action, Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy, to keep the world of Resident Evil legit. Just like the video game, Degeneration finds as many ways as possible to throw zombies at the heroes in every way imaginable. One of the best scenes takes place in the beginning of the film inside of an airport, which even includes a plane full of zombies crashing into the place to cause mayhem.

The main problem with Degeneration is that it doesn’t attempt to do anything to expand the franchise. Claire and Leon are just as wooden as they are in the videogames, and for a film that should be about zombies, there are not enough of them in this 96 minute adventure. Yes, there are some standout moments, but overall when it’s over there won’t be that much of an impression left on you.

VIDEO

RE: Degeneration’s CG work is acceptable, but will not blow you away like the recent visuals seen in films like Wall-E or Kung Fu Panda. With a full 1080p image in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, RE: Degeneration looks equal to the cut scenes you play in video games, but at times the faces look very wax-like, especially on the Senator, who looks like he’s always in the process of passing gas. Colors look great, and there’s plenty of blood to splatter across your HDTV.

AUDIO

Offering a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix, the sound work is done well, with clear dialogue and great sound effects. But again, it’s nothing more than you’d get from an A-level videogame. Play this one in the dark with your surround sound pumped and it’ll make you jump in the right places.

EXTRAS

RE: Degeneration doesn’t offer a laundry list of bonus features, but keep in mind that this is a direct-to-video film.

The Generation of Degeneration is a half-hour look at the making of the movie, that includes interviews with the Japanese team behind it.

There’s a glimpse at the upcoming Resident Evil 5 videogame.

A silly voice blooper reel, that has the voice actors dubbing lines over existing footage.

Character Profiles highlights all the characters of Degeneration.

Faux Leon is a mock interview with the character of Leon Kennedy pretending to be and actor who is playing Leon Kennedy.

To round things up, there’s a pop up trivia track; Picture-in-Picture clips that displays storyboards and motion capture clips as you watch the movie, and the Comic-Con footage used to promote RE: Degeneration.

BOTTOM LINE

If you love the Resident Evil franchise, this one should go on your list of things to get. The Blu-ray offers a sharp picture and great sound quality, and even a decent amount of bonus material. Obviously this is just one big cut scene to keep you hyped up for the new video game, but take it for what it is and you may enjoy the ride.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 3.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 2.5

Bottom Line: 3.0