Resident
Evil – Degeneration (2008/Sony DVD)
Picture: C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C- Feature: C-
After selling endless videogame
variations, three live-action feature films and endless tie-ins, Capcom and
Sony have finally decided to do an entire feature of the killer zombie
franchise in the computer animated world.
That usually-a-wasteland-world is the scene of Resident Evil – Degeneration (2008), which tries to continue the
story of how the Umbrella Corporation would itself become an agent of the
living dead in this prequel that is meant to be serious and graphically so, but
is instead an unintentional howler when it is not boring and dull.
With the last live-action film being
the best by default, the comment that the live-action cartoon might as well be
a real one does not apply here, but seeing this does make one feel the owners
of the franchise are getting bored doing it and it shows. Of course, the whole zombie thing is so bad
that just about all the films are dead on arrival in the worst way, at a ratio
of one good one for a few thousand disasters.
That is why this is so funny when it is funny since this is the first
graphic animated zombie feature I can think of.
No make-up troubles here, though it is well known the hacks making most
zombie messes sometimes digitally enhance the final make-up with digital
work. This is like watching the
overpriced Final Fantasy feature
Sony made a few years ago with very slightly faster animation and more
carnage. See for yourself.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X
1 image is on the soft side, is limited in color and depth can also be an
issue. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is
underwhelming, not using the bass or surround possibilities very much. Maybe this would look better on Blu-ray, but
that is hard to imagine. Extras include
a preview for Resident Evil 5 Video Game,
Voice Bloopers, Faux Leon scene, Character Profiles, trailers for this release
and a making of featurette.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
