Resident Evil: Afterlife: A sequel with less brains than the zombies that are in it

Alice's quest to destroy the evil Umbrella Corporation continues as she must fight to lead a group of survivors to the safe haven of Arcadia, a place where the T virus infection has not spread to.

There are some films which truly deserve sequels (i.e. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc.) because their main characters and storylines are so intriguing, audiences want to see more. However there are some films which do not warrant a single sequel, let alone three of them. Such is the case with the Resident Evil franchise and its latest plodding effort, "Afterlife" which was a silly exercise in hackneyed storytelling and directing. Paul W.S. Anderson (the Director of the film) tried to distinguish this sequel by incorporating 3D action sequences into it but those sequences were so similar to the action seen in the original Matrix (and I mean right down to the bad guy Albert Wesker, whose mannerisms and look smacked of Agent Smith) that it was hard not to roll one's eyes and stare at the nearest clock in the hopes that the film would be over sooner rather than later. The actual storyline was not any better as it suceeded in only giving the audience the bare facts of the how's and why's regarding Alice's quest and left plot holes of epic proportions at every opportunity.

With any luck, Resident Evil: Afterlife will be the last film in a franchise of truly subpar efforts.

Grade: D

Shaun of the Dead: A zombie comedy.

Now here's an interesting take on the zombie film! Shaun of the Dead is a zombie comedy which was able to take those typical genre conventions one would expect in a film about the living dead and turn them on their heads.

Shaun is just like every other regular guy out there. He’s stuck in a dead end job, has a girlfriend that wants him to be more than he is and has a roommate that is permanently attached to the couch playing video games. He is trying to make sense of his life but there is the little complication of a horde of zombies attempting to kill him and the people his loves.

The story of Shaun (played to the hilt by Simon Pegg) and his attempts to change and understand what exactly he wanted to do with his life was what carried the film and made it a kick to watch. Before he even faced down his first zombie, he was dealing with problems most people must grapple with; dead end job, girlfriend who wanted him to change and be something more and an overall directionless life. The zombies, while the main villains of the film, were also the things that spurred along Shaun’s attempts to change. What also propped this film above other zombie movie was It was how the director, Edgar Wright, made sure to show how all the regular people around Shaun’s neighborhood acted like zombies before they actually turned. His little social commentary went a long way in framing the world Shaun and friends lived and our own by extension (take a look at the person in the cubicle next to you at work and you'll see what I mean).

Shaun of the Dead was thick with laughs throughout, (usually provided by Shaun’s lazy flat mate Ed), and contained the typical blood and gore one would expect in a horror film.

Grade: B