Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
Resident Evil is an action-horror film series loosely based on the Japanese video game franchise of the same name by Capcom. German studio Constantin Film bought the rights to the first film in January 1997 with Alan B. McElroy and George A. Romero as potential writers. In 2001, Sony Pictures Entertainment acquired distribution rights and hired Paul W. S. Anderson as writer and director for Resident Evil (2002). Anderson continued as writer and producer for Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), and returned as the director for Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016).
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In January 1997, Constantin Film acquired the rights to the Resident Evil franchise with Alan B. McElroy possibly writing the script. By 2001, Columbia TriStar was in final negotiations to acquire North American distribution rights to Resident Evil and budgeted the movie at $40 million. George A. Romero was hired by Sony and Capcom to direct and write Resident Evil. His script was later rejected and he was ultimately dropped. Capcom producer Yoshiki Okamoto stated that "Romero's script wasn't good, so Romero was fired". Paul W. S. Anderson was then hired by Sony to write a screenplay and in late 2000, Anderson was announced as director and writer. Anderson stated the film would not include any tie-inswith the video game series as "under-performing movie tie-ins are too common and Resident Evil, of all games, deserved a good celluloid representation". In 2001, Milla Jovovich was cast as Alice, the protagonist of the film.
In the film, the Umbrella Corporation operates a top-secret genetic research facility named The Hive. Located deep beneath Raccoon City, The Hive has been sealed by The Red Queen (the AI that controls the Hive) due to the release of the T-Virus into the facility. The Red Queen kills every living thing in the facility to ensure that the T-Virus doesn't reach the surface, but the T-Virus reanimates them, transforming the humans into ravenous zombies and the animals into highly aggressive mutants. Alice (Milla Jovovich) was once a security operative working for the Corporation until her memory was wiped by the Red Queen's nerve gas. As the team attempts to escape The Hive, an Umbrella test subject, a huge monster called the Licker, escapes and pursues the team. When they reach the train that leads them to the exit, the Licker attacks and scratches Matt before Alice can kill it. When they reach the surface, Matt is taken away by Umbrella workers and he eventually transforms into Nemesis. Alice awakens from a coma to a ravaged Raccoon City after a T-Virus outbreak.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
Anderson wrote and directed the sixth and final film in the series, subtitled The Final Chapter, which was filmed in 2D and was post-converted to stereoscopic 3D. Milla Jovovich reprised her role as Alice, with only Shawn Roberts, Iain Glen and Ali Larter returning from previous entries as Albert Wesker, Dr. Isaacs and Claire Redfield, respectively. Continuing from the last film, Anderson expressed his desire for the final film to "come full circle", bringing back characters, themes and the environment of the Hive from the first movie. Filming was set to begin in South Africa in August 2014 but was delayed to the summer of 2015 due to Jovovich's pregnancy. Principal photography commenced on September 18, 2015 in South Africa.
Picking up immediately three weeks after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, humanity is on its last legs after Alice is betrayed by Wesker in Washington D.C. Alice then encounters the Red Queen, who tells her that she must return to where the nightmare began – Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation has developed an airborne anti-virus which will kill every organism infected by the T-virus. In a race against time, Alice is captured by Dr. Isaacs, long thought to be dead, who reveals that the previous incarnation was a clone of his true self. Alice escapes and arrives first in Raccoon City, where she joins forces with Claire Redfield. After holding off Dr. Isaacs' undead army, Alice, Claire and a team of survivors make their way towards the Hive. They again encounter the Red Queen, who tells them the origins of the T-virus: it was created by James Marcus, the founder of the Umbrella Corporation to save his daughter, Alicia, from an ailment that caused her to rapidly age. James was then betrayed by his business partner, Dr. Isaacs, and killed by Albert Wesker. Dr. Isaacs and the board of the Umbrella Corporation then intended to release the T-virus on purpose in order to cleanse the world, save the rich and powerful with cryogenics in The Hive, and later rebuild it as they desire. After confronting Wesker and Dr. Isaacs at the bottom of the Hive, Alice also learns her own true nature: she is a clone of the original and still-living Alicia Marcus, who was unable to live a normal life due to her condition. Dr. Isaacs clone brought the army of undead towards Alice and the real Dr. Isaacs. Dr. Isaacs clone could not believe that he was a clone hence stabbed the real Dr. Isaacs to death. Alice then releases the anti-virus, eliminating all infected by the T-virus. Alice survives, and gains the memories of Alicia Marcus as a reward in order to reclaim the childhood she never had. The series ends with Alice riding a motorcycle to New York City and places unknown while being chased by flying BOW's (Bio Organic Weapons), stating that her job isn't finished yet and that it will take several years for the anti-virus to circle the globe.
The film was released on December 23, 2016 in Tokyo and on January 27, 2017 in North America.
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