It’s time for Anime Monday again! And this week, in honor of Spooky Season, I wanted to take a look at something a bit different. Something that might not quite be an “anime,” but is still Japanese animation. (Or rather, CGI.)
Resident Evil: Death Island is the 4th CGI movie within the Resident Evil series, but is the 5th overall CGI project. It’s a direct sequel to Resident Evil Vendetta, and complete self-aware fan service. While many might’ve been weary of it after the disaster that was Vendetta, I’m happy to report that Death Island is actually a surprising good time.
The Story:
Resident Evil: Death Island takes place prior to the events of Resident Evil VII, and shortly after Resident Evil Vendetta. For those who saw the previous movie, this one opens up with Leon getting into a motorcycle fight with one of the big bads who actually got away in Vendetta. It’s a flashy over the top scene that wouldn’t make much sense to newcomers, but it does a good job showing off Leon’s goofy side.
After the fight the movie switches over to Jill, who has finally returned to duty after the events of Resident Evil 5, and her team as they investigate a reported zombie attack. Jill discovers the family has in fact been killed, and manages to fight off the infected inside, but her reckless actions only end up angering Chris who is still afraid of losing her again. The whole situation is strange however, as the residence seemingly have turned into zombies all on their own.
Jumping over to our other main character, Claire, we see her investigating a washed up whale that has had a massive bite taken out of it. It seems to be from a shark, but at the same time it’s a bit bigger than expected. Suspecting that it might be the work of a bio weapon, Claire reaches out to her brother Chris, and meets up with both him and Jill to see what the BSAA thinks about the situation. Along with Rebecca, the group looks into what is going on, and they quickly realize that both the whale, and the random house of zombies all have a connection; the prison island of Alcatraz.
Realizing that the family had visited the island, and that the whale came from the same waters, the group decides to head off to investigate. While Jill, Chris, and Claire take to the front lines, Rebecca stays back to develop an antivirus for this seemingly new strain of virus. Upon arriving at the island the group quickly finds themselves within yet another zombie outbreak, and thus begins their latest horror survival experience. Needless to say, Leon eventually makes it to the island as well, so the story ultimately ends up being an all star fight to the finish.
Fan Service Galore:
The thing about Death Island is that it truly is made for Resident Evil fans. The movie expects you to know what happened to Jill in Resident Evil 5, and the movie finally provides fans an answer with what Jill is up to now (as she’s been missing since Resident Evil 5). Chris also brings up his partner from Resident Evil 6, and the movie once again expects viewers to know what happened. There is also no explanation as to who any of these characters are, but fans will know them as leading characters in the series, and Leon’s role is a full on continuation from Vendetta.
Other references include Raccoon City in general, the way the government responded to the incidents, and other plot points that originated from Resident Evil 5 and 6. To some extent Resident Evil Revelations 2 is also worked into the main story, but what’s mainly important technically comes from the first two CGI movies (it’s just expanded upon in Revelations 2).
With all of that being said, all of the fan service really is a good time. It’s cheesy at times, but it wouldn’t be Resident Evil if it wasn’t. The movie does a great job of giving each character a spotlight, but with such a large cast there isn’t enough time to fully focus on all of them. In this case Jill does get the most screen time, but she’s also the one who deserves it the most. Leon and Claire have been the stars of two movies and a “TV” series at this point, with them sharing the lead role with Chris and Rebecca in Vendetta. Jill is the character that has been missing for over a decade, and this was finally her time to recenter the spotlight. They handled the whole thing pretty nicely, and the result was another CGI movie actually worth watching.
Is it a bit rushed in places? Sure. Is it the greatest movie ever? Not at all. Did I have a smile on my face nearly the entire time? You bet I did!
If you are a Resident Evil fan and have yet to see this movie, what are you waiting for? As for everyone else? Go watch Degeneration. It’s not the start of the story, but it’s a bit more self contained, and can be followed without knowing the games. (It’s a fun ride as well!)
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