RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION

Seven years after the destruction of Raccoon City, a group of eco-terrorists once again spread the T-virus in Harvardville Airport where Senator Davis is supposed to board, believed to be responsible for some speculations by the company Will Pharma. Claire Redfield, a veteran of the Raccoon City disasters and now a member of an organization supporting victims of bioterrorism, is also present and immediately takes control of the situation. Meanwhile, the airport has been placed under quarantine to contain the contagion and Leon S. Kennedy, another Raccoon City survivor, is sent to retrieve Senator Davis, if he is still alive. Fans of the Capcom video game "Resident Evil" have often expressed a certain dissatisfaction with the cinematic saga created by the mind of Paul W. S. Anderson, notably different from the story and atmosphere of the video game. "Resident Evil: Degeneration" should therefore be that "gift" so eagerly awaited by those who have spent sleepless nights exploring the buildings of Raccoon City and smashing the heads of zombies. Unfortunately, "Degeneration" is a bit like those much-desired toys that, once in our hands, we realize do not work as the TV ad showed us. First of all, it must be clarified that "Degeneration" is not the fourth film in the cinematic saga dedicated to "Resident Evil"; in fact, it has nothing to do with the saga starring Milla Jovovich. It is rather a "Resident Evil 4.5" that fits into the video game saga, picking up situations and characters seen in "Resident Evil 2" (video game), "Resident Evil: Code Veronica," and "Resident Evil 4." Set seven years after the destruction of Raccoon City ("Resident Evil 3") and one year after Leon S. Kennedy's Iberian mission, it seems that this "Degeneration" was commissioned by Sony to serve as a bridge and waiting palliative for the imminent fifth chapter for consoles that will always feature Leon and in which some elements introduced in this film will appear. By thinking about the nature of this blatantly commercial operation, one can already get an idea of the marginality reserved for the purely qualitative aspect. The main problem with "Degeneration" is that what one might have expected from a cinematic adaptation of a video game does not happen, and the film itself seems to be nothing more than a collage of non-interactive scenes from the video game itself, lacking the right rhythm, a good narrative glue, and even the minimum character development. The plot, in the end, would not even be a big problem... yes, it is a very thin plot that broadly covers many themes already addressed (and better) in the console chapters, but it works quite well. What does not work are some banalities and incredible coincidences scattered here and there (see family ties and the right people at the right time) and above all the imbalance of rhythm. Indeed, "Degeneration" seems built on two extremely distinct narrative blocks: a first very successful half-hour set in the airport and a last adrenaline-filled half-hour set in the Will Pharma laboratories. In between, a half-hour of absolute nothing. The rhythm therefore experiences sudden spikes and collapses that are too visible without managing to find the right balance that usually belongs to a film. Another serious lack is a minimal character development of the characters, all excessively cut with an axe and, in the case of the old acquaintances Claire and Leon, unable to deepen the personalities already emerged in the video games. Especially Leon, who in the console chapters seemed like a nearly "complete" character, here undergoes an incredible regression, transforming into an action man with a Backstreet Boys look who only mumbles a few macho one-liners and does not exude the slightest emotion, throwing himself headfirst only into action movie evolutions. Add to that that the 3D animation, although good, is not up to current technology and the facial expressions of the characters are the ones that suffer the most, appearing all too marmoreal and cold, thus resulting in inevitable inexpressiveness. However, it must be emphasized that the action scenes are really excellent and adrenaline-filled, well-conceived and also filmed with a non-negligible cinematic sense. In the end, "Degeneration" leaves a bitter taste: what should have been the redemption of the video gamer is in reality a one-and-a-half-hour mega ad to introduce the video game "Resident Evil 5." Watchable but still unsatisfying for fans of the video game saga, absolutely impenetrable for everyone else.