RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE
B-movie thrills for discerning adults — not for children or young teens.
Should You Watch It?
If you want a fast, energetic science-fiction action movie, RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE delivers. The movie has a very good diabolical villain, riveting action scenes, heroic derring-do, and interesting science-fiction twists. Strong moral identification with Alice and her friends helps you recognize the good guys and care about their fight to preserve humanity.
The cost is substantial. The violence is very strong, sometimes bloody, scary, and overdone. There are 20 obscenities, including about seven “f” words, along with brief nudity involving a magazine photograph. The worldview also contains quirky elements, including pagan and anti-capitalist ideas, even as the film opposes tyranny and human genetic experimentation.
The practical answer is simple: adults and older teenagers seeking B-movie thrills may find it worth the trip, but families with children or young teens should choose something else.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESAlice, a genetically enhanced heroine, battles the evil chairman of the Umbrella Corporation, whose experiments unleashed a zombie plague on Earth. After escaping him, Alice joins her amnesiac friend Claire and a ragtag group of humans sheltering in a large prison fortress surrounded by hungry zombies.
Their possible refuge is a ship in the Los Angeles harbor. To reach it, Alice and the others must find a way past the zombies—and discover whether the apparent safe harbor is truly safe.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means this is enjoyable, energetic B-movie entertainment with real production quality and cleverness, though it is held back by overdone violence and apparent plot holes.
The movie has many spirited, riveting action sequences, including spectacular battles, and the science-fiction twists add interest. Milla Jovovich seems to have grown into the role of Alice, while Shawn Roberts makes the chairman an effective villain. The mix of actors and characters is interesting, and the heroic conflict gives the action a stronger emotional center.
The Worldview
The film presents a strong moral conflict between people trying to save others and forces that turn human beings into destructive zombies or robot-controlled servants. Its anti-totalitarian message appears stronger than its anti-capitalist elements, since the megalomaniacal corporate chairman represents tyranny. The movie also clearly rebukes genetic experimentation on humans.
At the same time, the film’s very strong violence contributes to a partial humanist and pagan devaluation of human life. A man wears a crucifix, but it does not seem to mean anything. A woman appears to possess a special occult power to destroy objects, although the film takes those powers away. The story also contains anti-capitalist elements because a huge corporation is the villain.
The film’s concern for protecting and preserving humanity pushes back against the idea that people are merely a disease to be eliminated or drastically reduced. Yet its frequent zombie killing somewhat contradicts that concern. Its central moral instinct—that human life should be defended from tyranny—aligns with the biblical truth that people are made in God’s image: “So God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong moral worldview about saving people and fighting socialist, communist, fascist tyranny (which turns people into raving zombies or robot-controlled servants) but diminished by very strong violence that results in a partial humanist, pagan devaluation of human life, plus man wears a crucifix but it doesn’t seem to mean anything, woman seems to have a special occult power to destroy objects but all her powers are taken away and some anti-capitalist elements where a huge corporation run by a megalomaniac is the villain but the movie’s anti-totalitarian message seems a bit stronger; 20 obscenities (including about seven “f” words), two strong profanities and two light profanities; extreme action violence that’s sometimes bloody and scary includes zombie bites man’s neck, extensive battle between female clones wielding guns and swords and guards wearing battle gear, point blank shootings, decapitations, large zombie with huge hammer axe tries to kill humans, much shooting into zombies, long distance shot as plane flies low over zombies and leaves a trail of red i.e. blood, scary monster zombie dogs attack people, scary octopus tentacles come out of some zombie mouths and mouth of head villain to attack people, woman stabbed in arm, man stabbed in leg, large explosion, helicopter crash, etc.; no sex scenes but man appears to be reading a pornographic magazine and a light seduction innuendo to shower together is virtually ignored and, in effect, politely turned down; no live nudity but viewers may briefly see photo in a magazine where woman is exposing her breasts; no alcohol use; no smoking; and, genetic experimentation but it’s rebuked, woman contemplating taking a shower in an abandoned prison facility finds a man trying to peep at her before she takes her clothes off so she kicks him out, betrayal, one man sports tattoos, and villain is a megalomaniac.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film portrays people fighting to preserve human life from tyranny. Why does Scripture say every person has value, and how should that shape the way we treat others?
Genesis 1:27 · James 3:9The movie presents genetic experimentation as something that should be rebuked. What responsibilities do human beings have when using knowledge and power?
Genesis 1:28 · Proverbs 1:7The villains use control to turn people into servants. What does Jesus say about true freedom, and how is it different from merely escaping an enemy?
John 8:31–36 · Galatians 5:1Alice and her friends risk themselves to help others. What does Christian love ask us to do for people in danger?
John 15:13 · Philippians 2:3–4The Final Word
RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE offers spirited action, a strong villain, heroic characters, and clever science-fiction twists. But its extreme violence, strong language, brief nudity, and quirky worldview make it a choice for discerning adults only. Our verdict is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For a gentler family night, see.
