unbrokenmetal

Maybe it's not a masterpiece, but definitely worth 2 hours of my time. Matilda Lutz owns the part of Red Sonja. This Sonja is not born to be hero, instead she learns from every defeat. She falls, stands up and continues the struggle.

You can tell from the costumes and effects that it is not a big production. The script relies on some convenient coincidences, like Sonja finding her lost tribe in the forest on the very first day of her escape from Dragan, something she previously couldn't achieve in years of searching. Or that her horse is - completely unnecessarily - held in the same room where Dragan's generator produces energy for his projects.

The film shows a somewhat exaggerated pathos, and I can understand why some might find it ridiculous. The film score is also a bit too bombastic. The battle scene in the burning forest, which is supposed to remind one of 'Game of Thrones,' disguises with many quick cuts that the martial arts skills of many participants could not be brought to a professional level with months of training, as is done in more expensive productions.

But this new interpretation, much closer in spirit to the graphic novels than the 1985 movie, makes the best out of its limited resources. Give it a chance.

'Resident Evil' from 2002, meanwhile over 20 years old, begins as a classic exploration flick. A team is sent into an underground lab after a virus outbreak that killed all the scientists there to find out more about the nature of the disaster. Room by room, they open doors to new dangers. We find all the typical plot elements here: a countdown ticking, a traitor within the team, an infected person everyone still tries to save, but looking really good with stylish pictures (cold blue delivers the background for Jovovich's red dress), it's all in all a watchable movie, elegantly preparing the ground for the sequel already.

I know about half of the games, played some old ones on PS1 long ago and some new ones on PS4. However, I will strictly ignore that and rate the 6 movies only as movies, not judging whether they are close to the games or wildly different, because they have to stand for themselves as movies. A cinema-goer is not tested for gaming knowledge before taking a seat. Besides, there'll surely be bigger experts than me around for the games. That in mind, I voted 8/8/9/6/4/6 for the six movies.

The wonderful cliffhanger from episode 1 introduced us to the apocalyptic scenery of episode 2 already, and that the Nemesis would appear to challenge Alice. Out in the city, there is more action, but we get better characters, too, because it's more about the team, less about Alice. Sienna Guillory as Jill Valentine and Oded Fehr as Carlos are added to the cast as well as a comical sidekick (Mike Epps). The rescue mission, when a scientist sends them to fetch his daughter, is a clear objective, so the plot is less mysterious or convoluted.

This sequel is at least as good as the first one, although one might argue it is less horror, more action flick. I voted 8/8/9/6/4/6 for the six movies.