RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER REVIEW

Picking up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, Alice (Milla Jovovich) is the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity's final stand against the undead. Now, she must return to where the nightmare began - The Hive in Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse.

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Iain Glen, and Ali Larter

Directed and written by: Paul W.S. Anderson

  It’s over! It’s finally over! Good news for some, and bad news for others. Personally, while the stories are usually similar, watching Alice (Milla Jovovich) kick ass never gets old. She does plenty of ass kicking again, but also takes a licking. Regardless, “Resident Evil” fans will be looking for a satisfying ending in this final chapter.

  “Resident Evil: Retribution” ended at the beginning of what looked to become an epic battle. Unfortunately, that battle goes unseen as the audience finds Alice in the aftermath of that battle. Wasting no time, she faces off against a couple of creatures who also survived before making her way out of the battleground. She soon finds herself on a mission to get back to The Hive in Raccoon City in order to save the few humans that are still left. 

  Along the way, she runs into some familiar faces both friend and foe. Dr. Isaacs (Iain Glen) gets the first of several shots at Alice accompanied by a huge army of the undead. Of course she escapes, but that doesn't stop Dr. Isaacs from chasing her all the way to Raccoon City. Alice is soon reunited with Claire (Ali Larter), who is hold up in a building with some other survivors. In one of the better scenes, they team up to defend the building against the doctor and undead. Nothing like seeing the mass murder of the undead!

  Several obstacles later, Alice makes her way through the Hive, and to her last showdown with Dr. Isaacs. They go at it in a fierce final battle, including a round or two in the memorable laser hall. Before this battle royal begins, the audience gets some of the blankets filled in about Alice, Dr. Isaacs, and the virus. It all kind of just seems the way it goes in this series. 

   Yes, this truly did feel like the final chapter. The action is good, but there are far better action scenes in some of the other movies. There are some creepy creatures, but nothing topping what audiences have already seen. The story wraps up well in the typical “Resident Evil” way, but there aren’t any major surprises. Even though it might not measure up against some of the other movies, it’s still worth watching Alice kick some ass one last time! With that, I give “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” 2.5 pools of blood, and say it’s been a pleasure watching this series!

  HorrO

*There’s an after the credits sound clip for those who want to wait and hear it

SPLIT REVIEW

After three girls are kidnapped by a man with 24 distinct personalities they must find some of the different personalities that can help them while running away and staying alive from the others.

Starring: James McAvoy, Haley Lu Richardson, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jessica Sula

Directed and written by: M. Night Shyamalan

  So HorrO, what did you think about “Split?” I don’t know, I’m still kind of split about it. Well, you better figure it out because you have a review to write. Damn, it’s time to write a review already. Yea, it’s that time. Alright then, let HorrO take it from here. Sounds good, but just remember to keep it spoiler free. I’ll try to make it as spoiler free as possible, but no promises (that ’s your warning)!

  Ok, enough with the funny stuff, lets get serious. There’s usually a lot of anticipation with M. Night movies that end up pleasing the audience, or letting them down in a big way. Either way, he’s proven to be a good story teller, it just depends on how the story ends. And boy does this one have a surprise for the audience at the end!

  Before getting to the end of this story, lets start from the beginning. After a quick intro to Claire (Haley Lu Richardson), Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), and Marcia (Jessica Sula), they’re kidnapped by Dennis (James McAvoy). You can also call him by the name of one of his many other personalities Patricia, Hedwig, or his real name Kevin. While he has 24 personalities, most of the focus is on these few. Hedwig is the most entertaining, as he’s a 9 year old boy. Patricia is a caring lady, and Dennis is the serious neat freak mastermind. While the girls are shocked by the different personalities, each manages to intrigue the audience in their own way. And James McAvoy makes this identity crisis work because he does a fabulous job of playing all of them.

  Of course while watching a M. Night movie, the audience has to look for clues as to what the possible twist will be. As usual, there is a twist, but not the one the audience might have expected. Originally it seems like his 24th personality might be the twist, but it’s pretty straight forward. His personalities mention the coming of the Beast, and the Beast does make an appearance. The Beast is exactly that, as he’s got super strength, climbs walls, and is really fast. It’s the Beast that eventually decides the fate of the girls, who fail repeatedly to escape from the other personalities. 

  As with many M. Night movies, some of the clues are presented in a side story. Here, the side story is about Claire as a little girl. Her father and uncle are teaching her how to hunt bucks. That’s bad news for the bucks, and not the only bad thing that happens on the trip. Claire’s life changes from this point on, and explains why she’s a little different from the other girls. 

  Basically, if the audience is watching and listening for clues “Split” should keep their attention. There are plenty of clues to be on the look out for, and probably some more to be found in a second viewing. If their not into hunting for clues, perhaps the different personalities are enough to entertain them. Otherwise, there isn’t a whole lot of action, besides a couple of escape attempts, until the end of the movie. Either way, M. Night introduces another interesting, and slightly strange story worthy of 3 pools of blood.

  Hey, HorrO, what about the big surprise? I can’t give that away. Well, how about a clue? All I’ll say is if you’re a fan of M. Night it should be a good surprise for you. And I do believe there is a point in the film where there’s a clue, but I would have to see it a second time to be sure. Otherwise, you won’t see it coming unless you’ve already been tipped off. Great! Thanks HorrO! No problem… whoever you are?

  HorrO

THE BYE BYE MAN REVIEW

Three friends stumble upon the horrific origins of the Bye Bye Man, a mysterious figure they discover is the root cause of the evil behind man’s most unspeakable acts.

Starring: Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, and Cressida Bonas

Directed by: Stacy Title

Written by: Jonathan Penner, and Robert Damon Schneck

  “Don’t think it!” “Don’t say it!” Well, in order to see “The Bye Bye Man,” horror fans are going to have to think, and say it. At least for them they won’t suffer the same fate as many in the movie. The question here is “do see it” or “don’t see it?”

  The movie starts off with a flashback to 1969, and a man who is trying to put an end to everyone who knows about the Bye Bye Man. This flashback is continued later on, and is well done except for one thing. The guy blows away his victims with a shotgun, which they do the best to display the gun's power on his victims. Too bad there is no blood to be found. Yes, for those who wanted this to be rated R, here’s your moment to say, “I told you so!”

  Elliot (Douglas Smith), his girlfriend Sasha (Cressida Bonas), and their friend John (Lucien Laviscount) move into a house together. The audience can see how this might be a problem even without the Bye Bye Man. It doesn’t take long before the Bye Bye Man starts making his presence known. Once he gets in their heads, they begin to have all kinds of hallucinations. The hallucinations quickly become the true focus of the movie. Some are good, especially at the end, and others aren’t really worth showing.

  The Bye Bye Man turns out not to be a bad idea, but it would have been nice to know more about him. They let the audience in on some things about him, but leave a lot of unanswered questions. They even have the perfect opportunity to explain everything about him, but choose not to. Another thing that almost works for the Bye Bye Man is his hound. Nice idea, but it’s terrible looking. On top of that, it actually eats the victims, but too bad they do more implying it eats them then showing it! 

  Overall, “The Bye Bye Man” is just another horror movie. Actually, another clearly PG-13 horror movie. It has potentially to do more and be better, but it just isn’t. They really needed to explain more about him, but don’t. They rely more on the hallucinations than the Bye Bye Man. And the acting, lets not even talk about it. “Don’t think it!” “Don’t say it!” “Don’t see it!” With that, I give it 1 pool of blood and say goodbye to the Bye Bye Man.

  HorrO