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Surgeons of Horror

~ Dissecting horror films

Surgeons of Horror

Tag Archives: Kaya Scodelario

Movie review – Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

10 Friday Dec 2021

Posted by surgeons of horror in Movie review

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

albert wesker, avon jogia, chris redfield, claire redfield, hannah john-kamen, jill valentine, johannes roberts, Kaya Scodelario, leon s. kennedy, resident evil, robbie amell, sony pictures, survival horror, tom hopper, umbrella corporation

Having recently delved back into the hive with Paul W. S. Anderson’s Resident Evil imaginings, a total of six films to date either in the director’s chair or serving as an Executive Producer, I began to wonder if the Milla Jovovich’s Alice character had potentially killed the film screen franchise. Don’t get me wrong, when the original feature was released back in 2002, I was hooked by both her and the film’s appeal. Time however has not been kind and the feature suffers a little with age, pushing it into watchable terrain, rather than a don’t miss out classic. It doesn’t help that the five films that would follow (which at first leant weight to the premise) has been dampened by the twists and turns, and creative license taken in order to keep the franchise alive. In their progress to elevate the franchise, the creative team had inadvertently… infected it… ahem…

So, rather than put a band aid over it, and march on regardless, the only choice left was to give it the dreaded reboot. But will this be for good or ill?

Without Anderson at the creative helm, the Director’s chair is left vacant for someone to breathe new life into the survival action horror that coined the term. In many ways the successor, Johannes Roberts was the perfect choice having an uncanny knack of tapping into the nostalgic vein, especially with The Strangers: Prey At Night. At least when it comes to invoking the music and creating some wicked soundtracks along the way. Here is no exception as Roberts presents a film that satisfies that old feeling that was conjured up for those who lived the original experiences. Roberts is also a master at creating atmosphere, again witnessed in his 47 Meters Down film series.

The soundtrack from the game that Resident Evil is based upon hums nicely in the background to help scintillate those senses. Combined with the characters and the setting of Raccoon City that made the game such a household hit. These characters from their kernel structure is a welcome sight with Special Tactics And Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S) playable characters Chris Redfield (Robbie Amell) and Jill Valentine (Hannah John-Kamen); double agent Albert Wesker (Tom Hopper); rookie Leon Kennedy (Avon Jogia); Claire Redfield (Kaya Scodelario), who serves as our main protagonist returning to Raccoon City to face olde demons and getting more than she bargained for; and a host of other cameos along the way including a sneaky one at the end so make sure you stick around for that. 

The Prognosis:

While it was cool to have these moments of yesteryear created on the big screen, with a notable stand out scene from rampaging zombies inside a darkened Spencer Mansion, lit up by gunfire… a nice touch. The problem though and behind the rose-tinted glasses is another case of style over substance. The characters are present, but there’s not enough development beneath the surface as they tick off their action sequences before moving onto the next one. And while there is the odd atmospheric moment, it doesn’t go much beyond the chords of Moonlight Sonata. 

It’s strangely odd that despite six installments, this reboot had to retread old ground to find its feet again, and in doing so becomes a bit of a misbeat. It entertains enough but falls short of making a significant mark. 

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Crawl

17 Wednesday Jul 2019

Posted by surgeons of horror in Movie review

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Alexandre Aja, Barry Pepper, croc horror, crocodile, Kaya Scodelario

I have to say that I honestly don’t think I’ve had this much fun watching a movie at the cinemas for quite some time. Sure, this little movie does a lot to stretch the realms of believability, especially bearing in mind that there is supposed to be a category 5 hurricane bearing down on our father-daughter duo battling for survival, and some of the actions of the killer crocs also fall into question, but by the time this all unfolds I’m willing to forgo these discrepancies and this has a lot to do with the time and care taken into building character and history, so that your focus is on backing them against the odds. 

The strength of the actors portraying the afore-mentioned father (Barry Pepper) and daughter (Kaya Scodelario) should also be acknowledged as they share the brunt of the on-screen time to portray the broken family dynamic that has formed between the two of them. Once inseparable as Hayley has been pursuing a swimming career, backed by her one-time coach, and father, Dave. Time and circumstances have allowed them to drift apart, but when crisis hits (in the form of that hurricane) Hayley ventures to find her father, who is failing to answer his phone. She soon discovers that he has had some kind of accident in the crawl space of the old family home, but that is the least of her worries, as Dave isn’t the only occupant lying under the house. Cue, giant croc. 

The screenplay allows the usual pitfalls and obstacles that stand in their way to fight for survival to appear believable, and the bond between the two leads strengthens as they literally find themselves in the foundations of their relationship, to not only find common ground, but also build/fight their way out to the top come hell or highwater. 

Hats off too to Alexandre Aja, who back in 2003 entered the horror genre with his hands firmly on the jugular with High Tension and then backed it up with the insane and gloriously over the top The Hills Have Eyes remake, before falling on the wayside with his outings since. Whether, it was working alongside Sam Raimi’s production team, Aja hits his stride once again in Crawl and positions himself as a director who can inject so much pain and torture in his characters that it’s a wonder that anyone can survive such an ordeal. The tension at times is intense and Aja, does enough to crank it to the max when it’s called for and dial it back to allow the characters and his audience to breathe.

The Diagnosis:

For its short running time of just under the 90 minute mark, Aja packs in enough grit, and determination, in this intense, blood-riddled battle for survival, that we can only enjoy the ride. 

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