Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D

Based on one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, Resident Evil: Afterlife opens with Alice (Jovovich) on a lonely and dangerous hunt for survivors in a decimated world crawling with the undead. On her quest for the alleged safe-haven "Arcadia," she finds survivors Claire (Larter) and Chris Redfield (Miller), and the smoldering trio heats up the screen as they ravenously set their sights on taking down the evil Chairman of the Umbrella Corporation, Albert Wesker (Roberts), and hordes of the undead along the way. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Writer/Director Paul W.S. Anderson, Producer Jeremy Bolt, and Producer Robert Kulzer; the Undead Vision: picture-in-picture Bonus View; eight deleted and extended scenes (2D) (HD 06:48); outtakes (2D) (HD 04:30); seven featurettes (2D): Back Under The Umbrella: Direction Afterlife (HD 06:43), Band Of Survivors: Casting Afterlife (HD 06:39), Undead Dimension: Resident Evil In 3D (HD 07:27), Fighting Back: The Action Of Afterlife (HD 05:31), Vision Of The Apocalypse: The Design Of Afterlife (HD 07:28), New Blood: The Undead Of Afterlife (HD 07:31), and Pawning The Undead: Camera Of The Afterlife (HD 06:11); a sneak peek of Resident Evil: Damnation (2) (HD 01:10); previews; Movie IQ; D-BOX Motion Code™, and BD-Live functionality.

The 2.40:1 1080p MVC picture was photographed with the PACE Fusion Camera in dual-strip 3D and projected theatrically in IMAX DMR 70 mm blowup dual-strip 3D and in D-Cinema 3D. The PACE Fusion system is the same that was used to film Avatar 3D. The imagery depicts a virus-induced post-apocalyptic vision of a world seized by the undead. Dimensionality is excellent, no doubt due to the set staging for the 3-D filmmaking. The extra-dimension is naturally rendered without the excessive in-your-face images. Depth is not exaggerated and appears realistic. During the extended opening fight sequence in the Umbrella Corporation headquarters, the 3-D effects are quite effective, with spent shell casings from gunfire, bloody zombie body parts, and debris-shattered concrete wall breakup thrown out. Weapons also are extended, and the scene with the red prop plane overhead Alaska and the destroyed city is spectacular, dramatically offsetting objects closer to the foreground from those further away. Toward the end, the violence intensifies and the 3-D effects are even more dramatic. When the characters find themselves in the vast, nearly empty white hull of the "Arcadia" ship, the 3-D dimension appears to stretch well beyond the limits of the screen, suggesting the vast scope of the laboratory. Such scale is never conveyed in the 2-D version. The other visual qualities match those of the 2-D version reviewed in Issue 153. The color palette is desaturated, for dramatic effect, yet where there is life, there is color, at least in the portrayal of fleshtones. Everything else is basically dull but in stylistic character with the storytelling. Spot color is nicely saturated for highlight. Fleshtones are perfectly natural in tone. Contrast is generally good, with revealing shadow delineation. Blacks are deep and solid. Resolution also is excellent, with revealing details, especially during close-ups of facial features, clothes, weaponry, and objects. There is no noticeably distracting ghosting in the imagery. There is no real difference in terms of color, detail, black level, and shadow delineation between the 2-D and 3-D versions (both available on this Blu-ray Disc). With its video game roots, the picture is true to the genre, with visuals that are exciting. And while the 3D does not always jump out, it nevertheless is there and enhances the visceral realism and sustains an effective, natural dimensionality. This is definitely the preferred viewing experience. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is a loud, extremely SPL-energized experience. The reference Dorough 8-channel meters were often pegged at full SPL during intense action sequences! Tons of deep, solid sub-25 Hz bass penetrates the .1 LFE channels, with also substantial bass energy in all the other channels. The music score projects a wide and deep soundstage, with an aggressive surround presence. With directionalized and panned sound effects and eerie atmospheric effects, the sound is dimensionally holosonic®. The surrounds are seriously engaged, ideally requiring full-range reproduction, to optimally experience. The music score is also intense, with, at times, a stringent quality and a very rhythmic drum-driven pulse. Surprisingly, throughout all intense sonics, dialogue manages to stay intelligible, with good spatial integration. The D-BOX Motion Code™ encoding really raises the level of excitement, with dynamic motion effects. This is a very exciting soundtrack experience that never fails to engage every channel and create an aggressive enveloping experience. (Gary Reber)