Resident Evil: Damnation: The best Resident Evil movie.

 

It's time to continue our celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Resident Evil franchise. After having revisited the very first CGI movie, Degeneration, I found myself enjoying it much more than I ever had previously. Now, perhaps the disappointments of the live-action movie 'adaptations' (To use that term extremely loosely) and the disheartening rushed remake of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis played a key part in that. Whatever the reason, I found myself excited to dive back into the second CGI movie, Damnation. It had been my favourite ever since my first time viewing it. Upon rewatch, it holds up incredibly well and reaffirmed my belief and opinion that it is indeed the best Resident Evil movie. 

Much like with Degeneration, Leon Kennedy is the main character of Damnation. There's no Claire Redfield though, sadly. The plot follows Leon as he investigates reports of B.O.W.s within the Eastern Slav Republic, currently led by its first ever female president, Svetlana Belikova. Rebels are currently at war with the oligarchs and the president's armed forces. As Kennedy arrives at his destination, he is informed by his handler, Hunnigan, that the US is withdrawing from the region. Our protagonist however, refuses to leave and continues his mission. Whilst navigating the war-torn land, Leon encounters the attractive, charming mercenary, Ada Wong from Resident Evil 2 and 4. This time around, Ada seems to be working with the B.S.A.A. Her true goals? Only she knows.

I quite enjoyed the opening. The comic book-like credit sequence that has certain animated motions whilst the news anchor-like narrator takes us through the backdrop of the European nations of the Eastern Slav Republic, including how it splintered from the dying Soviet Union, was a really neat way to start things. 

The very first moment we get into the actual animation is great. It's a sweeping establishing shot that showcases some expert cinematography that hooks the viewer in straight away. The usage of POV shots in the movie are a definite highlight, such as the sequence that takes place in a claustrophobic, seemingly abandoned car park. The tension and suspense built up within the aforementioned sequence is brilliant. The camera shots, the movement and even the sound design all work together to tremendous effect. 

Damnation is definitely a movie for fans of the franchise. Whilst I believe that newcomers and casuals could watch it without any prior knowledge of any of the games, it would be much better to have at least played Resident Evil 4 and arguably 2 beforehand. I loved the incorporation of enemies that Kennedy is familiar with. The Las Plagas is a neat inclusion and it gets highlighted in a great way. There's a scene in which a soldier gets infected and we get a good look at the horrifying transformation sequence. Then there's several lickers. They are many and cause absolute carnage and it's a really fun watch. Finally, we have the very badass Tyrants. More than one are in the movie and they are treated with respect. Seeing them sprinting is the stuff of nightmares and I appreciated the fact that they were essentially boss battles. 

Speaking of battles and the like, the action in the movie is phenomenal. There's Las Plagas infected showdowns that are gripping and show that even the infected can always be a threat. Battles with the lickers are nail-biting and interesting to watch play out. The Tyrants get to kick some major ass, both human and non-human. My favourite fight scenes besides the Tyrant boss battles, however, are the human hand-to-hand fights. They're well-choreographed for a CGI movie, shot incredibly well and get the blood pumping. 

Of the new additions, Buddy was most definitely the stand-out. His backstory was interesting, even if it was a typical wronged man seeking revenge one. He was a school teacher whom taught children alongside the love of his life, his wife. That was, until inevitably, tragedy struck and this lead to him becoming a diehard rebel against the government. At a certain point in the narrative, he makes a very compelling decision that impacts everything. It's extremely intriguing and adds an unpredictable element with some certain abilities coming to light. 

JD was also a fun new character. I liked him as a comic relief guy. His humour was very well balanced to the point where he never truly stepped over the line to becoming an annoyance. His love of things made in America whilst claiming to hate the place was fun stuff. His design really suited his personality to a tee. 

The characterisation of Leon Kennedy was vastly improved from the tragedy of Degeneration. In Degeneration, he was far too serious, too doom and gloom. Thankfully, Damnation corrected course and gave him his trademark quips back. Nothing comes close to the satisfaction that comes from Leon coming out with witty one-liners whilst being a badass. His design in the movie also falls in line with the one from Resident Evil 6. That makes sense since Damnation is set between 5 and 6. Points for continuity. 

Ada Wong. My beloved. The femme fatale, badass mercenary who works in mysterious ways and always looks after number one. She was certainly a highlight of Damnation. She brought her chemistry with Leon to the screen. Their shared scenes were some of the very best. Most importantly, she was very well done strong female character that also brought sex appeal to Damnation. There's more than one occasion in which her figure, particularly her curves and legs, and at one point her rear, are lingered on by a slow-panning camera. It's glorious. She also had my personal favourite fight scene of the movie. It's a close-quarters hand-to-hand martial arts throwdown between two highly skilled combatants set within the president's office. It's not only got top-notch camera-work and choreography, it's also got a bit of titillation as Ada gets some spicy clothing damage. Beautiful stuff that is reminiscent of the sword fighting training scene in The Last Flight of the Osiris from The Animatrix. Okay, you got me. I'm biased towards Ada because I have yellow fever. Guilty as charged.

Svetlana Belikova was a pretty cool, yet perhaps underutilised character. She was the president of the Eastern Slav Republic, the public face of the region. She politicked well and yet she had more substance than just that. As it turned out, she was also a highly skilled martial artist to the point that she was an instructor. Not only that, she also had a moment of titillation. There's a scene which showcases her bra-covered torso quite well. It also served another purpose however and that was to reveal the scar on her back.

Overall, I can safely state with absolute confidence that Damnation is the very best of the CGI movies. It's definitely my personal favourite for sure. It had everything I like about the franchise. It's a no-brainer of a high recommendation, especially for fans of the franchise like myself. Doubly so for fans of Resident Evil 2 and/or 4.