Review: Resident Evil: Retribution

I have to say I am disappointed. As a fan of the Resident Evil franchise I was hoping that this would follow in the previous films' footsteps as a fun zombie shoot out with likeable characters, a videogame adaptation that actually worked. Unfortunately this latest installment jumped the shark just too high for me.
The opening was impressive, that can be said, picking up where the previous film left off on the Umbrella Corps ship in the middle of a fight - but in reverse slow-motion. Having watched that, however, the audience is treated to what feels like a second credits sequence with an alternate universe version of Alice's life, completely separate from any previous storyline but using previous characters, with no explanation. Even though it links it with the story later on, it feels disjointed just being dropped in at this point.
So when we finally rejoin Original Alice (what is Umbrella Corps' obsession with paper clothes?) it feels like another start sequence, only this time there should have been a large flashing sign reading Level 1. From the moment Milla Jovovich walks out of her prison and into the Umbrella Corps facility, the entire film becomes a videogame once again. Alice has to make her way out of the facility across large reconstructions of cities to reach the rescue team that is coming the other way to get her. This is where I start to get annoyed.
The computer point-of-view is juvenile, the plot is bizarre and the dialogue is so explanatory it feels like a game instruction manual. However, the most annoying plot point that the writers have used is this: the reconstructions are populated by clones, not just of Alice this time, but of previous characters from the franchise. In a film that makes no effort in character development, they seem to think they can bypass this by dropping in characters to whom the audience already has an attachment. It just seems lazy.
Between the lack of story, the arcade setup and the overuse of slow-motion, it was hard not to give up on this film. The escape and final battle were entirely predictable, even with a kickass Michelle Rodriguez headbutting a punch. All of this leads to the final scene, a setup for the next film, with a lot of dramatic shots of the what the world has become. (Why is there lava everywhere? Has the T-virus affected tectonic movement?)
Overall the most forgettable film in the franchise yet, lacking what made its predecessors engaging. Hopefully the sequel will get back to the best of Resident Evil.