Chinese actress Li Bingbing added some favor points to the critics-panned latest installment of the film adaption of video game "Resident Evil," which saw its China premiere in Beijing yesterday.

"Resident Evil: Retribution," directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, is a direct follow-up on the previous "Resident Evil: Afterlife," and focuses on the leading role of Alice (Milla Jovovich) who has been captured by the Umbrella Corporation, forcing her to make her escape from an underwater base in the Arctic Circle, once used for testing the T-virus.

Li Bingbing stars as Ada Wong, the one-time Umbrella operative who assists Alice in her escape. Li got the part mere days after her first audition and prepared for it by watching "Resident Evil: Damnation."

Li, who was absent from the Chinese premiere, played the supporting role in a very cool fashion, especially for a Chinese actress, and her action scenes and Chinese Kung Fu choreography are no less spectacular than Jovovich’s movie fighting skills.

"Resident Evil: Retribution" is the fifth installment in the "Resident Evil" film series, based on the Capcom survival horror video game series "Resident Evil," the third one in the series to be written and directed by Anderson after he already did the very first film as well as the previous installment.

The furious, thrilling, bloody and non-stop action scenes will get audiences' adrenalin levels up and the 3D effects, a first for the series, are done quite well. However, the characters, plots, and acting are too weak and pale for moviegoers to enjoy; it's like watching one play a video game in front of your eyes, as our China.org.cn reporter observed. The film's ending indicates there will indeed be a sixth installment.

"Resident Evil: Retribution" has grossed over US$221 million worldwide thus far. It will hit Chinese cinemas on March 17, just 3 days after another Hollywood action movie, "A Good Day to Die Hard," makes debut on the Chinese market.

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