Resident Evil: Apocalypse Movie Review:


When last we left Alice (Milla Jovovich), she had just emerged from the underground layer of the Umbrella Corporation but was separated from fellow survivor Matt (Eric Mabius).

The last thing Alice remembers is that she had made it out of the hospital and into the remnants of Raccoon City which looked like a war zone. Had the horror she faced down below reached the surface? What happened to Matt? Can Alice survive the apocalypse now at her feet?

Those were all the questions asked at the end of 2002’s “Resident Evil” which was loosely based on the popular video game series of the same name.

Now in its inevitable sequel, we follow Alice through the Raccoon City war zone. We meet fellow Raccoon City survivors, policewoman Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory), extraction specialist Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr), comic relief L.J. (Mike Epps) and news reporter Terri Morales (Sandrine Holt). Together they must band together and survive because their only ticket out of the city is Angie (Sophie Vavasseur), the daughter of Umbrella scientist, Ashford (Jared Harris).

What made the original so interesting, scary and captivating was the writing and attention to detail. It was probably the best videogame film ever made. The reason it was so good because it felt like the game but it was also a very slick and extremely clever cinematic experience.

“Resident Evil: Apocalypse” is in the best sense of the word, a sequel. The reason it feels so less superior to the original is because it is like watching a videogame but you have no control over all the dumb moves your character makes. The cleverness, attitude and intrigue have all been dropped for extremely loud gunplay, constant cracking bones and yes, more hairless dogs.

Jovovich may be back in her unforgettable role as Alice but she is starting to feel more and more like “Alien” alumni, Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver in that horror series). Jovovich is quick, flashy and loves being in this role but this time she seems totally wasted.

I also think that the reason this film felt so much like a sequel because there was not one singular original element in the film. The Raccoon City War Zone (or nuked Toronto as Canadians will say) reminded me so much of “Escape from New York” or “Day of the Dead” it made me scream. The action sequences also echoed films such as “Le Femme Nikita”, “Aliens” and so many others.

One thing I really liked about the film was the performance of new-comer Sienna Guillory who shines as “bad-girl-cop” Jill Valentine. Her character reminded me a lot of Jovovich’s from the first film except with more confliction. Guillory’s Valentine is probably the only decent performance in the piece.

I also liked Oded Fehr (“The Mummy”) in this film but felt like he was also wasted. What is it with this poor guy? Why does he always end up in throwaway roles in unforgettable films when I know he is worth more than the projects he chooses? No one probably remembers him in some of his great TV performances in dead shows like “UC: Undercover” and “Presidio Med”. Come on Hollywood give this guy the role he is dying for.

There were some of the action sequences and Umbrella Corporation plot details that were interesting and moved along Alice’s story but for the most part the film felt more like a war zone than the one it was trying to present. I’ll say it again, it’s a sequel.

(2.5 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Dean Kish

Investigating the incident in The Hive, the Umbrella Corporation unwittingly releases the T-Virus into Raccoon City. As the virus starts to take hold, the Corporation seals the city in an attempt to contain the outbreak and cover up the incident. Locked in the city, surviving Special Forces soldiers and members of the elite S.T.A.R.S. team now have to fight for their lives against the undead hordes and a new enemy released by Umbrella to destroy any evidence of the virus, the Nemesis. Their only hope is the lone survivor of the Hive disaster, Alice (Jovovich).

The first Resident Evil movie was a missed opportunity that didn’t really live up to the source material. Can the sequel reanimate the series?

As a movie, Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a far better product than the lack lustre original. Fans will probably be relieved to hear that original director Paul W.S. Anderson is not behind the camera for the follow up but he did produce and write the script. Debutante Alexander Witt, who was a second unit director of photography on films like Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and The Bourne Identity, revs up the action quota ten fold to deliver a popcorn movie that is surprisingly entertaining.

Apocalypse captures all the elements of the games that made them such a hit in the console market. The destroyed, disaster ridden streets of Raccoon City are invested with the undead who are fanatically searching for anyone living to feed their (insatiable) hunger. The unstoppable Nemesis patrols the city, killing the remaining threats with his missile launcher and mini-gun and the Lickers hunt in packs. Fighting these rampaging hordes are the heroes of the game Jill Valentine and Carlos Olivera, who are joined by the only survivor from the first movie, Alice. This is what we expected and hoped for from a Resident Evil movie.

All these elements are backed up by a script that is far more cohesive than the original. We now have a plot that actually drives the movie to an anticipated action packed finale. Subplots and flashbacks answer a lot of the questions raised by the original film and in this one, leading to a more complete and well-structured story. This isn’t awarding winning material but for a popcorn movie, it raises the film above average.

The cast does a good job with the limited amount of dialogue and the excessive action responsibility. Milla Jovovich has grown into the role of Alice, the woman who is mysteriously connected to the Umbrella Corporation and a survivor of the Hive incident. She excels in the action sequences, especially the hand-to-hand combat and actually does some acting in the role. Sienna Guillory is exactly how you would picture Jill Valentine. Besides from been incredibly sexy, she also handles a gun extremely well, disposing of the undead with pinpoint accuracy. Oded Fehr doesn’t really have much to do as Carlos Olivera however. Out of all of the main characters he is probably the least developed. The supporting cast also does a decent job as well.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a big improvement on the original because the filmmakers have incorporated many of the game elements that were so sadly missing from the first one. This isn’t a movie that is going to stay with you for a long time but it is good piece of popcorn entertainment and for people you are fans of the games the sight of The Nemesis on the rampage it worth the ticket price alone.

Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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