| Resident Evil was the sort of film that was a surprise because nobody really expected it to be any good. Video games are among the toughest animals to adapt into movies so when the first Evil turned out to be not half bad it caught everybody off guard. When it came time to get a sequel off the ground, may fans (including myself) hoped to see the filmmakers make an even better film the second time around. It�s unfortunate than, that Resident Evil: Apocalypse turns out to be a pretty poor film. What could�ve been a really epic zombie film turns out to be a badly written and edited sequel that won�t make anybody forget the Capcom games on which these things were based. Part 2 picks up more or less where the first one left off. Alice (Milla Jovovich) escapes from the lab in Raccoon City only to find it nearly deserted. It seems that the nefarious Umbrella Corporation (those responsible for the viral outbreak in the first movie) have allowed the T-virus to spread into the Metropolis that is Raccoon City turning many citizens into the mindless, flesh eating creatures you�d expect to see in a movie like this (it�s funny to observe that the film goes nearly out of its way to refrain from calling them zombies). We also meet up with cop Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory playing a character from the game) and several other characters of varying consequence, all of which struggle to escape from the city which has now been sealed off and quarantined. The plot of the film isn�t really a plot; rather, it�s a bunch of things that happen to propel the movie into its next setup or action sequence. Written by Paul W.S. Anderson (who passed on directing so he could helm the embarrassing Alien vs. Predator), the script is horrible. Very few things are explained and this is the sort of movie that allows characters to repeatedly find each other again and again in a massive city, even after being separated for extended lengths of time. For reasons that don�t matter, all of the humans left in the city eventually find each other and strike a deal with a brilliant scientist on the outside of the city, who needs them to find his daughter and deliver her to safety. There are also those clich�d, evil Umbrella Corp. characters that don�t want our heroes to succeed. Fans of the video games should be disappointed that this movie doesn�t follow the storyline closer. Rather than work alongside the game, the movies serve as a reinterpretation of those events. The character of Jill in this film is a far cry from that in the game. Here, we�re allotted not an ounce of character development as she begins the film as an irritated, attitude-infused character. I could�ve dealt with the changes had Anderson�s script bothered to give me a reason to care (other than the fact that Guillory looks sexy in Jill�s short skirt). By that token, it is neat to see the dreaded Nemesis show up for a few scenes and be done some justice (until the silly climactic fight). Even when the creature acts out of character, the make-up design and wardrobe are all spot on. I remember playing through the third Resident Evil game with such fear that Nemesis would rear its ugly head each time I entered a new area that seeing it on screen was pretty fun. Other characters from the game show up in smaller roles, but are given precious little to do. Arguably the worst thing about Apocalypse is the presence of Mike Epps as L.J., a fast-talking con man caught up in the outbreak of Raccoon City. Epps isn�t a terribly funny comedian and his forced comic relief is among the most obnoxious of all time. I always hate when a character doesn�t take the severity of the situation around him/her seriously. During an viral outbreak that has wrecked the entire city, this dope still finds the time to cram in a Grand Theft Auto joke after running down two zombies, and than refuse to take a soldier�s rifle because his �shit is custom� before pulling out two chrome pistols. Ha. Ha. Ha. It feels strange wondering if the film would�ve been any better had Anderson directed this. Although I sincerely doubt it, first time director Alexander Witt hardly fares any better. Far too many of the action sequences are edited so quickly that it�s hard to tell what the hell is going on, and what�s up with the camera when the zombies appear on screen? It�s not stylish, just jarring and distracting to distort the lens for no real reason. Witt also fails at staging any scares or suspense missing out on several opportunities to make this something (anything) more than a mindless action film. For all of the lambasting I�m doing, I will say that I don�t think part 2 is a total miss. For one thing, any film that features two very attractive females in sexy outfits, wielding guns and kicking ass can�t be all that bad. Milla Jovovich continues to make for a decent action hero and her first encounter with the Nemesis is probably the best part about this sequel. The pacing is lightening fast so you really don�t have time to question the more nonsensical aspects of the story (but afterwards, lord help you) and the CGI creatures aren�t as bad as in the first film. Overall, it depends on what you�re after with this sort of a movie. It�s loud, dumb and diverting and that�s not always a bad thing. But should you want a good story, characters or even a shred of believability, than don�t bother. The first film tried to offer up an interesting story and while it wasn�t perfect, it seems like a classic compared to this one. I understand that Resident Evils 3 and 4 are in the works as I write this and I wish that I could be excited, but Apocalypse is about as dumb as I like to get with films like this. I don�t hold out much hope for another sequel considering the drop off in quality here was drastic enough. |
| Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) Dir: Alexander Witt Cast: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Jared Harris, Mike Epps Rated R, Approx: 94 minutes A Screen Gems Release DVD |
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| Matt's Rating: ** out of 5 |
| Reviewed by Matt Serafini 08/29/05 |