Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Directed by: Alexander Witt
Premise: A sequel to the 2002 film. Alice (Milla Jovovich) leads a group out of Raccoon City, which has been taken over by flesh eating zombies.
What Works: The action sequences are good and hold up with anything else in the genre. Resident Evil is exciting and there are a few good scares in it. The film expands on the corporate subplot of the original and has some sense of continuity.
What Doesn’t: As is typical with a film based on a video game, it follows video game logic, i.e. guns only run out of bullets when the screenwriter thinks it is time to complicate matters, normal people are capable of amazing acrobatic feats, and characterization is not nearly as important as explosions and gunfire. There are also a few moments with lame dialogue, but this is again a part of the genre. The ending of the film is also consistent with the genre but it is too drawn out.
Bottom Line: Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a standard zombie action-horror film, no more, no less. It does surpass the original film in its action sequences and fans of that film or the video game should be pleased with this one. However, the film owes a lot to Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and zombie epicureans might not be so thrilled with it.
Episode: #18 (September 12, 2004)