 After narrowly escaping the horrors of the underground Hive facility, Alice (Milla Jovovich) is quickly thrust back into a war raging above ground between the living and the Undead. It's a heart-pounding race against time as the group faces off against hordes of blood- thirsty zombies, stealthy Lickers, mutant canines and the most sinister foe yet. Storyline: Alice awakens from a terrible sleep to find her worst fears realized--the bloodthirsty Undead, which she and the now-annihilated squad of elite military fought to destroy, have been unleashed on the city that surrounds the secret facility of the Umbrella Corporation. Discovering she was an Umbrella experiment, Alice has been bio-genetically enhanced with new strengths, senses and dexterity--and she will need them. In the heart of the ravaged Raccoon City, a small group of uninfected people, including Jill Valentine, a recently demoted member of Umbrella Corp's elite Special Tactics and Rescue Services team, and S.T.A.R.S team leader Carlos Oliveira, fight for their lives against swarms of Undead and the deadlier and faster Lickers. Running out of luck and resources, the group is rescued by Alice, and they begin to wage an exhilarating battle to survive and escape before the Umbrella Corporation erases its experiment from the face of the earth. Their only hope lies somewhere within ... Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com} Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, July 21, 2009 We thought we had survived the horror, but we were wrong. Bringing a good video-game based film to the screen sounds much easier than it apparently is. No matter how popular, imaginative, and well-received a game may be, it seems like the movie adaptation always manages to lose something in the transition from small to big screen, from bits and pixels to flesh, blood, and celluloid. Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil represents one of the few game-based movies that actually manages to exceed expectations. That's not to say Resident Evil is a great movie; it's merely average, but within the confines of its genre and looked at objectively from that angle and against its peers, it's clearly one of the very best of its kind. Enter the obligatory sequel, Resident Evil: Apocalypse. "Loud," "flashy," and "relentless" are all adjectives that precisely define its existence. While not a complete disaster of a film, Apocalypse never does all that much outside of the explosions and shootouts that pack most every frame of the movie. Government suits are rounding up some of the top scientists in and around Raccoon City and evacuating them to a safe location. It seems there has been "an incident" and the city is on the verge of quarantine. Dr. Ashford (Jared Harris) is the Umbrella Corporation's top scientist and the developer of the "T-Virus," a mutagen that is turning the city's inhabitants into zombies. The city is soon locked down with throngs of angry citizens pounding on the gates, threatened with extinction at the hungry mouths of zombies on one side and trigger-happy guards high atop the barricade that surrounds the city on the other. Trapped inside is Dr. Ashford's daughter, Angie (Sophie Vavasseur). To save Angie, the doctor enlists the help of several people still in the quarantined zone, including Alice (Milla Jovovich, The Messenger), sole survivor of the initial outbreak of the T-Virus deep within the bowels of the Umbrella Corporation. She's joined by S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) operative Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory, Eragon), soldier Carlos Oliveira (Oded Fehr), and television reporter Terri Morales (Sandrine Holt). If they can rescue Angie, they've been promised escape from the city, but they have to survive a terrifying and blood-drenched night of terror, first. As a straight-up Action movie, Resident Evil: Apocalypse isn't half bad. A typical run-and-gun adventure that pits a few folks against an army of enemies to mow down, the film expertly crafts each action scene and, while none of them are particularly novel, eye-catching, or even all that exciting, they are technically sound and absent of any glaring weaknesses. Nevertheless, the picture falls in line with convention at every turn. Perhaps the most inane scene in the film sees several humans trapped in a church, low on ammo and facing some ugly beasties. Just as all hope seems lost, Alice bursts through an upper-level window on her motorcycle, guns blazing, saving the day. Yawn. It looks good, but it's far from exciting and devoid of even a shred of originality. As a Zombie picture, however, Apocalypse is one of the lesser entries. Certainly not as socially biting and aware as George Romero's famed quintet or as slick as the Dawn of the Deadremake, for example, Resident Evil: Apocalypse does at least attempt to build a back story around mutagens and corrupt businesses and governments to frame the action, but it all feels terribly repetitive and trite. With several scenes of "zombie gore," the film nevertheless offers nothing new, just some "dead" munching on an arm or a leg as they take a break while meandering through Raccoon City's streets. Resident Evil: Apocalypse tries to rise even just a head above the competition, but it never can find that last bit of oomph to push it over the top. Most every scene enjoys the potential for a creepy, chilling atmosphere, but because the characters in the film lack all that much depth, there's no sense of danger, no reason to really hope for anything other than a monster to jump out of the shadows and enjoy a brainy desert. Resident Evil: Apocalypse seems to want to make its audience think it's holding a straight when in reality it shows its cards early on, revealing only a low-numbered pair. Those cards reveal the typical onslaught of Action/Horror mayhem that features a deluge of bullets, several large explosions, plenty of dead bodies, and a fair bit of gore. The one saving grace is the film's technical wherewithal. Though not exactly an Oscar contender in any one behind-the-scenes category, the film does offer passable direction from first-timer Alexander Witt and above average-production values. The film makes rather good use of its budget; the well-dressed sets, sharp computer graphics, and aggressive sound design all keep Resident Evil: Apocalypse from feeling like it should have gone straight-to-home-video. At best a middle-of-the-road video game adaptation, Resident Evil: Apocalypse is light on characterization; moderately atmospheric; and heavy on weapons, bullets, and explosions. The result is an Action/Horror junky's dream-come-true. Perhaps the epitome of the loud and over-the-top 90-minute Saturday afternoon time killer, Apocalypse does just enough to keep the story moving in between its extensive action pieces to satiate slightly more demanding audiences, while its integration of story lines and scenes from the game should satisfy the franchise's longtime fan base. Not a film to treasure but certainly not one to completely dismiss, Resident Evil: Apocalypse is not for all tastes, or for the squeamish, but it should please most genre fans. Sony's Blu-ray release isn't half bad. Despite a rather unimpressive video presentation, the disc sports a quality PCM soundtrack and a wealth of bonus materials. Recommended for fans. Cast Notes: Milla Jovovich (Alice), Sienna Guillory (Jill Valentine), Oded Fehr (Carlos Olivera), Thomas Kretschmann (Major Cain), Sophie Vavasseur (Angie Ashford), Razaaq Adoti (Peyton Wells [as Raz Adoti]), Jared Harris (Dr. Ashford), Mike Epps (L.J.), Sandrine Holt (Terri Morales), Matthew G. Taylor (Nemesis), Zack Ward (Nicholai Ginovaeff), Iain Glen (Dr. Isaacs), Dave Nichols (Captain Henderson), Stefen Hayes (Yuri Loginova), Geoffrey Pounsett (Mackenzie). IMDb Rating (09/17/10): 5.8/10 from 52,753 users
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