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DVD Resident Evil - Apocalypse (UMD mini for PSP)
2002's popular video-game-derived hit Resident Evil didn't inspire confidence in a sequel, but Resident Evil: Apocalypse defies odds and surpasses expectations. It's a bigger, better, action-packed zombie thriller, and this time Milla Jovovich (as the first film's no-nonsense heroine) is joined by more characters from the popular Capcom video games, including Jill Valentine (played by British hottie Sienna Guillory) and Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr, from 1999's The Mummy). They're armed and ready for a high-caliber encounter with devil dogs, mutant "Lickers," lurching zombies, and the leather-clad monster known only as Nemesis, unleashed by the nefarious Umbrella Corporation responsible for creating the cannibalistic undead horde. Having gained valuable experience as a respected second-unit director on high-profile films like Gladiator and The Bourne Identity, director Alexander Witt elevates this junky material to the level of slick, schlocky entertainment. --Jeff Shannon
Review(s): DVD Resident Evil - Apocalypse (UMD mini for PSP)
Downtown!
Three questions:
1) I see the survival---where is the Horror?
2) Where are the zombies?
3) Why does director Alexander Witt keep shaking the camera every time things are about to get interesting?
"Resident Evil: Apocalypse" gets one out of three right: lots of Residents---but no Evil and no Apocalypse.
If you're satisfied with a happily mindless, sporadically entertaining, often frustrating, puzzlingly poorly shot flick with little blood and goop and very few zombies, then you'll do just fine here. If you're looking for a full-bore flesh-chewing zombie flick with claws and teeth and ample blood-letting, then look elsewhere.
Witt does keep a fast pace on this one, though: that nasty T-Virus has broken out of containment and into Raccoon City, and faster than you can say "close the blast doors!" the dastardly Umbrella Corporation has locked the place down---with the majority of the city's citizens inside. The rest of the film is simplicity itself: get outta Dodge, or acquire a taste for Brains au vin.
That said, unlike the first surprisingly grisly Resident Evil movie, there's very little Evil. You a)little gore and b)few zombies---and the few flesh-eaters you get are poorly filmed, hidden in shadow, filmed chiefly in a teeth-grindingly awful slow-motion.
Pacing isn't a problem, and Alexander Witt gets right to work, picking up where the last film left off and keeping up a helter-skelter pace throughout. Former Umbrella Corp Special Op Alice (played blandly by a still gorgeous but evidently bored Milla Jovovich)has just checked herself out of a bio-research facility to find Raccoon City overrun with the legions of the Living Dead and their unpleasant bio-engineered buddies.
Needless to say, Racoon City real estate prices plunge.
Throw in a crack squad of besieged soldiers helmed by laconic Carlos Oliveira (Oded Fehr in a throwaway role), Sienna Guillory as the hawk-eyed bad-a** crack-shot Jill Valentine, Mike Epps as obligatory comic relief, shake thoroughly, and stir in some woefully under-used undead Dobermans and bio-engineered abominations, and you've got "Apocalypse". Sounds like fun, right?
Wrong. The movie is frenetically paced, true---but when I want zombie horror, I want to see some red sauce on my plate. I want to see the fight sequences, not just have Witt jerking the camera back and forth in front of some guy who might as well be wearing a K-Mart special Halloween mask every time we get a combat scene. I want to see the undead Dobermans run down their prey and at least savor some tearing and ripping action. And finally, I want some zombies with my zombie flick, thanks!
There are a few bloody nuggets of pure horror goodness that worked for me, and might warrant a watch if you've got nothing better to chew on.
1) NEMESIS: Who can resist a big undead gatling-gun & rocket-launcher-toting lug with chompers that would put Jessica Simpson to shame and who comes crashing through walls growling "STARS"? I sure can't. I wanted to see NEMESIS win, terminating all the boring good-guys with extreme prejudice. The movie really rocks and rolls and bumps and grinds when he's laying down deadly force. Respect his Authori-TA!
2)Two Very Nasty Scenes: I'm not kidding here---"Apocalypse" gets interesting twice---and only for a combined running time of 45 seconds. That said, it's an effective 45 seconds, and it's especially frustrating to think that if Witt had capitalized on that kind of direction, "RE:Apocalypse" might have been a very different film indeed.
I'm not going to spoil the two scenes for you, but one occurs in the guttering candlelight of a cathedral vestry (echoes of the game's mansion), and the other involves a "Blair Witch" moment in a classroom. You'll know them when you see them.
In the end, "RE: Apocalypse" isn't a bad movie---it's just an uninspired, disappointing one. If that does it for you, you could do worse; if you're looking for zombie chewing goodness in the sterile bowels of the Hive, then I'd advise getting your Umbrella Corporation Security Clearance card ready and doing some overtime with "Resident Evil"---the original.
JSG
umbrella did it again
well i have to admit they did a great job for a sequel to resident evil.
if your into resident evil or if you like action/horror flicks then this is a must see.
i enjoyed this movie they had more money to spend in making it compared to the first one.
in short this movie takes off where resident evil left off and shows a virus breakout onto the city of raccoon.
now i dont want to reveal to much ill try to keep it short so as i said above the virus was released due to the fact that umbrella scientist wanted to go back and reopen the hive to see what happen to the hive.
they underestimated the outbreak of the virus with in the hive which in turn they couldnt contain it and was released onto the city.
alice was awaken as well as nemisis an alternate plan of umbrella to see which is stronger and be more viable as a bio weapon.
that is about all i will say if i told the whole story you wouldnt want to see the movie.
the actors did a great job once again bringing it to life as well as some comedy in the movie as well.
i enjoyed this but i liked the original better anyway if you collect resident evil items then this is a must have as well as a must see.
i rated it a four star due to the fact that some of the special effects just didnt fit in place with the movie as well as they did what they could on making nemisis real but with todays technology i feel they couldve done better.
the pace of the movie is nonstop and the feel of the movie was great as well as the sounds effects were great also.
the other con to the movie was the film angle of the zombies or how should i put it they zipped them in and out persay its hard to describe once you see the movie youll know what i mean.
now the other con is the zombies themselves before i saw land of the dead i thought resident evil zombies were great and made perfect but when i saw land of the dead and george romero zombies well im sorry romero wins hands down.
i feel that they couldve done a better job with makeup and effects on the zombies but it looked like they spent alot on the lickers in the movie so that mightve put a crimp in there budget and they had to let some things go as far as in detail.
overall its a great movie and a must see and turn out the lights grab some popcorn get ready for some good fun.
3 and 1/2 Stars
I don't usually go in for zombie movies, but I did see the first one and didn't hate it. I liked this one much better than the first one mostly because of the action and the interaction between the characters. I liked the fact that the women kick ass and I'm a sucker for Oded Fehr ever since The Mummy movies. And, well, Mila may be a skinny-ass model, but she's highly likeable just as in The Fifth Element. The movie does seem to set up for yet another chapter in the Resident Evil saga, but I think it's highly unlikely that there will be one.
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