Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse Review

by David N. Butterworth (dnb AT dca DOT net)
October 11th, 2004
RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 2004 David N. Butterworth

*1/2 (out of ****)

    "Super Mario Bros." "Tomb Raider." "Mortal Combat." "Street Fighter." "House of the Dead." "Wing Commander." "Resident Evil." And now "Resident Evil: Apocalypse." When will Hollywood learn that video games don't translate into anything approaching halfway decent movies? Not now, not ever, it would seem. If "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" felt more like a video game and less like
a brainless remake of a gazillion other movies (mostly non-illuminated zombie flicks inspired by countless other non-illuminated zombie flicks--the "Dawn of the Dead" remake, "28 Days Later...," "The Return of the Living Dead," etc.--I
might have enjoyed it more but it doesn't. It takes up where 2002's "Resident Evil" left off, with the inhabitants of Raccoon City holed up to prevent the spread of the dreaded T-virus. The irresponsible Umbrella Corp. has reopened The Hive, where the virus initially erupted, and faster than you can say "shoot
it in the head!" the residents are evil and revolting again. And with the introduction
of a new machine-gun toting foe, the dentally challenged Nemesis, the film rapidly
deteriorates into yet another mindless monster mash. "Resident Evil 2" ups the feminist shtick by having a couple of buff babes leading the pack, a S.T.A.R.S.
alpha female in Jill Valentine (Sienna Guilorry) and Alice from the original film (vacantly played by Milla Jovovich once more), which is a nice change, but nobody's any smarter, nobody garners our sympathy, and it's a long haul to the end which, I'm sorry to say, leaves the door wide open for yet another film to add to that interminable list of video game spin-offs. Unless I'm missing
something, or simply too old to care, there's nothing remotely redeemable about
the film. It's just murky mayhem on a violent, explosive scale, sort of like a second-rate John Carpenter movie (remembering, of course, that a first-rate John Carpenter movie isn't much to shout about).

--
David N. Butterworth
dnb@dca.net

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