Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

In September 2004, 'Resident Evil: Apocalypse' was released to theaters to mixed reviews but strong box office receipts. It was the only directed film by cameraman Alexander Witt and once again stars Milla Jovovich along with actors Oded Fehr, Sienna Guillory, and Mike Epps. The film adapts the second and third chapter of the video game series 'Resident Evil 2' and 'Resident Evil: Nemesis' about the infamous Umbrella Corporation's deadly T-Virus and monstrosities have overtaken Raccoon City, a small town outside of the mansion from the first film. Jovovich's Alice returns, having awakened amongst the chaos and showing off some newly acquired super powers while attempting to take revenge on those who destroyed her life.

The sequel is just as mindless as the original film, although they've managed to throw in much better fighting and action scenes. Unfortunately, they've also thrown in another screenplay from Paul Anderson who pulls the trick of using characters from the series primarily in name only in order to find some kind of relevance to the series. However, as I stated in my previous review the 'Resident Evil' films are quite different and should be separated even if many fans do not enjoy doing so. The film certainly retains the strong cinematography and visuals and with this being directed by a man whose primary job is camera work, I'm glad that he didn't quit his day job. The actors do their jobs with a slightly over the top edge to it. I loved Oded Fehr in the 'Mummy' series a from 1999 but here, all the charisma and charm is completely sucked from his performance. Sienna Guillory's Jill Valentine is likely the biggest criticism one may have towards 'Apocalypse' if you're a fan of the games. As a fan myself, I can certainly see that. Jill should be in Alice's shoes, kicking ass and leading but here she follows and maybe will have a gun fight here and there. This is NOT my Jill Valentine, but a generic action heroine clone that has nothing interesting about her whatsoever.

The studio may not have been fully aware that sequels would be coming in the wake of 'Apocalypse', however the film's ending is so abrupt you'd certainly believe it. Sub-plots and characters here and throughout the series will either vanish or never be mentioned again. The next film 'Extinction' will be one of the biggest offenders of continuity errors, but we will focus on that in the next review. 'Apocalypse' certainly has more fun aspects to it than the original, however the script is weaker, the characters are thinner, and overall even by action film standards very little makes sense throughout. It's a perfectly serviceable '3 out of 5' film and you may find some enjoyment. I won't say it's unwatchable, but not particularly necessary to watch.