There are times when the right mixes of a great script, amazing acting and flawless direction come together to create a completely stunning and breathtaking film. This isn’t that time.
“Resident Evil: Apocalypse” is a film filled with campy fun and a bit of humor. But it’s a must see movie.
“Apocalypse” does well in its rehashing of the tale of the fictional Umbrella Corp’s biological weaponry experiments gone awry. The movie picks up with Milla Jovovich as Alice, the former head of security for Umbrella Corp., who must fend off an army of zombies and other ghoulish creatures.
While trying to escape the zombies that have engulfed Raccoon City, Alice teams up with a tough police officer played by Sienna Guillory. As the team grows with characters that tend to die more often than stick around to fight, the film’s heroines race against the clock to exit the city.
The movie furthers the zombie mythos set up in the first film by exploring Umbrella Corp’s latest experiments with the zombie-creating virus.
With two very attractive women in revealing outfits, “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” has all it needs to make a relatively decent video game flick. Unfortunately, the movie suffers from the same pitfalls as the previous “Resident Evil” and “Tomb Raider” movies. Attempts are made to add depth where there is none.
Because Hollywood isn’t notorious for learning from its mistakes, the story is built as sturdy as a house of cards. “Apocalypse” quickly deteriorates into multiple story arcs relying on iffy science and improbable situations.
When the story isn’t falling apart, the action film that lies at the heart of “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” is not bad. The action sequences are quick and to the point, but suffer from predictability.
However, when the action does not amount to punch, kick, shoot, then run, some truly visually stunning and engaging moments take place. Scenes such as a church battle involving a motorcycle, a pack of wild zombie dogs in a school and Alice’s escape from an Umbrella Corp. lab make the entire experience worthwhile.
It was the other hour that was either a waste of film that would have been better used to make “Gigli 2” or just plain okay.
Fans of the video game series will be excited over characters that they recognize and the rest of the audience will have a slightly less than memorable experience. However, if zombies ever do engulf a city because of a sinister corporations evildoings, there will be a sturdy guidebook of how to survive. Hint: don’t stray from the leggy heroine wearing next to nothing.
Contact jason e. hutchins at famuanopinions@hotmail.com.