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Written and, originally, to be directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (the semi-hack who we can thank for mostly screwing up the recent debacle Alien vs. Predator), Resident Evil: Apocalypse actually gets some new life pumped into it by the direction of Alexander Witt. A second unit director with a fairly solid resume', Witt got his chance to helm Apocalypse when Anderson opted out of directing it so that he could work on the now-reviled A v P. This may have been a blessing in disguise, because Witt brings a kind of fervor to Apocalypse's action sequences that was distinctly missing from those of its predecessor, with each new brawl seeming to top the last one. And the story, while nothing particularly deep or unpredictable, at least doesn't drag in any one place for more than a few moments - which means either Anderson was having a good month when he cranked out this screenplay, or some other (uncredited) people took a hand in tweaking it after his departure from the director's seat. Either way, while the plot essentialy drives a dumb-but-fun action premise, it's not terribly dumbed down, nor does it suffer from the massive leaps of logic and continuity of a film like A v P.

Set a mere day after the conclusion of the previous Resident Evil, we find that Alice (Milla Jovovich), the only survivor of the previous film, has awoken in a lab of the evil and all-seeing (and therefore aptly titled) Umbrella corporation. It's bad enough that Umbrella has already released the deadly "T-Virus" into the general population, infecting thousands with zombie-itis, but she soon discovers that she has been genetically altered somehow, giving her superhuman toughness and agility. After arming herself at an army surplus store (which looks surprisingly well-stocked - considering the hoard of the undead that has been ravaging the city for several hours, you'd think the place would be more picked over than a Florida Wal-Mart between hurricanes), she decides to exact revenge upon her former employers, killing as many zombies and mutated "bio-weapons" as she can along the way.

In her travels, she comes upon a tough and sexy female cop named Jill Valentine (Sienna Guilroy), who for some reason likes to trot about the zombie-infested landscape wearing a hooker-length black miniskirt and an even tighter blue boob-tube (a wardrobe choice that most fans will recognize, and appreciate, from the third installment in the Resident Evil game franchise). Tagging along with Jill are other survivors, including Emmy-hungry reporter Terri Morales (Sandrine Holt), and a smart-ass, street-wise Brother named L.J. (Mike Epps) who nearly steals the show as the comic relief.

Trapped in the city with no apparent way out, Alice and her crew are contacted by Dr. Alexander Ashford (Jared Harris) and offered a deal - rescue his young daughter, who is also trapped and hiding out in an elementary school, and he will provide them with a rescue transport.

Unbeknownst to them, however, Ashford has hedged his bets and also made the same deal with a couple of members of an Umbrella mercenary squad, Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr of The Mummy) and Nicholai Sokolov (Zack Ward). Like Alice, they are more than a little disgruntled at their former employers after being left behind in the midsts of a zombie pep rally, and are in the mood for a little payback. It comes as little surprise when the two groups decide to join forces, rescuing the girl and wreaking havoc on Umbrella and the undead.

There are numerous battles along the way, and a body count that is exponentially higher than the last film. But the pace really picks up when Umbrella unleashes the Nemesis, a hulking behemoth who totes a chaingun and rocket launcher and scans everyone it comes in contact with "Terminator" style, making immediate threat assessments and responding accordingly. The initial showdown between Alice and the Nemesis is one hell of a good time, and their later fisticuffs are also entertaining. However, those who were pissed off by the pairing up of a human and predator in A v P will be no less disappointed by what happens next here. Maybe Anderson should go write another "Beauty and the Beast" installment for Disney, since he seems to have a fascination for teaming up hot chicks with big ugly brutes.

But in spite of one or two character hiccups, and the occasional laggy scene of plot exposition, Resident Evil is a pretty damn good time. While the acting is often wooden, the characters themselves are still generally quite likable. The action scenes are increasingly entertaining, and there's just enough humor to keep things from getting bogged down. Best of all, however, Apocalypse actually contains characters and story elements from the video game series, and fans will recognize many touches from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and Resident Evil: Code Veronica - although important characters like Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy are still notably absent. In many respects, Apocalypse adheres well to the source material, and is probably the most entertaining video-game adaptation to date (although with all of the shitty adaptations we've seen from the gaming world so far, that's probably not saying much). And although the final ten minutes tend to drag on a bit, setting up elements for the inevitable sequel, Apocalypse, like good Chinese food, satisfies the hunger while leaving room for more later.

Most critics may dismiss this end-of-summer popcorn action spectacle as just another loud and dumbed-down video game movie . . . but really, how can you not love a movie with babe-a-licious heroines, piles of twice-dead corpses, enough shell casings to fill a dump truck, naked zombie hookers, a Joe Bob Briggs-inspired police sniper, and half-gnawed dobermans slathered in barbecue sauce?

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originally posted: 09/12/04 02:23:19
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