(2004)
Dir: Alexander Witt
It’s like we never left. Carrying on where the first Resident Evil ended, Apocalypse brings the gamer, I mean viewer, out of the claustrophobic confines into the dark, suitably apocalyptic streets of Racoon City, where our heroes, both new and old, must fight for their very survival.
Sienna Guillory’s entrance as Jill Valentine is as ridiculous as it is sexy; she takes over from Michelle Rodriguez in the first film as the equally smokin’ companion to Mill Jovovich’s returning Alice, who finds herself once again faced by an overwhelming horde of undead, the virus having spread to the surface and the evil Umbrella Corporation having sealed everyone inside the city. Much like the first film, Alice, along with her allies, which once again include a bunch of very expendable commandos, must find a way out.
Also like Paul W.S. Anderson’s original, Alexander Witt’s sequel becomes horribly sidetracked by the addition of the ‘Nemesis Program’, basically a very sluggish looking ‘Terminator’ zombie that adds precisely nothing to the plot. The best scenes come with the zombies. One scene in particular, set in a school, sees an unfortunate character meet their end at the hands of dozens of ravenous undead children. Zombies? Check. Kiddies? Check. Creepy.
Apocalypse is a definite improvement, with Witt using the increased space to his advantage, much like with a video game setting. However, it is still the same format and struggles to escape its basic approach. Foreign? Twat. English. Uber twat. Poor Thomas Kretschmann and Iain Glen, who are forced to inhabit these villainous stereotypes.
It’s a worrying sign that the writers seem far more invested in the continuation of Alice’s rather bizarre story arc then the much more straightforward yet gripping account of the undead. Not good news for future instalments, although since this one improved on the first, surely that means there’s hope...
** ½ / *****
“Groaning in the right direction.”
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