|
|
| .. |
|
RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars:
Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Thomas Kretschmann, Sandrine Holt,
Jared Harris, Mike Epps
Director: Alexander Witt
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1,
Full Screen 1.33:1
Studio: Columbia Tri Star
Features: See Review
Length: 94 Minutes
Release Date: December 28, 2004
“My
name is Alice. I worked for the Umbrella Corporation, There was an accident,
then everybody died. Trouble was... they didn't stay dead.”
Film **1/2
Movies adapted from video games are
hard to accomplish in terms of quality. 2002’s Resident
Evil was a mildly guilty pleasure, which didn’t add up to much, but did
manage to make for a rather entertaining ride as long as you didn’t think
about it too much. The ending clearly made the way for an eventual sequel.
Now, the sequel has arrived. Resident Evil: Apocalypse offers just about the same elements as its
predecessor did. The plot is pretty much similar to the first movie, too, as
this new installment represents more of a continuation. The central story
involves a band of humans attempting to stay alive as an epidemic of flesh
eating zombies continues to grow in and around Raccoon City.
Returning, of course, is the lead
heroine Alice (Milla Jovovich), the former scientist employee of the Umbrella
Corporation. She is now turned into a vigilante, trying to prevent the zombie
infestation from growing even further. This time around, she gets a little help
from fellow zombie slayer Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory).
So how does the movie hold up? I’m
pretty much as mixed on this one, as I was the first movie. In this case, the
result is pure passable entertainment, just as long as you don’t think about
it too much. The entertainment value is similar to that of playing the video
game. And just like its predecessor, the ending of this movie hints at the
possibility of a Resident Evil 3.
At the same time, in the wake of much more effective zombie horror flicks as 28 Days Later, the remake of Dawn of the Dead, and even the zombie movie spoof, Shaun of the Dead, this movie lacks a certain zing, for lack of a better word. To put it simply, you’re not doing any wrong by choosing to watch this movie, especially if you were a fan of the first movie, but if you want something more entertaining and intense, choose any of the aforementioned films.
This
is a knockout video handling from Columbia Tri Star. Both anamorphic and full
screen versions are offered, but as always I stuck with the first mentioned
choice. The picture quality is purely stunning, as the futuristic vision of
Raccoon City is amazingly realized, even though it’s reduced to shots of
zombies destroying it. Colors are naturally perfect, as well. A nice capper to
the year 2004 from CTS.
The
5.1 Dolby mix fares extremely great for this futuristic action adventure. The
end result is a largely detailed level of dynamic range where everything from
gunfire to explosions to music to even the occasional spoken word of dialogue is
heard in the utmost form of sharp clarity. In the end, it makes the movie
experience even grander.
CTS has returned to this video
game/movie enterprise with a vengeance in the form of an outstanding 2-disc
package.
Disc 1 includes three commentary
tracks; the first is a filmmaker
commentary with director Alexander Witt, producer Jeremy Bolt and executive
producer Robert Kulzer, the second a cast commentary with Milla Jovovich, Oded
Fehr and Sienna Guillory, the third a writer and producer commentary with writer
Paul W.S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt. Lastly, there are two bonus
previews.
Disc
2 contains even more, including 20 Deleted Scenes, Cast Outtakes, Game Over: Resident
Evil Reanimated: A Six-Part Making-of Resident
Evil: Apocalypse, Corporate
Malfeasance: a Featurette on the Real World Similarities to the Umbrella
Corporation, Game Babes: a Featurette on the Emergence of Female Action Stars on
Film, and Symphony Of Evil: a
Featurette on the Special Effects Used in the Film, and a Poster Gallery: A
collection from the finalists of the online poster design contest, as well as an
extra trailer gallery.
Summary:
