Resident Evil: Apocalypse feels closer to its source material but lacks focus.

Rating: 5/10 (25 February 2018)

The quest for mediocrity continues with this direct sequel. Despite the change of director and a full on charge to the action genre, it still falls short of being a good film. Alice wakes up, Raccoon City is ravaged by abandonment, she walks around until she stumbles across Jill Valentine. They are tasked with extracting a young girl out of the quarantined city before it becomes decimated in order to fight back against the T-Virus. Would I class this as an improvement over its predecessor? Tough to say. Most fans of the series will say this is the best instalment, and I can see why. Jill Valentine, despite Sienna Guillory looking like she is cosplaying, does kick ass and gives Alice a run for her money. Two strong female protagonists is refreshing to see. The stunts were well executed, including Alice running down a building whilst being attached to a cable. Nemesis looked great, although unfortunately incredibly underused and not nearly as threatening as he should be. If you played the game, you would know he is relentless. In this, not so much. The horror aspect obviously did not work in the first instalment, so completely shifting this into action gear was more suited. Milla Jovovich gives an enjoyably daring performance as we watch her grow into an action star. It is unfortunate that the story is somewhat underwhelming...again. Point A to point B to point C. Roll credits. The way the seperate parties unite feels far too coincidental. Although really do we care? They are so one dimensional that if any meet their demise, I feel nothing. The fight choreography has this generic annoying sound effect for every punch and kick. The over reliance of tilted camera angles makes Alexander Witt's directing style feel amateurish. Also, the full five minute expositional introduction was a waste of time that could've been spent developing the characters. Again, the series remains mediocre but somewhat watchable.