Kick-Ass Babes! Flesh-Chompin' Zombies! null Blowing Up!  Daddy Like!

Rating: 8/10 (13 September 2004)

Video games turned into movies are about as fascinating as the undead becoming ravenous zombies and vice versa as the case may be in this non-stop action sequel to the adaptation of arguably the most viscerally gory video game to begin the trend of graphic violence as an adrenaline rush for joystick fanboys.
Picking up where we last left off in the equally popular first film, lone survivor security specialist Alice (leggy hottie Jovovich) reprises her original Ripley Jr. character as she has been subjected to horrific scientific experiments in the wake of the terrible synthetic virus that managed to wipe out the Hive of the Umbrella Corporation's subterranean unit of technology and biochemical engineering which turned its expendable team into crazed cannibalistic zombies.
Alice reawakens to a chaotic police state in Raccoon City and finds herself to be practically indestructible as she teams up with a ragtag motley crew of survivors attempting to flee the city which has been earmarked for nuclear wipe-out by the panic stricken powers that be in the unrelenting horde of undead clamoring for brains (and other vital hunger satisfiers). Along for the ride of a lifetime is a few commando tactic soldiers/cops including tough-as-nails and feistily sexy Jill Valentine (Guillory, perhaps best known as Guy Pearce's doomed fiancée in 'The Time Machine') whose ballsy estrogen fueled tactics come in handy with a few well chosen weapons of destruction; Carlos Olivera ('The Mummy's Fehr); Peyton Wells, Valentine's partner (Adoit); plucky telejournalist Terri Morales (Holt) and a street hustler LJ (funny-as-hell Epps, the sorely needed comic relief whose expletive Greek chorus nearly steals the film).
Alice and company must band together as one when they are located by Dr. Ashford (Harris), the paraplegic scientist responsible for the virus (but not for the dastardly schemes by his associate the hissable Glen as Dr. Isaacs) who tracks them down to offer them a helicopter out of the no-man's land if they agree to find his young daughter Angie (Vavasseur). With the clock ticking and the non-stop army of dead on the warpath you can bet one thing: a high body count on the way out!
The film moves at pell-mell speed thanks to veteran cinematographer Witt making his directorial debut by ratcheting up the original film's helmsman Paul W.S. Anderson's screenplay with some wicked fast moving zombies, sudden bursts of unsuspecting violence and quicksilver editing that keeps the heart pumping with sharp anticipation of 'What the hell is next?!?!' He returns to the fold the nasty looking tongue wielding beasties and Doberman critters as well as the new horrific Nemesis, which resembles the Alien creature and one of HELLRAISER's Cenobites outfitted in Terminator togs (!) You have to see it to believe it, trust me.
Jovovich is in excellent shape and proves it by jumping, diving, defying gravity, delivering bone-crushing roundhouse kicks and in general kicking ass and taking no-prisoners with her amped up Alice testing her newfound powers like any video game heroine would (she's even fitted in pseudo Lara Croft togs) and Guillory provides ample support with her gritty Valentine as well providing some neck snapping élan to the carnage at hand. Epps  Whom I normally can barely stomach  is laugh-out loud funny as a pimped up dude who provides some truly hysterical dialogue sprinkled with 'Mother****er' every other word.
The non-stop action, null getting blown up and gruesome monster mash may feel a bit tiresome (ok, I'll admit it by the end of the film I was exhausted) but it works on all cylinders and (drum roll) does indeed set the franchise for yet another unstoppable chapter.
Buckle up and prepare to be jolted out of the summer ending doldrums in this last stab of seasonal glory.