"Stars!"

Rating: Null/10 (20 February 2005)

~Spoiler~
Resident Evil: Apocalypse starts off pretty strong...and then goes WAY downhill. The beginning is really atmospheric with everyone trying to get out of Raccoon City. Mobs of people are waiting at the gates of the city but no one is allowed to leave. The city has been quarantined and the zombie plaque quickly reaches the gates. It's like actually seeing the scene that Mark describes in 28 Days Later. There was also a severely claustrophobic scene where a woman is running up a flight of stairs with a gang of bloodthirsty zombies on her heels. It was an effective moment to say the least. However, the flick enters ridiculous territory pretty damn quick. Bad elements include, but aren't limited to, terrible CGI monsters, comic relief by Mike Epps, Milla Jovovich running down a building, and the Nemesis himself. I read tons of interviews where the creators claimed the Nemesis would be the next horror icon. Sorry guys, it ain't happening. Perhaps my biggest peev with the film is the obligatory to be continued ending. I'm really not interested in a Resident Evil 3. Paul W.S. Anderson obviously just belted this script out super-quick so he could go ruin other franchises. So, sadly, the best thing about this film was the teaser trailer that looked like an actual ad for the Umbrella Corporation (done by Texas Chainsaw redux helmer Marcus Nispel). They should have just based this on the Resident Evil 2 video game.