A Guilty Pleasure

Rating: 7/10 (11 September 2004)

The first Resident Evil is one of my guilty pleasures. I really enjoyed the movie, even with it's bad acting and simple story. Being a fan of the original game, I felt that the movie captured the feeling of the video game and basically that was my entire expectation going into the theatre.
The video game started in a mansion where you played as a member of S.T.A.R.S. Either you played as Chris or Jill Valentine. The first movie followed the basic concept of a place where the Umbrella Corporation was conducting genetic experiments that went wrong. While the first film added the character Alice, instead of the game's characters, it was decently filmed and I find myself watching it from time to time. Like I had said, one of my guilty pleasures.
The second movie (Apocalypse) basically follows a large portion of the second video game. The second video game you can play as either Chris and Jill again and you have to escape Racoon City while a super creature (nemesis) is tracking you down. The second film takes Alice on this adventure, while adding some interesting supporting members to her group. The second film also brings the original character, Jill Valentine, into the fold. There are quite a few new ideas introduced into the movie that were not in the game storyline, but they are interesting. Apocalypse has decent acting (think popcorn adventure movie, not Oscar), a decent script (except for the last 10 minutes), and a few decent well done horror moments. Apocalypse is better than the original (I know some of you may think that would not take much), and I see it falling under another DVD purchase I find myself watching time and time again.
The only disappointment was in the last moments of the movie. The big bad corporating scene was just -- well, it has been done too many times and did not need to be done again. The end scene with Alice is a typical sequel setup that also did not need to be done.
Milla Jovovich kicks ass, ala Laura Croft, without trying to act. Something Angelina Jolie tries too hard to do and fails at miserably. Milla plays Alice via the way a male action star would play a Rambo or a super cop. Because of the way Milla approaches Alice, it works.
Oded Fahr is the best part of the movie. Fans may remember him from the Mummy series as the Templar Knight. Fahr is a scene stealer and a very pleasant addition to the cast.
Sienna Guillery is just there as Jill Valentine. The kick ass character, from the games, takes a back seat to Alice and never is fully developed. Whenever Fahr or Milla are in the scenes, Guillery gets lost in the mix. Guillery is still hot to look at though (same as she was in Troy as Helen) and I had to laugh at the tight (very non-police) uniform that she struts around within.
Overall, I enjoyed this film. While I really liked it, I am not sure what anyone else would think. I enjoy these kind of horror/action films: Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead, Army of Darkness, 28 Days, and the Omega Man. If you are a fan of those types of films, I believe you would enjoy Apocalypse.