A formulaic clone of the original with more explosions.

Rating: 5/10 (11 September 2004)

First off I must say that I am rather disappointed in IMDb for catergorizing this movie as Horror and Thriller, which it most certainly is neither. However, it also lists it as Action and Sci-Fi which it definitely is.
If you loved the first movie, you will probably be quite entertained by this action-packed sequel, though if you were like me and were hoping for something a little more true to the video game on which it was based you will certainly be disappointed. Really the only similarities to the game that I could find where the use of familiar names such as Umbrella Corp, Racoon City, STARS, etc. The plot progression in RE2 is even more contrived than that of RE1 and I found most of the action scenes to be way over-the-top.
Although there are plenty of walking-dead in this movie I would hardly consider it a "zombie flick". What's missing here is any semblance of horror or suspense. Really the only suspense comes from when characters inadvertently sneak up on each other and suddenly grab their shoulder from behind. I would think with everyone being on edge and ready to shoot at anything that moves, you would want to be a little more subtle in getting your teammates attention. I am also baffled by how many times someone gets bitten. Everyone in the movie is well aware that if you get bitten by one of them, you will turn into one of them, yet no one seems to be wearing any protection against that sort of thing.
I feel guilty for putting so much money forth to see this type of cinematic crap (It cost me $15 after ticket, food and drink to see a matinée showing!), further provoking them to blow even more money on huge explosions and big-budget effects on an inevitable third installment.
If you are a fan of big budget, highly implausible action movies such as Blade or Van Helsing then by all means drop $10-$20 and go see this. If you are a fan of zombie flicks, it is still not worth the bother, go rent Shaun of the Dead instead. If you are a fan of Suspense, Thriller, Horror movies then go see something else---anything else!