Alice In Zombie Land!

Rating: 1/10 (24 August 2007)

It used to be the case that zombie movies were purely the preserve of filmmakers with low budgets and no stars, now it seems everyone is making them. In 'Resident Evil: Apocalypse', a virus escapes from a top secret facility known as The Hive, infecting the inhabitants of Raccoon City, and a small group of survivors have to battle their way through an army of flesh-eating zombies to freedom.
One of the reasons why George A.Romero's early 'living dead' pictures worked so well was due to their documentary approach. No matter how far fetched the premise, you felt as though you were watching real people caught up in a terrifying situation. The main characters in this film, however, are anything but 'real', consisting mainly of young, good-looking people well acquainted with the martial arts, armed with weapons Rambo would be jealous of, and who never tire. No sooner have they wiped out one gang of zombies with karate kicks and expertly aimed shots than they are ready to wipe out another without so much as pausing for breath. Hence the suspense factor is nil.
Milla Jovovich reprises her role as 'Alice', and admittedly she looks great crashing through a church window on a motorcycle ( or rather her stunt double does ), but the script gives her no opportunity whatever to establish, much less develop a character. She is as every bit as inhuman as her opponents.
Like many modern horror movies, it over-relies on C.G.I. for effect. The action scenes are shot and edited in the style of an M.T.V. rock video; bullets fly out of guns in slow motion, people do back flips and execute perfect leaps over fences, and Milla still manages to look sexy no matter what happens.
The appearance of 'Nemesis' is a hoot; resembling nothing less than one of Clive Barker's 'Cenobites' with a Schwarzenegger complex. If you can sit through the scene where it uses a rocket launcher to wipe out the S.T.A.R.S. without laughing, you are made of stronger stuff than I.
Alexander Witt must have thought that the visual trickery was enough to carry the film, and decided not to bother with such trifles as a strong plot, believable characterisations and dialogue. Did anyone understand that ending? I certainly didn't.
For a superior example of a zombie picture, check out the original 'Dawn Of The Dead'.