An action film that offers a visual experience and nothing else

Rating: 4/10 (23 January 2005)

OK, let me get straight to the point and start off by saying that this film is functioned by one simple pro and one massive con. The pro being the near endless action that occurs in RE:A, (even though the majority of it lacks any realism or sense) and the con being that the dialogue in this film has got to be some of the worst in any film that I have seen in 2004 - even though I've avoided such proverbial stinkers like Catwoman and House of the Dead. The film's plot is as basic as ever. Following the events that occurred from the first film, Alice (Milla Jovovich) awakes from the Umbrella hospital to a desolate Raccoon city which has succumbed to the T-Virus that once infected the Hive, here she roams the zombie-plagues streets in a bid to find survivors. Among them she finds S.T.A.R.S member Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory) and a batch of RPD officers, and together they unite to escape the city. However, their problems are increased when they are pursued by a colossal hulking monster called the Nemesis which is being controlled by Umbrella. What follows (after the plot literally falls apart in front of your eyes) is the most unbelievable, non-sensical action you'll probably see, ever, in an action film. Hollywood cinematographer veteran Alexander Witt makes his directional debut with this film under the screenplay of Paul W.S Anderson, and it blatantly seems that Anderson had spend more time focusing on his Alien Vs. Predator project more than the work on this film. Because RE:A really does seemed rushed due to the fact that there is absolutely no character development whatsoever, enormous plot holes that would require an uneducated deaf-blind monkey to not acknowledge. But, if its any consolation, this film pays more homage to the video games than the previous film did, including several references and shot-by-shot scenes which are taken straight from the series. And because of the bigger budget, the visual effects have vastly improved from that of the original, but that doesn't excuse the fact that it still comes of as a failed attempt to create a wholesome action film. Its a good thing I'm such a fan of the Resident Evil game series, because if I wasn't - or if this film wasn't Resident Evil - the following score would've been a lot lower.
Score 5.5/10