Plenty of action at the expense of plot and dialogue

Rating: 6/10 (18 September 2004)

**Warning: Minor spoilers ahead**
Honestly. What can I say about this movie? If you've seen the trailers for Resident Evil: Apocalypse, or have seen the first Resident Evil movie, then you know what kind of movie you're in for. Anyone expecting a deep storyline (although I think most movie goers are smart enough not to expect one) would be advised to look elsewhere. Apocalypse is a B-movie through and through. It's heavy on fight scenes with gun-fighting, explosions, blood splattering, and limbs being broken every minute, with plot and dialogue taking a back seat.
Apocalypse's story is pretty standard fare. It takes place soon after the events of the first Resident Evil movie. A virus has spread through Raccoon City, turning its inhabitants into flesh eating zombies. Those who have not yet been infected (i.e. the main characters in the movie) have to find a way out of the city while surviving the onrush of a zombie horde, and a super-zombie called the Nemesis. In most B-level zombie movies you wouldn't expect the acting to be all that greatand this movie is no exception. I don't blame the actors however. Milla Jovovich (who plays Alice) and the rest of the cast try to make the best of the movie's stilted dialogue with varying degrees of success.
However, my main problem with the movie is that the plot is not much more than a string of 'money shot' sequences that make no real sense. One prime example of this is during the fight at the church. Jovovich's character smashes through a stain glass window on a motorcycle and saves the lives of the humans inside. A few problems with that whole sequence include: 1) How did she know what was going on inside the church? 2) How did she know exactly where to land? 3) Why didn't she just go through the front door? Apocalypse is filled with many horror movie clichés (i.e. going into a dark room alone in a zombie infested building) where you know someone is going to die. Also, there was one scene where Alice and the gang walk through a graveyard to try and escape the zombies. Of all the places you could go to hide from the walking-dead, why in the world would you go into a graveyard?!
Now, you're probably asking why the heck I would expect a coherent story in a zombie movie? Because it has been done before. Movies like 28 Days Later have shown that zombie movies could have strong dialogue, character development, and a good plot.
The one bright spot in this movie is that if you want to see a ton of zombies get shot up, than Resident Evil: Apocalypse delivers in spades. The action Apocalypse is non-stop, especially when the Nemesis shows up. Speaking of the Nemesis, I can't help but like the design of Nemesis' costume, and seeing him blow up everything with his rocket launcher and chain gun was pretty darn cool.
The fact is, if you liked the first Resident Evil, than you will definitely like Apocalypse (and I should note that the ending leaves room for another sequel). Personally, I thought that Apocalypse was actually better than the first movie, but frankly that's not saying much. If you want to see a good zombie movie, I suggest you check out 28 Days Later, or Dawn of the Dead (either the 1978 or 2004 version which I have not yet seen, but I hear is quite good), and wait for Resident Evil: Apocalypse to come to DVD and rent it instead.
I give Resident Evil: Apocalypse a 6 out of 10.