If you're looking for non-stop action, look no further.

Rating: 10/10 (11 September 2004)

Resident Evil: Apocalypse is the movie event of the season for me. I went into this baby with mixed expectations however. Point in fact, this is the sequel to the surprise gem that was Resident Evil. I have been looking forward to part 2 since seeing the closing frame of that film. My explosive anticipation has been silenced somewhat in the past few weeks, with all the negative output from advance reviews and what not. Still, nothing short of a million dollars would keep me away from the theater tonight. After the credits rolled, I felt numb; I couldn't believe that all of the time spent waiting for this movie had come to an end, an end which quite frankly, I wasn't sure how I felt about.
Let's break RE:A down. The plot was almost non existent, which kinda sucks being that the original was founded on a - dare i say it - engaging plot. We got likable characters with a certain depth to them, enough for us to hope for their survival. This film threw in a bunch of "cool" new characters without so much of a mention as to where they're coming from (yes I'm talking about you Jill Valentine). Being an avid fan of the games, I was hoping to find at least some reference to Jill's experience in the mansion. I let it slid, I figured I knew her background so no use in wasting time right? Well I will tell you this much, there was NEVER a dull moment in RE:A. This is probably the most action packed movie you will see all year, if not the last 5 years. Each scene finds the protagonists in a new environment with one of the myriad threats presented along the way. I had expected a more action centric movie as compared to the first, but jeez, this movie was so over the top I found it impossible not to enjoy.
One of the highlights of Resident Evil was Milla Jovovich, who once again owns the screen. While her character lacks the dialogue and sass she had in the first movie, she partakes in more action scenes than any other character. Her performance was mostly in facial expressions and an intimidation factor highly elevated from the original. Basically, Alice is one badass mother****er, an attitude Milla conveyed to a tee. Sienna Guilleroy was satisfying in her 2-dimensional role as Jill Valentine. She played it cool and her outfit was classic. No one else in the movie really stuck out acting wise, although the little girl was a nice form of continuity with the first.
Here was my BIGGEST problem with Resident Evil: Apocalypse: the directing. Alexander Witt must be a schizophrenic (sp?) because this movie felt like it had three different directors. First, there was the MTV style quick cuts which are becoming all too popular in big Hollywood action movies as of late. Also appearing were a couple of cool 90s action movie shots in which all the action is clear from a bitchin angle, like shot behind Alice in the church watching the explosion. Finally the b-horro film director had to get his say, adding (many) effective jump scenes and crooked angles. The guy just couldn't make up his mind; my eyes rolled each time the MTV style was featured, something which happened too much for my taste. I think Paul Anderson would've done a much better job.
I am still collecting my thoughts on this movie. It was such a big thing for me, I couldn't possibly decide a solid grade after a single viewing. I did like a lot of what I saw, exclaimed "holy sh*t" a lot, and even jumped out of my seat on much more occasions than I was expecting. I'm going to recommend this movie to fans of the original and to all action fans; you should not be disappointed.