Better than Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Rating: 6/10 (30 September 2007)

RE:E was a much better entry than the second film in this series because while there were a number of problems with the film that others have noted (kill zombies by cutting their throats, predictable guy-hiding-infection, etc.), this film did not feel like a pure action film, which is what I felt RE:A degenerated into.
Milla Jovovich is as attractive as ever, and there are a number of nice homage sequences to the first film (including the demise of the megalomaniacal researcher from hell). There is an interesting infected bird attack sequence which was somewhat suspenseful though it suffered from "gee, look at all the CG birds" and what I feel was a survival rate that was too optimisticgiven the whole one peck and you're dead scenario.
One flaw with the film is that it falls back on the old ugly stereotype. If you're not hot, you must be evil/psychopathic/quite stupid (e.g. the apparently only surviving rednecks in Nevada who trick Alice into assisting them before letting a bunch of infected dogs attempt to maul her). Also, it would have been nice for Alice to actually look like she was surviving in a post-apocalyptic world rather than like some nice makeup lady was rubbing glittery gold makeup on her face after every take. Milla is hotshe doesn't need makeup distracting from what should have been the overall grime and dirt of the film.
Overall at the end of the film one gets a distinct impression that the only way to stop an army of Alices will be with a neutron bombespecially given her newly acquired, though draining, psychokinetic powers. Hopefully such a flick won't become just an action movie, though I don't quite see how suspense might be maintained unless Alice somehow loses control of her army to the Umbrella Corp.or they create one of their own.