Resident Evil: Apocalypse - Thoughts

Released in 2004, 2 years after the first Resident Evil movie, Apocalypse follows the spread of the deadly T-Virus, and Alice’s struggle against the infected undead. Not only has the virus which was thought to be contained in the secret underground Umbrella Corp. facility spread into Raccoon city, but Alice wakes to realize that she is part of the Umbrella Corp’s bio military experiments. Being an avid fan of the franchise this was something I deemed as a must watch, early on into hearing about it. I subsequently watched this movie in the theatre in 2004, and also rented the DVD and watched it a few months later. I decided to revisit it as part of a Resident Evil marathon prior to watching the all new Resident Evil: Afterlife movie; which btw started playing in theaters a week prior to me writing this review.


Resident Evil: Apocalypse is billed as a Sci-Fi, Action, Horror, Thriller. From having seen the original, I wouldn't categorize it as Horror anymore. While it still has several intense thrill elements, it isn't as dark or grim as the first part. What it has maximized on is the Action element. All the fight sequences are bigger, more hard hitting, and closer to extreme. Alice looks more toned, tough and showcases super human ability in this installment. Plot and story progression is ample, with the spread of the T-Virus, development of Alice, and other long term franchise story elements being nurtured carefully. All the gore and expectedly disgusting zombie ghastliness is very much present; be warned if you're not into that sorta thing. If you're into Sci-Fi, or just plain loathe the Resident Evil series, you'll love the almost mindless and casual action that Apocalypse has to offer. If you're looking for something new and gripping, keep in mind that Apocalypse is more an expansion and less an innovation.

Resident Evil wouldn’t be Resident Evil if it didn't have Milla Jovovich. If she came across as cold and intense in the first installment as Alice, she does so even better here. While a little lost in the first movie, here Alice is coming to terms with what is happening to her and around her. She is more in control of herself and what she is becoming. As an action star Milla is increasingly convincing in Apocalypse; she certainly seems to have the art of kicking ass while looking good at it, down. True to Resident Evil form, Alice has a supporting female action costar. In Apocalypse this comes in the form of Jill Valentine, an elite special forces cop, played by Sienna Guillory. While unfamiliar with her past work, she does a fine job in this sequel, keeping up with Alice, though obviously more human and not as invincible. Oded Fehr stars as Carlos Olivera, one of the Umbrella Corp’s hired guns who later joins forces with Alice and her brigade. Though character development is limited, Oded is convincing as an anti-hero and a team player. Thomas Kretschmann plays Major Cain, the Umbrella Corp. suit, and the face of all things commercial, uncaring, and sinister. His portrayal was average at best, and came off as amateurish often enough. Thankfully this inadequacy didn't impact the overall movie too much, as Major Cain was sufficiently dis-likable.

The DVD I was watching was a Region 1 US release. Video was pretty good, with not much that I can think of in terms of being sub-par. There were a lot of dark scenes, and definition was sometimes average in those sections. Sound was good, and complimented the action very well. There was a lot of gunfire, breaking glass, and special effects all through; needless to say sound and special effects were the main driving forces behind Apocalypse. The audio track I was sampling was a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track. Surround stage usage was acceptable, but nothing over the top. The soundtrack was pretty good, and special mention must be made of the track The Outsider (Resident Renholder Mix) by A Perfect Circle.

My Recommendation: Watch It – (Can’t get enough of Resident Evil? Here you go….. the sequel)