Synopsis
Apocalypse picks up where the first Resident Evil left off. The sinisterUmbrella Corporation re-opens its underground lab, and in so doing unleashes the T-Virus onRacoon City. The metropolis is cordoned off to contain the infection, and there are only a handfulof survivors left who, led by the now superhuman Alice (Mila Jovovich), must escape the citybefore it is sanitized (i.e.nuked).
The scale is far more grandiose than the first film, and there is m…re variety in the settings.Jovovich doesn’t have to wear the ridiculous short skirt from the first film (Sienna Guillory asJill Valentine has to deal with the skimpy clothes this time out), and there are more monsters.The film’s game origins are rather obvious, in that the plot simply takes us from one shoot-outlocation to another, much like the levels in a game. This works on the interactive level, but isless satisfying on-screen, especially given that, since the first film in the franchise, absolutelytop-flight zombie movies like 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead have set thebar extremely high. Still, this is an entertainingly explosive 94 minutes.
Audio
And those minutes explode very satisfyingly with the sound that we have here. Clarity,music, and effects are all superb, but I must give special credit to the placement and volume ofthe surround effects. There are some extremely startling moments here, as loud and/or sinisternoises burst unexpectedly from one speaker or another. Excellent left/right separation aswell.
Video
The colours are very bright, when called for, and the many gloomy scenes are still perfectlyclear, with terrific blacks and contrasts. the image is as sharp as one could wish, and there is nograin or edge enhancement. Both 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen and fullscreen aspect ratios areprovided.
Special Features
Quite the bushel of extras for what is, finally, a pretty slight movie. There are three (!)commentary tracks: one by director Alexander Witt, producer Jeremy Bolt and exec-producerRobert Kulzer (this is arguably the most technical of the bunch); one by cast members Jovovich,Guillory and Oded Fehr (not quite as silly as the one Jovovich participated in for the first film)and one by writer/producer (and director of the original) Paul W.S. Anderson, with Bolt showingup again (as soon as Anderson shows up, the commentary becomes much more interesting). Allof this is just Disc 1
Disc 2 has a 6-part, 50-minute making-of documentary called “Game Over: Resident EEVilReanimated.” While not uninformative, this is basically a promo featurette writ large. “GameBabes,” “Symphony of Evil” and “Corporate Malfeasance” are short bits that didn’t fit into thelarger feature – flotsam basically, and not very useful (the last of the three will, according to thecase, show “real world similarities to the Umbrella Corporation” – a neat idea that isn’t tackled atall). There are 20 deleted scenes, and the poster gallery is a collection of contest winners. Finally,there are the theatrical teaser and trailer for the film, plus trailers (on both discs) for other horrormovies. The menu’s main screen, intro and transitions are animated and scored.
Closing Thoughts
Dumb and loud, but still decent fun. But for prime zombie material, turn to Shaun of theDead.
Special Features List
- Audio Commentaries
- “Game Over: Resident Evil Reanimated” 6-Part Making-of Featurette
- Deleted Scenes
- 3 Making-of Featurettes
- Poster Gallery
- Trailers
