Film Review: Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Caught this today. Had some high expectations with it. I enjoyed the original and expected to enjoy this too.

As with the original, BBFC gave this movie a rating of 15. Therefore the violence level should be pretty much kiddie level.

The film is based on Resident Evil 3 : Nemesis video game. It was apparently changed to Resident Evil : Apocalypse because of the failure of nerd movie - Star Trek : Nemesis. Plot is similar to the Nemesis game. It also shares plot development from Resident Evil - Code : Veronica.

Anyway, the film takes place a few years after the incident at The Hive. The re-opening of The Hive led to the release of the deadly T-Virus into Racoon City. Soon the city is infected with flesh eating zombies. Alice (Milla Jovovich) was also released and has to join forces with Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory) and her posse to save themselves and escape the city.

Mean while, Matt Addison from the original Resident Evil has finally mutated into a creature called Nemesis. As usual things are not as they seem and there are some plot twists - nothing shocking if you have played the game. There are a couple of endings - but the final boss ending was very disappointing. The fight between Alice and Nemesis was plain boring - in cinematic terms. I guess it could rival The Mummy Returns ending in terms of stupidity.

A note - some people seems to mistaken the character Jill Valentine as Claire Redfield from Resident Evil - Code : Veronica - but she is not. Jill is Jill from the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 3.

The complaints I had with the films is not enough violence, blood and gore. Hell, even the video game has more - I can't see why films such as Dawn of the Dead and 28 Days Later... (Christopher Eccleston - you are excellent!) can have much violence (and still be interesting) yet this sequal lacks both.

Milla Jovovich did show both her nipples (instead of just one as was in Resident Evil) this time though. It does helps bring up my overall rating of the film to 6 out of 10. 1/2 a point for each nipple.

Too bad the very fine Sienne Guillory did not show any of hers. I would give an extra point to view one of hers.