Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Director: Alexander Witt
Writer: Paul W.S. Anderson
Based on: the video game series
Sequel to: Resident Evil
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Thomas Kretschmann, Sophie Vavasseur, Razaaq Adoti, Jared Harris, Mike Epps, Sandrine Holt, Matthew G. Taylor, Zack Ward, Iain Glen
Seen on: 4.8.2022

Plot:
Raccoon City seems to be just getting back to its feet after what happened at the Hive, when the next catastrophe strikes and the city is overrun by zombies. Alice (Milla Jovovich) wakes in the hospital amidst the chaos as one of only a handful of people still in the city and not yet zombified. To contain the zombies, a bomb is supposed to be dropped in the city, and if Alice doesn’t find a way out by then, she will surely die. Teaming up with other survivors, they look for an escape. But zombies aren’t the only thing that the Umbrella Corporation experimented with – and there are more surprises to come.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse is actually a little better than Resident Evil, not that that’s saying much. But there are some good action moments, the male gaze is dialled down a bit and the plot is a little more coherent.

Look, if it wasn’t for the first Resident Evil film, I wouldn’t have much good to say about this one. I mean, I don’t have much good to say about this one anyway, but in comparison with the first one, it does fare better. For example, Alice gets to wear almost entirely functional clothing. We also get to see her naked and there is Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory) dressed in the most ridiculous outfit, but hey, let’s say that’s progress.

There are some moments here and there, where the action actually works, too. Most notably, Alice and her motorcycle in the church. Yes, the creatures are not great in their animation, not even for a film that is almost twenty years old. But it is the only scene in the film where the film managed to not just want to be cool, but actually is.

There are too many players in the film, and the emotional side of the story doesn’t work at all. Alice is broken up about a dude she met for like 20 seconds during the biggest crisis of her life (up to this one) and somehow this is meant to be super tragic and romantic. Meanwhile I am wondering whether she even knows anything about him.

Anyhow, the film is decently paced and quite okay, but it doesn’t actually inspire much emotion at all. Not excitement, not fear, not empathy. And without that, it is simply a little boring. Especially since it doesn’t really have much to say apart from a generic “corporations are evil” that feels equally toothless as the film.

Summarizing: could be worse. Could be the first one.