October 21, 2004
Movie Review: Resident Evil Apocolpyse
Warning: I am outrageously biased when it comes to this movie, and this stems from my semi-profound appreciation for the first Resident Evil. I probably like horror movies a little bit more than the average viewer, but haven't succumbed to the "zombies are the new vampire" craze that's been sweeping the nation. I don't run out and see every slasher film (in fact, I rarely see these movies, choosing "spooky" over "scary" when there's that choice to be made), and only the truly frightening trailers (i.e. The Grudge) can get me excited about horror over another genre.
With that said, I still remember watching RE alone in my room on my tiny screen. This is the movie that has forever changed the way I think about my elevator rides (if I'm ever stuck in an elevator, you won't catch me sticking my head out between the doors). For a movie that really shouldn't have been scary (I've watched it since), it scared me. For this, I put it up there with the great-not-so-great movies of all time.
Nothing could top the strange mystique that surrounded the first movie, but Apocolypse certainly tried. Far more over-the-top with a lot more action (frantic, Gladiator-esque scenes with the shaky-camera settting maxed out), the movie still featured my favorite thing from the first: Milla kicking a whole lot of ass. And looking good doing it.
The story was a little weak, the pacing a little strange, and the acting not the best, but who's going into the theatre thinking they're going to get any of that? Resident Evil Apocolypse is meant to be entertaining and in this, I believe it succeeds.
Ken at October 21, 2004 01:38 PM
I rewatched the first one again recently after I saw the second in theaters. I had forgotten that Milla Jovovich doesn't kick as much ass in the first one. I still like the first one better, though.
The first, to me, is like a straight-up dungeon crawl, which is a perfect genre for a zombie movie. The second is more like a bunch of mini-boss fights in very distinct levels (e.g. "The Church", "The School"), which would be cool except they do the whole converging storylines thing that I tend to find annoying. I do like Jill Valentine doing the videogame walk.
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