Customer Reviews

Resident Evil / Resident Evil: Apocalypse

5 star:		(140)
4 star:		(95)
3 star:		(56)
2 star:		(37)
1 star:		(48)

 

 

this contains the old version of the movie with the red cover, not the newer and better deluxe version with the green cover.

I feel that both of these films are somewhat underrated. They were hurt by critics who sort of missed the point and by video gamers who expected them to be carbon-copies of the games. They are, simply, very good zombie movies - lots of campy fun, great action, and even some genuine scares. They're just fun to watch, and one of the big reasons for that is Milla - who looks great and is just perfect for this role, simultaneously strong and vulnerable. (An earlier review said these were among her first films - in fact, she has been acting since 1991, when she famously appeared nude at age 14 in "Return to the Blue Lagoon". She is a veteran actress with nearly 20 films to her credit.)

It is true that these films don't do much that's new with the genre - if that's what you're looking for, see "28 Days Later" instead. But the Resident Evil films do the traditional zombie genre as well as any film has recently, with great special effects (these were big-budget films), good acting and a lot of action.

Let me first take a second just to say that i have never written a movie review in the past, but i am a person that when extremely pleased or highly dissatisfied often feels the need to say something, so here it is: This movie is without a doubt one of the most worst action/horror/scifi/whatever the hell peice of crap kinda movie you want to call it. What bothered me most outside of the huge plot holes was that this movie was a horrid rip of of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (which i will add was a much better movie by far than this piece of tripe). What the producers of this movie relied on was the fact that the audience they were going after (young males 16-25) probably have never seen or heard of the movie ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK thus wouldnt know that there wasnt one single fresh or original idea in the whole movie. Yes it was nice seeing Alice and Valentie (pretty faces and nice bodies to attract the boys) kick some butt, ill admit, but when you actualy go to the lengths of stealing another persons movie idea you'd think they could at least make the plot work (i.e. to reanimate dead bodies they MUST be infected with the T-Virus, yet when the wayward team are running through a grave yard, corpes come up from the ground. Can someone please tell me how they, 1) got out of ther coffins from 6 feet down, and then tell me how they were infected with the T-virus?)I wont bore you with more details of the dreadfulness of this rip off, my only point was to warn any of you Resident Evil 1 fans that were thinking of picking this up (by the way i did like part one)If you really want to see a better version (AND NOT A RIPPED OF PIECE OF GARBAGE) of what was meant in APOCALYSE, rent or buy ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK with Kurt Russell, i think you will be pleasantly surprised.

This is not a horror movie. This film does not compare well with horror movies. This is an action movie with zombies. It compares very well with other action movies. Starting where Resident Evil ended, the bullets start flying and the zombies start chomping immediately (do watch RE before this one). Although the script is hardly award winning, the movie delivers much more than you would reasonably expect from a video game based zombie movie. The actors are capable enough, and even if you find them stiff and generic, it's okay - most of them don't survive very long. Sadly, the comedy relief guy isn't funny at all and he does survive the whole movie. Also, the martial arts and special effects are good overall (except for the CGI Dobermans which are awful). Somehow the film avoids being predictable and sets up the last part of the trilogy nicely. Whether or not you've played the video game (I haven't), Resident Evil: Apocalypse is sure to satisfy cravings for a fast-paced action movie with sexy, gun-toting, butt-kicking babes if you can forgive a few rather forced script elements (like main characters strolling through a graveyard totally oblivious to the risk this involves during a zombie uprising!)

After seeing the first Resident Evil movie and liking it, I was expecting a whole lot more from this film, which I had been anticipating as soon as I found out they were going to make a sequel. Unfortunately, RE Apocalypse doesn't have any of the things that made the first one good! Resident Evil was first and foremost a horror movie, with zombies and other creatures and a bit of a sci-fi touch, a lot of story going on and a great addition to the mythos of the game, with a plot that tied in neatly and nicely provided more fictional background for the RE world. The make-up and special effects were top-notch, and all of the actors, including the ones with minor roles, did a fantastic job.

RE Apocalypse accomplishes none of these things. If you're expecting a horror movie, what you get is a weird combination of the Kung-Fu and action genres. There's no character development, the plot is shallow and even Mila dropped the ball with her acting in this one.

I found the movie to be extremely boring and run-of-the-mill, and was also sad to see what they did to a franchise that could have been great if they'd improved upon the first movie's many strengths and taken out just some of its weaknesses.

In short, this movie was a complete waste of time and has thoroughly discouraged me from seeing the third one, which is set to be released next year. Somebody would literally have to pay me to see it!

is it that hard to make a video game into a movie? resident evil should have been the perfect film series. the resident evil games have the following scary movie ingredients:a giant spooky mansion/zombies/zombie dogs/gore/mutated animals/evil dead style splatter combat/freakish characters/gore/gore/GORE!The first resident evil "film" was weak,at best.this one... is not has good.the very best thing about it is milla jovovich.she alone boosts this "film" to a watchable level.every other character is...whats lower than cardboard cut out? the nemesis is okay until that god awful hand to hand fight towards the end.and the zombie attacks are sad,they use this cheap camera trick to slow @ blur them,bad acting or bad makeup,the gory cheap flicks get that one right.and the cemetary sequence was just awful and didnt fit the "film".the editing was the worst i have ever seen,and why does the mpaa allow films like saving private ryan,black hawk down,and shindlers list to show what ever they want and get an "R" rating.those are real events and real people.these type of flicks,horror flicks are pure fantasy but you cant see a zombie chew on a guys guts unless its a unrated 20 year old romero film.

If you felt the first "Resident Evil" movie didn't quite capture the atmosphere of the original game, you can sleep a little easier now. "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" has EVERYTHING: from dark, creepy graveyards, a gothic cathedral and classic lorries in an "Escape from New York"- style deserted city to a cigarette smoking Jill Valentine and half naked hooker zombies.
Although this sequel clearly had a much bigger budget than the original film, director Alexander Witt has kept it credible and didn't use digital technology to bombard your senses and keep your mind of the lack of a decent storyline. Rather than making you feel like you're watching a computer- made movie where nothing seems real, the special effects help create a desolate and panicky atmosphere with credible characters who struggle to survive in a city that's infested with their undead compatriots, partially decayed K-9s and other creepy lifeforms. The scene where one survivor has to go up against a class of elementary school zombies is just terrifying.
Unlike the director of the "Dawn of the Dead" remake, Witt and producer/ script writer Paul W.S. Anderson have opted not to follow in the footsteps of the fast- moving "28 Days Later" zombies, but has clearly been inspired not only by George Romero's view of walking corpses, but also by his opinion of our western society. The real evil in this movie is not the zombies or even the killer mutant Nemesis (who looks and sounds like he has just stepped out of the original game and into this movie), but a Big Brother- style multinational that puts itself above the law and has no respect whatsoever for morale, decency or anything human.
Even if you've never played the video game, didn't like the first "Resident Evil" movie or don't care for a lot of high tech military action in a horror film, I'd still highly recommend you take the time to watch this one. If you liked both the 1978 version of "Dawn of the Dead" and "Aliens", you're going to love "Resident Evil: Apocalypse". Besides, if internationally acclaimed Milla Jovovich agreed to add it to her résumé of, among others, "the Fifth Element", "the Messenger: the Story of Jean of Arc" and "the Million Dollar Hotel", it has to be good!

The resident evil movies are awsome! This one comes with a free movie ticket to go see resident evil extinction in theatures! I cant wait to go see that movie! I recomend this movie! It comes with a bridge scene between apacolypse and extinction!

I liked the first "Resident Evil" better. I liked the way it opened and the entire idea of people having to go back into the Hive to find out what happened and look for survivors. There is something to be said for the inherent tension in having to keep going forward when you should be turning around and getting the hell out of Dodge as quick as possible. "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" is about the getting the hell out of Dodge, or in this case Raccoon City, but there is a major problem in terms of the as quick as possible part, especially given that the city is about to be nuked.

The Umbrella Corporation decided to reopen the Hive, which allows the T-virus to escape and turn the inhabitants of Raccoon City into zombies. I might be slow when it comes to modern science, but I really fail to see the practical applications or economic potential of the T-virus given that it is not really regeneration human cells. Now the nuke option is making a lot of sense, which is bad news for Alice (Milla Jovovich), the genetically created ultimate fighting machine, who is trying to lead a group of survivors through the zombies to safety. But since this movie is based on a video game, things get worse. The Umbrella Corporation sends Nemesis, a killing machine that may or may not be a genetically mutated version of Alice's boyfriend, Matt, from the previous film. Apparently shooting people before nuking them is in the best interest of the corporation. Go figure.

Alice at least has some decent allies this time around, with Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory), a demoted cop who is pretty good given that she has no genetic enhancements, and Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr), who leads what is left of an elite tactical team. Weather reporter Terri Morales (Sandrine Holt) is as close as we get to the damsel in distress with this group, and she is not stupid. The group has a glimmer of hope in that there is a scientist, Dr. Asher (Jared Harris), who created the T-virus and is wired into the city security system so that he can help them take the "easy" through zombie town. All they have to do is rescue his daughter, Angie (Sophie Vavasseur), who was left behind. So this is the "Resident Evil" equivalent of trying to get out of zombie town with one hand tied behind your back.

I understand that there are a lot of things in "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" that are lifted from the various "Resident Evil" video games, but all of that is lost on me. I am sure that this adds another dimension of enjoyment to the film, just like when I watch a "Spider-Man" movie and talk about what shots are taken from which cover by which artist. A lot of this stuff is explained in the various commentary tracks, so there is ample opportunity to play catch-up, but it would all work a lot better if you have actually seen the video games. The bad news is that the sequel seems much more like a video game as the survivors fight zombies, and then they fight mutant creatures, and then they fight the Umbrella Corp., and then they go through the whole cycle again.

Taking the movie out of the Hive and up to the streets works against the tension and the terror, even when you throw in the zombie strippers (yeah, it sounds like a good idea, but it really is not). I think the characters are more interesting this time, mainly because their collective competence level is a lot higher than the first film, but this is yet another film that turns the lights down low and edits like crazy to achieve its effects. I am so sick and tired of movies resorting to that approach instead of just letting us see what is going on. But this is a movie that really does not have much respect for the intelligence of its audience, all of whom would know to shot zombies wearing body armor in the head. At least the movie makes the videogames look really good in comparison, so there is that. You just have to be into playing the games.

It wasnt a perfect movie, but I cant understand the relentless bashing of it either. I thought it followed the plotlines (and characters/monsters) of the game a lot closer than the first (which I think was a good thing). Maybe I'm just an unashamed fan of the VG, but I thought this was the better effort of the series. It is what it is...a fairly cinematographic, fast paced popcorn movie.