Movies based on video games often have a bad reputation among fans of the original material. From Street Fighter to the atrocities pumped out by Uwe Boll gamers have had little to be excited about. However, when I saw the first Resident Evil picture I do have to admit that I was entertained. Granted I wasn't blown away by any stretch of the imagination but there were many elements hidden between the falling bullet shells and body parts that made for a good time. Fortunately the same can be said for Apocalypse; the movie's follow-up.

In many ways Resident Evil: Apocalypse is only slightly better than the original. The action was turned up a tad with an element of cheese tossed in for good measure. The tone of the film was also noticeably lighter despite the fact that zombies are trolling the streets looking for fresh meat. Still, the character development, acting, and plot all resided in a comfort zone just above B-Movie qualifications. Apocalypse is indeed a movie where you leave your brain at the door, make a bowl of popcorn, and crunch your way through to the credits. This is mindless fun at its best but still proves to be a decent representation of the gaming franchise.

The movie starts out with Alice (Milla Jovovich) reciting the events from the first picture. If you watched it you know the whole bit already. An underground facility called the Hive harvested a plague of sorts known as the T-Virus but due to an accident it got out. The virus turned the living into the walking dead after coming into contact with a host. Alice was one of a pair of survivors (the other being a guy named Matt) who lived through the incident and were taken away by the Umbrella Corporation (the ones who maintained the Hive).

When we come to her character in Apocalypse she has just woken up from a testing facility in Raccoon City and emerges to see the aftermath of the zombie attack. With a purpose that she doesn't quite understand she begins to search the city for survivors and fights with supernatural abilities. Along the way she comes across a news reporter, a pimp, and two members of S.T.A.R.S. (cops essentially). Fans will be elated to know that one of them is their beloved Jill Valentine. Granted she plays more of a supportive role for Alice but she's still around and kicking butt which is a definite plus.

As the plot continues it turns out that Matt has been turned into something called Nemesis (which is another character that gamers will probably be delighted to see). Basically he's a big mutation of the T-Virus who receives orders from Umbrella about who to kill and whatnot. He and Alice go toe to toe as ordered by Umbrella since both are actually mutated experiments to create a super-soldier of sorts. I do have to admit that this concept is hokey to say the least but it does result in some nice fight scenes; even if it is a hot chick against a guy in a cheesy looking suit.

To be fair, Resident Evil: Apocalypse is filled with plenty of these slap your forehead kind of moments. In one scene some commandos leap onto a rooftop to save a girl who has already been bitten by a zombie; why risk it? Another moment features the heroes of the film walking through a graveyard. For starters I asked myself "why would they do that?" then I asked myself "wait... how are these already dead people turning into zombies? They weren't infected with the T-Virus!" The script is filled with many of these holes and because of that it bears a certain B-Movie flair.

In the end though this is a fun movie from start to finish. It's not going to impress you in any particular way but if you're a fan of the game franchise there is plenty to enjoy. With a third movie scheduled to be released later this year there isn't a better time to check this one out if you haven't seen it yet. Modern zombie action romps don't get much better than Apocalypse despite all of its flaws.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse is presented on blu-ray with a full 1080p High Definition output and 2:40:1 widescreen aspect ratio. I must say that after seeing the standard definition version of the film I was impressed with the way the blu-ray's transfer improved the image. Some of the original flaws still remain and at times there is softness and blurring during scenes with CGI effects or poorly lit action. Shadows have a decent amount of depth to them as well though they could have been better in a few instances.

The rest of this digital transfer is remarkable though. Finer details get picked up by some strong contrast and lighting in most cases. Colors appear natural as well especially for a movie that takes place almost entirely at night time. It's also hard not to make note of how stunning Jovovich looks as Alice and with the detail at hand in high definition she has never looked better.

The audio for Resident Evil: Apocalypse comes in two forms of English 5.1. There is a Dolby Digital track and a PCM (Uncompressed) track as well. Both tracks offer a decent audio spread but the PCM selection presents the finest in my opinion. The audio is crisp, clean, and loud so be sure that you have that bass cranked right up if you want to rattle your walls. English, Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles are included as well.

Bonus content from the Standard Definition DVD has been ported over to the blu-ray so if you're double dipping you can expect more of the same. Otherwise this is a fine collection of supplemental feature that give you a decent look behind the scenes into the minds of those involved with the project.

First up is a trio of commentary tracks. One track includes Alexander Witt, Jeremy Bolt, and Robert Kulzer. This one proved to be the most information with a lot of comparison between both films and how some scenes played out the way that they did. The second commentary includes actors Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, and Sienna Guillory. This one was more entertaining with little insight into the picture and their experiences filming it. The last commentary track again presents Jeremy Bolt but also includes writer/producer Paul W.S. Anderson.

"Game-Over: Resident Evil Re-animated" is a feature all about bringing the game world to the big screen. Discussion between the production crew and actors tells how certain scenes were faithfully translated and what was changed to make a better movie. In total there are six sections to this documentary that all have to do with the making of the film. There is a fair bit of back patting between commentators in this feature so in the end it feels kind of watered down.

Three featurettes are available here as well. Basically these are lightweight looks at the film and other things in general. "Game Babes" talks about how nice it is to put a chick in a revealing outfit and have her kick some butt. "Symphony of Evil" was essentially a collection of clips from the film that show how some of the (not-so-great) special effects were put together. Finally "Corporate Malfeasance" looks at the Umbrella Corporation and compares the evil organization to an amalgamation of Microsoft and the US Military. It's kind of a ridiculous segment and is not to be taken seriously at all.

A collection of 20 Deleted Scenes is up next and for the most part there's nothing groundbreaking or worth-while here. It's worth a little but little more than a passing glance will suffice. Finally there is a slim collection of previews on the disc as well.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse is by no means a "great" film. The plot is riddled with holes, the acting is cheesy, and the action sequences are so over the top they are ridiculous in most cases. Still, it's a fun zombie fighting adventure that does well by the gaming franchise and because of that it's worth checking out if you're a fan. Don't come expecting an epic experience and you won't be disappointed. Make some popcorn, turn off the lights, and pump up the bass; this is a fun ride the entire way through.

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