Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a 2004 action horror film, and sequel to the 2002 film Resident Evil. The film stars Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr and Mike Epps. The film was released in the United States on September 10, 2004 and in Japan on September 11, 2004.

The film was written by Paul W. S. Anderson and directed by Alexander Witt. Anderson could not direct the film due to his work on Alien vs. Predator, but was involved in the film's pre- and post-production phases.

RE: A mainly borrows elements from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, and Resident Evil Code: Veronica.

Tagline:
 * My name is Alice, and I remember everything.

Plot summary
On September 30, 1998, exactly two months after the T-Virus outbreak in The Hive, the Umbrella Corporation sends in a research team to re-open the complex. The team enters The Hive through a secret insertion point beneath Raccoon City. Shortly after entering the research facility, the entire team is then slaughtered by the T-Virus zombies that had been sealed within the complex. With the entrance now open, Umbrella realizes, that before long, these highly infectious zombies will make their way to the surface and begin a full-scale outbreak on Raccoon City.

Some four hours later, much of Raccoon City lies in devastation after the outbreak. Umbrella set a huge gate around the city to keep the zombies in the quarantine area. As civilians reached the local checkpoints around the city, Umbrella executives checked them for infection. Once the virus reached the gate, Major Timothy Cain (Thomas Kretschmann), Umbrella's security general, ordered all checkpoints closed for good, leaving no exceptions. All civilians must return to the city despite the odds, or Umbrella will shoot them on the spot.

Meanwhile, Alice (Milla Jovovich) wakes up in a hospital in downtown, dazed. After surviving incident in The Hive, Alice was taken by Umbrella and used for experimentation. She was injected with T-virus, and now had become superhuman, with strength and dexterity. She exits the hospital and finds the streets in devastation. She finds transportation and heads towards a weapons surplus store.

Elsewhere, Carlos Oliveira (Oded Fehr) and two other Umbrella soldiers link up with multiple S.T.A.R.S. units and attempt to hold against an onslaught of zombies in the street. There are too many zombies to handle and they are eventually over run. Carlos and his team fall back,even after one of them gets bitten and are seeking evacuation but realize they have been betrayed by Umbrella, left for dead in the infested city.

Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory) (a Raccoon S.T.A.R.S. unit) and her friends fall to the Church, where they are attacked by Lickers, but saved by Alice, who was passing by. They join together and try to escape the city.

Umbrella immediately sends their latest project, Nemesis, formerly Matt Addison, to kill all S.T.A.R.S. operatives. He encounters with L.J. (Mike Epps), a cab driver, and 13 other cops. He kills every police officer, but spares L.J., because his directives were to kill the S.T.A.R.S., not civilians, not to mention his threat level readout placed the cab driver as zero threat.

Charles Ashford, a key Umbrella scientist and creator of the T-virus, taps into Raccoon local cameras, and begins to look for his lost daughter, Angela. He finds Alice and asks her gang to look in her school, in exchange for a ride out. Soon after their teammate was shot and Carlos was bitten, Carlos and the remains of his men are contacted and agree, heading toward the Junior School. He is able to save LJ and the two team up, meeting Alice, Jill and Angela in the cafeteria and finding that he is the last man left of his team. The five of them are able to leave the school and Carlos says that he had been bitten and outside on the phone Dr. Ashford reveals the transport out.

As they drive, Alice explains the first movie and gives Carlos the antivirus thanks to Angela having it with her and Ashford states their escape vehicle is a high-jacked Umbrella Chopper. When they arrive, Major Cain captures them, executing Dr. Ashford and commanding Alice to face off against Nemesis. After a long fist fight with the antagonist, Alice wins by impaling Nemesis on a sharp peice of metal pertruding from the wall. However, Alice remembers who Nemesis is and refuses to kill him. He then realizes who the real enemy is and starts attacking Umbrella troops, thus freeing Alice. An action sequence then insues which results in Nemesis destroying an Umbrella helicopter and pushes Alice out of the way as it crashes downward, crushing and killing him. The group then escapes using the chopper and alice throws Cain Out of the helicopter after him saying "killing me won't put things right." Alice says "No, but its a start!" Cain vainly tries to save himself from the Zombies by shooting them then gives up and tries to shoot himself, then realising he has no bullets, the Zombies then eat him. Then, shortly before dawn, on October 1, 1998, a thermonuclear warhead is launched and strikes the Raccoon City Hall destroying Raccoon City completely.

The chopper is hit by the shock wave and thrashed into the Arklay Mountains. Inside Alice is impaled as she saves Angie from a loose part of the chopper. The others escape and Umbrella arrives looking for survivors. They find Alice and take her to the Arklay Research Center. After the incident, it is said in the news that Olivera and Vallentine have handed in the tape made by Terri Morales, but Umbrella finds a way to discredit them completely with their cover-up. Three weeks later, Alice is reborn using a new strain of the T-Virus, giving her new powers. She kills all the guards and escapes and Valentine & Oliveira pick her up to begin their hunt for Umbrella. The movie ends with Alice's eyes suddenly resembling the Umbrella logo. Umbrella begins the mysterious Alice Project, unbeknownst to Alice's compatriots.

Production


Apocalypse was greenlit in 2002 when the first Resident Evil film was a success at the box office. The film was produced by Constantin Film, Davis Film and Impact Pictures, mostly on location in Canada. The film entered pre-production stages in mid 2003 and began principal photography on August 6, 2003 and ended on October 23, 2003.

The majority of the movie was filmed in Ontario, Canada; with Toronto and its surrounding suburbs being a stand-in for Raccoon City. Toronto City Hall and Exhibition Place (namely the National Trade Centre) were used as Umbrella's worldwide headquarters, while the logos of Canada's largest banks feature prominently in the skyline shots of the city, and the Prince Edward Viaduct is used to represent the only exit out of Racoon City.

The movie cost $11 million more than the original Resident Evil

Paul W.S. Anderson, who wrote and directed the first Resident Evil, only wrote the screenplay for Apocalypse, passing the director's chair to Alexander Witt so he could direct Alien vs. Predator.

The Monsters
Previous to filming, just as in the first movie, actors playing zombies were trained at a zombie "boot camp." Actors were coached to act as zen-zombies (a creature that relentlessly follows its target) and liquid zombies. Anderson and other crew members were tempted to make the zombies move faster but decided that it would be breaking with a fundamental element of the games.

Nemesis was an actor in a suit, Matthew G. Taylor, with only special-effects applied to certain parts of the characters body (such as the eye of the creature). Despite Taylor being 1.98 metres (approx. 6 feet, 6 inches) in height he was still considered too short, to hide this the character wears large boots and in many scenes the Nemesis was stretched to appear taller.

The same dog-team was used for the Cerberus' as in the first. The look of the Dobermanns was achieved through a combination of make-up and computer-effects. Due to the dogs' inexplicable reluctance to dive through a sugar-glass window as they had done before, the window in the scene was done in CGI.

The Lickers were fully computer-generated this time, though the use of physical puppets was considered for a while. To avert the problems faced during the production of the first film, the CGI work of the lickers began early in production.

Filming Locations

 * Berlin, Germany
 * Brampton, Ontario, Canada
 * City Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 * Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
 * Hamilton Cemetery, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
 * Prince Edward Viaduct, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 * Bloor Collegiate Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 * Northern Secondary School, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Regenerate
The Regenerate "commercial" was a teaser trailer for the second Resident Evil movie, and can be seen in the movie on a TV screen in the female scientist's house. It is reminiscent of the Olay product Regenerist advertisements.

Regenerate (2003) is a skin care product (and registered trademark) of the Umbrella Corporation (motto: Our business is life itself), using the T-Virus to reanimate dead cells and make you more youthful looking.

An ad similar to the Regenerate can be seen in ending credits. The ad states that the film is "a product of the Umbrella Corporation." It ends with "Some Side Effects may occur."

The teaser trailer is available from Sony Pictures in both RealMedia and Windows Media formats.

Reactions
Apocalypse received even more negative reactions from the critics than the first film. The film appears only 20% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (22 out of 112 reviews are counted fresh). Tim Cogshell from the Box Office Magazine stated that Apocalypse is "superior to the original film." Robert Dominguez, from New York Daily News stated that the film "should please the target audience." Walter Chaw from Film Freak Central states that Apocalypse is "An awful sequel to an awful film."

Film critic Victoria Alexander (from FilmsInReview.com) said “If you like tough chicks killing zombies, RE:A is for you,” although she nonetheless noted that “Screenwriter Paul W.S. Anderson doesn’t bog down the film with philosophical subtext or explain the zombies,” which she acknowledges are probably not “questions ...suitable for the demographics targeted.”

Critic Sean Axmaker gave the film a grade of C+, and said that the director’s “ headlong pace that favors action over spectacle... helps distract from all but the most contrived and absurd turns of Anderson's slapdash script.” Critic Dragan Antulovbigger gave the film 5/10. He noted the more spectacular setting (made possible by the bigger budget than the initial film), “deadlier weapons...[an] increased number of explosions[, and an] increased body count.” He said that despite the “shallowness of the content” there was “interesting production design and energetic direction.”

Reviewer Roger Ebert gave the film one half of a star, calling it an “utterly meaningless waste of time”, “a dead zone, a film without interest, wit, imagination or even entertaining violence and special effects.” Chris Alexander of Rue Morgue Magazine said that “RE2 is a dreary, incoherent mess of a movie, failing on almost every conceivable level and having the dubious distinction of rendering hordes of shambling, screaming cannibalistic zombies boring.” Alexander stated that the director “Witt can’t stage an action sequence,” said that the lead actress “looks bored,” called the score “useless” and said that the “effects are more like defects.”

Film critic Rob Blackwelder called "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" “inept, unoriginal, [and] asinine”, and stated that it is “on the Worst of 2004 list.” Blackwelder criticized the film as a a “braindead disaster” with “pathetic... leaden mindlessness,” with “impossibly stupid and nonsensical plot defects.” He stated that the film was “overflowing with off-the-shelf action-hack staples” and “tiresome stereotypes,” and directed with a lack of “narrative or cinematic sense.”

Walter Chaw of Film Freak Central, who gave the film half a star out of four, criticized the “shoddiness of the make-up” and the lack of “critical biographical/geographical details.” He states that the editing seems like it was “edited with a weed whacker.” Chaw notes that “an entire sequence” was “lifted whole from La Femme Nikita.” While Chaw admits to loving genre films, he states that films like this “lowe[r] the conversation even lower than it already is.” In all, Chaw says “no artistry[–] it ain't good.” Reviewer Anthony Del Valle calls the film “yawn of the dead,” and laments “how little the writer develops the idea, and how the director turns his back on every opportunity to creatively exploit the situation.

Box office
The film grossed $23,036,273 on its opening weekend (September 10-12 2004). The film gained $51,201,453 domestically and $129,394,835 worldwide.

The film's success has spawned yet other sequel, released in 2007 titled Extinction, the official website of the third installment claimed it would be the last and final installment in the series, although a fourth film is still rumoured.

Trivia

 * The film's director Alexander Witt has a cameo in the film as the sniper on top of Raccoon City Hall.
 * Ben Moody, former lead guitarist of the alternative rock band Evanescence, makes a brief cameo appearance as a zombie in the film, which is mentioned in the DVD audio commentary.
 * The word "zombie" is never mentioned, following the example of the first movie.
 * Dr. Charles Ashford and his daughter Angela share the same last names as the Ashfords, one of the families who were revealed as having founded Umbrella and the last two scions of which were the primary antagonists in Resident Evil: Code Veronica.
 * Major Cain was attacked by the zombie of Dr. Ashford, yet he had killed Dr. Ashford before hand with a shot to the stomach
 * The S.T.A.R.S team that was killed in the store by Nemesis (Matt) is said to be of the director's family, also the store is called Westwood, the name of the supermarket is possibily a reference to Westwood Studios, the developer of the Command & Conquer series and the developer of the PC port of Resident Evil.
 * The way Raccoon City was destroyed is similar to the way Jackson City is destroyed in Return of the Living Dead.

Introduction Scenes

 * Apocalypse re-enacts certain scenes from the games (particularly the intro scenes):
 * The car crash scene that leaves Angela Ashford stuck in Raccoon City is reminiscent to the intro of Resident Evil 2, which forces Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield to separate on their way to the police station.
 * The scene where Alice runs through the building with an Umbrella helicopter firing at her, up to the point where she drops her gun, falls, re-grabs it and fires, is reminiscent to the intro scene of Resident Evil Code: Veronica in which Claire Redfield does the same thing.
 * The scene in which Raccoon City is being overrun by zombies, and the police and Umbrella mercenaries are fighting back, up to the point in which a zombie reflects off a fallen police helmet, is reminiscent to the intro scene of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. The launching of the missile to complete sanitation is also a scene similar to that of one in the game.

Resident Evil

 * The crash site of the helicopter is located in the Arklay Forest near the Arklay Mountains, where the Resident Evil series first began.
 * In the abandoned church and school, Jill moves and points the gun the exact same way she does in the game.
 * Terri's death is similar to Joseph's death (RE1 remake) which is also recorded, though the latter was mauled by the Cerberus', not children.
 * A white goddess statue can be seen in the church. Artwork of goddesses has a large role within the puzzles in the Resident Evil series.
 * On the Arklay Overpass, Jill speculates that there is no way out, and that Ashford may just be watching them on the cameras, as if the whole thing were some sort of sick game. Resident Evil: Apocalypse is, of course, an adaptation of a series of games and the fixed camera perspective in most of the earlier games resembles a mounted camera's perspective.

Resident Evil 2

 * Alice's visit to the gun shop at the start of Apocalypse is a reference to Resident Evil 2, where one of the leading characters takes shelter in a gun shop.
 * The character Angela Ashford may be a concept borrowed from Sherry Birkin, as they are both children, dressed in school uniforms, in need of rescue. Both of their fathers are also researchers working for Umbrella. The Ashford name, however, comes from the founders of Umbrella revealed in Resident Evil : Code Veronica.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

 * Jill wears the same outfit from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.
 * Like his video game counterpart, Nemesis only speaks one word ("S.T.A.R.S."). Unlike his video game counterpart, he only speaks this line once whereas in the game, Nemesis speaks this line constantly during every encounter.
 * The graveyard scene is a reference to the Resident Evil Remake, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, and Resident Evil Code: Veronica, where zombies also pop out of their graves.
 * The scene in which a zombie's head is reflected in a Raccoon City Police Department Motorcycle helmet, is a reference to a similar scene in the game's opening cut scene.
 * The nuclear weapon approach and explosion is a shot-for-shot recreation of the equivalent scene in the videogame's finale.

Soundtrack
There are two albums for Resident Evil: Apocalypse. The first is the soundtrack, featuring music from and inspired by the movie. The second is the score, composed by Jeff Danna and performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. The Score album features at least 2 tracks that were not featured in the film, notably "2 Wheels Hero" (possibly in reference to Alice's arrival in the church on a motorbike).

DVD
The Resident Evil: Apocalypse DVD was released on December 28, 2004 in North America and March 16, 2005 in Australia and New Zealand.

The UK region 2 DVD was released in February 2005. The release, whilst only having one disc, was almost exactly the identical to the North American release. The region 2 version features descriptive commentary for the blind. The cover also features Alice, like on the R1 DVD cover, but it in a gray-blue and black, with Alice in a graveyard with Raccoon City in ruins in the background.

Contents
Special Edition features DVD features:
 * Available subtitles: English
 * Available audio tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
 * Commentary by director Alexander Witt, producer Jeremy Bolt, and executive producer Robert Kulzer.
 * Commentary by Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, and Sienna Guillory.
 * Commentary by writer/producer Paul W. S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt.
 * Widescreen anamorphic and full-screen formats.
 * 20 deleted scenes.
 * Cast outtakes.
 * Game Over: Resident Evil Reanimated.
 * A six-part making-of Corporate Malfeasance: Featurette on the real-world similarities to the Umbrella Corporation.
 * Game Babes: Featurette on the emergence of the female stars in the movie.
 * Symphony of Evil: Featurette on the special effects used in the movie.
 * Poster gallery: A collection of winning submissions created by the finalists of the online poster design contest.
 * Number of discs: 2
 * Film Trailers

Region 2 Special Edition
Play.com lists a 2 disc special edition of Resident Evil: Apocalypse that features new packaging art. The DVD will be released in early September, probably to coincide with the release of Resident Evil: Extinction.

Extended Edition
The film's DVD release in Germany has an exclusive "Extended Edition", that reinstates most of the Deleted Scenes from the DVD and also, but not limited to.

Extended Scenes

 * An extended scene before Jill, Peyton and Terri enter the church, Terri whispers to Jill "What's going on? They were shooting on people. Innocent people, why didn't you do something? You are the police aren't you?" Jill ignores her, the scene continues as normal, but audio is a bit different in places.


 * A shot that was in the trailer where the camera spins around a gargoyle on top of the church, and a flash of lightning reveals a Licker, thrashing its tongue around.


 * A shot of Alice pulling a shard of glass out of her leg after Jill demands "Who the fuck are you?" and limping away.


 * After L.J. runs over the undead, he sees 2 topless strippers, and crashes his car. In the Extended Version, L.J. says something along the lines of "You're still looking good, baby. I'll still spend 5 dollars on you!" before crashing. This scene was in the novelization by Keith R.A. DeCandido.


 * After L.J. drops his guns before the Nemesis, he shouts abuse at him and dances whilst clicking his fingers and singing. Some of these shots are in the outtakes reel.


 * Finally, an exchange between Jill and Alice when they are walking past the phone boxes, where Alice asks "What are you staring at?" Jill responds "I'm not sure, what made you want to work for Umbrella?" from a wide angle, Alice says "A girl's gotta make a living." Jill laughs. This scene is featured in the deleted scenes for the U.S. version of the DVD.

Universal Media Disc
This version of Apocalypse is available for the PSP. It has no special features, and the quality of picture is less than the DVD.
 * Widescreen - 1.78 (modified from the original 2.35 and fills the entire PSP screen).
 * Dolby Digital 2.0 - English, French, Spanish, Italian
 * Subtitles - English, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian - Optional