Resident Evil: Apocalypse...WOW

**ClinicaTerra LTD** · 07-12-2008 04:27 AM

Okay...I'm going to be honest here...I got into the Resident Evil franchise from the back end forward -- in other words, I loved the notion that Las Vegas was under ruins and riddled with zombies that after I saw the trailers for Resident Evil: Extinction, I knew I wanted to see it. After renting it (from missing it in the theaters) I couldn't help but think that it would have better made a John Carpenter addition to his "Escape" films -- this one being Escape From Vegas with Kurt Russell's Snake Plissken again needing to rescue a president from now bombed out casinos and nightclubs inside the likes of the Bellagio and Caesars Palace...I really did think it was a cool idea.

And so, I purchased Extinction on Blu-ray and continue to watch it constantly -- the scenes of this "convoy" of human survivors battling hordes of undead in front of the Paris Hotel/Casino on the buried Vegas Strip makes for a great hour and a half of mindless entertainment. However, the problem still remains for me after renting the original Resident Evil (on DVD unfortunately; it was an upconverted mess on my Panasonic '10A

) and just tonight the sequel on Blu-ray, Resident Evil: Apocalypse...and that problem is: What the heck is going on in these video game-based films?

Okay, the original film didn't hold as much promise or interest for me as the third or even this sequel did -- but this second film didn't answer the questions I had about the events surrounding the third film. First of all, who is this "Project Alice"...was she a worker for this Unbrella Corporation and if so, was she the one who tried to sneak secrets about the experiments out to another source, as suggested in the first film? Then what does that have to do with being engineered by the company as a zombie-killing machine? Why are there so many Unbrella Corp. soldiers running around with machine guns? Are they more powerful than our military? How do the end events of this film add up to the third -- that is, at the conclusion of this, "Alice" is snuck out of the Umbrella Medical Facility by the three remaining human survivors to the "T Virus"...two of which reappear in the third film...but if they leave together, then why, in the third film, are they separated once the film picks up in the Nevada desert? There's also another "fight" sequence here, like in all the Resident Evil entries, in which "Alice" must battle a grotesquely disfigured mutated human -- in this particular case, it happens to be her "boyfriend" of the first film whom Umbrella has turned into some monster named "Nemesis"...Umbrella folks make Alice battle Nemesis at the end of this one to see who's stronger, but the whole thing just seems pointless and goes off the rails of what this is supposed to be about: a virus that turns the dead...undead. Look, all I know is that you probably have to be a freak for the video game to get all this...

But let's get to what this disc was REALLY about -- and that is the visual and sounds. Sony/Screen Gems presents Resident Evil: Apocalypse on Blu-ray in a 1080p widescreen transfer at a ratio of 2.40:1. The video quality wasn't up to the same par as the audio here; some scenes look crisp enough but most get a tad bit soft and just don't "look" like high definition; while some reviewers have complained about the noise and grain in dark sequences, I didn't see many distracting examples. The film takes place with very little daylight scenes and so we have to study what this transfer can do with dark challenging sequences -- it, for the most part, pulled it off -- the detail in the wet streets, the flicking of fire...but fleshtones and facial closeups went a bit soft, as I said. Not a reference 1080p transfer here.

No -- the REAL star of the show is the Uncompressed PCM soundtrack on this disc. I mean WOW -- this is the absolute best 5.1 PCM mix I've heard on Blu-ray so far, folks, and I mean it. The audio here is AGGRESSIVE -- be careful not to turn this one up too loud if you live in close proximity to neighbors as I do. The sequence where the group is fighting a duo of "Nemesis things" in a church is simply off the hook -- sounds come at you from every direction, and the channel panning is ridiculous. You are really THERE in that church with them; the sense of presence is staggering. The whole track just sounds open and -- well -- UNCOMPRESSED. This is a good example of what high resolution can do in the audio department. Every break of glass, every effect pan, everything is crystal clear here. I was extremely impressed. If you rent or buy this disc for any reason, forget the mindless plot -- crank up that receiver and listen to the PCM soundtrack!

Sorry I can't comment on the extras; didn't sit down to watch 'em once the film ended.

**eastx** · 07-12-2008 05:37 AM

I watched all 3 Blu-Rays in order in one night... 2 remains my favorite because it's just the most fun to me. The comic relief is appreciated and I like some of the situations that occur, like the church scene. It's also the closest to the games out of the 3 movies. However the writing is dumb at times, such as that fight between Alice and Nemesis that you mentioned.

3 was a huge disappointment to me... Failing to explain the absence of Jill Valentine and the young girl is really unsatisfying. The only logical conclusion within the logic of the movie's world is that they died, which is no fun at all. Then the post-apocolyptic setting - which would be fine for a zombie movie in general - doesn't work in the Resident Evil universe at all. So already it's just not Resident Evil any more. Throwing in the tyrant and the crows was a cool idea but it's too little too late. RE fans know those have been around since the timeline of RE1, so their introduction just further separates the continuity of the films and games.

My next major complaint deals with spoilers...

Spoiler:

And finally, the zombies look terrible in 3. I know they were going for a sundrenched effect, but they still look like vomit. As I recall they also abandoned the CG-enhancement of the zombies (giving them transparent parts and such) that looked so cool in 1 & 2. Then the super zombies.... Oh man. Those fake eyebrows didn't look good in Buffy and Angel and they look even worse on brown zombies.

**resevilfan86** · 07-12-2008 01:12 PM

Well being a fan of the entire series I can help you guys understand anything about what you see in the movies and also about the games as well since I have played and beaten every RE game that had a direct storyline to the series.

First off let me say this. i used to be a huge fan of the movies, especially 2 but as of late I have really started to dislike them as being apart of the Resident Evil franchise.

Paul W.S Anderson played the first game like once or twice and decided to make a movie out of them without fully grasping what the games are really about.

Yes they are horror type games but any of the game's creators will tell you that there is so much more political aspects to it as well. A giant corp thinking they can get away with anything and make lots of money, developing weapons that could easily destroy humanity. Sounds like a cliche i know, but it makes you think about today's world. Basically umbrella Corp is suppose to be the most powerful corp that you could consider being a combination of Microsoft and the U.S military. Not saying any of these real corps are evil or anything, but show what two huge, powerful, organizations could do if they really wanted to.

The Resident Evil movies are great as being fun zombie movies. But they in no way do justice to what you get from the games. Alice doesn't exist in the games for one, Nemesis (who is my fav character from the games) is totally different (and much cooler) in the games. Although I did like they put a person behind him, there still so much you don't grasp from the movie.

I, like you guys, was very dissapointed in not seeing Jill and the girl in the third movie, but fact is thats something that happens often going from game to game. There are so many characters that you dont see them in each game. Each game features so many. In 3 you see Claire Redfield played by Ali larter. She is the sister to Chris Redfield who is going to be featured in the new PS3/Xbox 360 game Resident Evil 5. Claire was featured in resident evil 2 along side Leon S. Kennedy who was also featured in Resident Evil 4 which was a huge hit. Claire was also in Resident Evil Code Veronica X along side her brother Chris.

So as you can see it can get a bit complicated.

Now to answer some of the questions. Umbrella corp had so many projects going on. The company has always been ran by psychos to be blunt.

That is why they have Nemesis, Alice, and Tyrant, they want to develop the best weapon and they are always trying to perfect the viruses they have. That way they can sell them off to the highest bidder.

At the end of movie 3, the monster Alice fights is the Tyrant. Tyrant is probably the most famous of the monsters in the games. He is also one of my favorites that only gets beat imo by Nemesis. You fight Tyrant in the first and prequel games (Resident Evil 0). I had a few complaints about Tyrant when I first saw him in movie 3 but overall they did an okay job displaying him (he never speaks or has a face you could recognize as once being human).

Alice is the only real things from the movies I think would make a great addition to the games. 3 is technically suppose to be the future of the series and is going to be eventually where Capcom takes the games. As you can see though, it is not the very end, and I can see it is far from it. There are so many characters Capcom will have to bring back again before the series is complete if ever.

I do wish though someone would go back and make live action movies based off the games (or books based off the games). They would make great movies to watch and the storyline would be infinitely better.

**Emoney7** · 07-12-2008 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by eastx

I watched all 3 Blu-Rays in order in one night... 2 remains my favorite because it's just the most fun to me. The comic relief is appreciated and I like some of the situations that occur, like the church scene. It's also the closest to the games out of the 3 movies. However the writing is dumb at times, such as that fight between Alice and Nemesis that you mentioned.

3 was a huge disappointment to me... Failing to explain the absence of Jill Valentine and the young girl is really unsatisfying. The only logical conclusion within the logic of the movie's world is that they died, which is no fun at all. Then the post-apocolyptic setting - which would be fine for a zombie movie in general - doesn't work in the Resident Evil universe at all. So already it's just not Resident Evil any more. Throwing in the tyrant and the crows was a cool idea but it's too little too late. RE fans know those have been around since the timeline of RE1, so their introduction just further separates the continuity of the films and games.

My next major complaint deals with spoilers...

Spoiler:

And finally, the zombies look terrible in 3. I know they were going for a sundrenched effect, but they still look like vomit. As I recall they also abandoned the CG-enhancement of the zombies (giving them transparent parts and such) that looked so cool in 1 & 2. Then the super zombies.... Oh man. Those fake eyebrows didn't look good in Buffy and Angel and they look even worse on brown zombies.

+1

1 is was too serious and doesn't pull it off.
3 is a one trick pony with the vegas theme and became a poorly executed scifi channel movie at best.
2 is just campy and actionpacked and ridicolous how can you hate it? and the sound is demo on that disc as well.

**GamerGuyX** · 07-12-2008 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by ClinicaTerra LTD

Look, all I know is that you probably have to be a freak for the video game to get all this...

Actually the movies have pretty much nothing in common with the games. The Alice character isn't even in any of the games for one thing.

**ClinicaTerra LTD** · 07-12-2008 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by SweetBrownsugar

Too much txt, I aint reading all that.

But RE movies sucked.

The point of the thread -- which I put a great deal of time into typing, so thanks for reading "all of that" -- was really to emphasize the audio track and video review.

**ClinicaTerra LTD** · 07-12-2008 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by SweetBrownsugar

I quickly skimmed through it and I would have to disagree on the audio - to me the best sounding bluray disc as of right now is Cloverfield and perhaps even MI3.

I haven't seen Cloverfield on Blu ray, but the DVD's Dolby Digital 5.1 track is pretty aggressive. You simply cannot say Resident Evil: Apocalypse doesn't have the best -- or nearly (compared to your Cloverfield) the best -- uncompressed PCM audio right now...I mean...did you hear this track? This thing was so loud and detailed it was unreal; I understand you didn't like the film(s) but perhaps that's why you had a prebias about the sound.

**ClinicaTerra LTD** · 07-12-2008 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by resevilfan86

Well being a fan of the entire series I can help you guys understand anything about what you see in the movies and also about the games as well since I have played and beaten every RE game that had a direct storyline to the series.

First off let me say this. i used to be a huge fan of the movies, especially 2 but as of late I have really started to dislike them as being apart of the Resident Evil franchise.

Paul W.S Anderson played the first game like once or twice and decided to make a movie out of them without fully grasping what the games are really about.

Yes they are horror type games but any of the game's creators will tell you that there is so much more political aspects to it as well. A giant corp thinking they can get away with anything and make lots of money, developing weapons that could easily destroy humanity. Sounds like a cliche i know, but it makes you think about today's world. Basically umbrella Corp is suppose to be the most powerful corp that you could consider being a combination of Microsoft and the U.S military. Not saying any of these real corps are evil or anything, but show what two huge, powerful, organizations could do if they really wanted to.

The Resident Evil movies are great as being fun zombie movies. But they in no way do justice to what you get from the games. Alice doesn't exist in the games for one, Nemesis (who is my fav character from the games) is totally different (and much cooler) in the games. Although I did like they put a person behind him, there still so much you don't grasp from the movie.

I, like you guys, was very dissapointed in not seeing Jill and the girl in the third movie, but fact is thats something that happens often going from game to game. There are so many characters that you dont see them in each game. Each game features so many. In 3 you see Claire Redfield played by Ali larter. She is the sister to Chris Redfield who is going to be featured in the new PS3/Xbox 360 game Resident Evil 5. Claire was featured in resident evil 2 along side Leon S. Kennedy who was also featured in Resident Evil 4 which was a huge hit. Claire was also in Resident Evil Code Veronica X along side her brother Chris.

So as you can see it can get a bit complicated.

Now to answer some of the questions. Umbrella corp had so many projects going on. The company has always been ran by psychos to be blunt.

That is why they have Nemesis, Alice, and Tyrant, they want to develop the best weapon and they are always trying to perfect the viruses they have. That way they can sell them off to the highest bidder.

At the end of movie 3, the monster Alice fights is the Tyrant. Tyrant is probably the most famous of the monsters in the games. He is also one of my favorites that only gets beat imo by Nemesis. You fight Tyrant in the first and prequel games (Resident Evil 0). I had a few complaints about Tyrant when I first saw him in movie 3 but overall they did an okay job displaying him (he never speaks or has a face you could recognize as once being human).

Alice is the only real things from the movies I think would make a great addition to the games. 3 is technically suppose to be the future of the series and is going to be eventually where Capcom takes the games. As you can see though, it is not the very end, and I can see it is far from it. There are so many characters Capcom will have to bring back again before the series is complete if ever.

I do wish though someone would go back and make live action movies based off the games (or books based off the games). They would make great movies to watch and the storyline would be infinitely better.

Thank you for taking the time -- and everyone else -- to break down what these were about a bit better...I'll read further into it when I have a chance.

The thing is...wasn't Valentine just SMOKIN' HOT, fellas?

Sure, Ali Larter (from House on Haunted Hill "fame") made up for a bit in the third one, but the Valentine character was simply smokin' and had my attention for most of the film with that short black skirt and tight blue top...and what about those high heels she kicks off in the beginning when returning home from a day "at the office" (as a cop)? Wow...

Larter nor Jovovich could hold a candle to the Valentine character in terms of "hotness"...

**kowhite** · 07-12-2008 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by GamerGuyX

Actually the movies have pretty much nothing in common with the games. The Alice character isn't even in any of the games for one thing.

And by part 3, they had completely deviated from the plot line. The mass devastation of the planet is not in the game. And if you try to link up the events in the first two films to the games...well, it doesn't exactly work either.

I think that's ok, for two reasons. One, the movies are sort of their own thing and two, the games themselves aren't always consistent to begin with.

Originally Posted by ClinicaTerra LTD

The thing is...wasn't Valentine just SMOKIN' HOT, fellas?

Incredibly hot. Smokin is an understatement. Granted, her perrformance wasn't any good...in fact, it's pretty damn awful...largely to blame is some really bad dialogue and poor direction. But really, I don't watch these movies for their oscar calibur performances so it's passable. I agree though, she's probably hotter than Milla or Ali. But...Ali has more personality (slightly) and Milla has a lot more, though has zero boobs. No offense Milla. I enjoy these movies, but they are pretty much mindless entertainment, so I don't mind objectifying these ladies and their respective characters.

Just to ntoe though, Larter's character was game based like Jill Valentine, though seemingly has even less to do with the real character than Valentine did.

**ClinicaTerra LTD** · 07-12-2008 05:54 PM

Incredibly hot. Smokin is an understatement. Granted, her perrformance wasn't any good...in fact, it's pretty damn awful...largely to blame is some really bad dialogue and poor direction. But really, I don't watch these movies for their oscar calibur performances so it's passable.

She got me every time she looked at the camera...wow...

Anyway, getting back to reality...

...you know what makes the third one just so much brainless fun? They're kickin' the shit out of zombies on the Vegas Strip and on the bridge of the Venetian Hotel! Can it get any better than that?

I always thought this concept would have worked better for John Carpenter to pick up as perhaps Escape From Vegas as I said, where Russell would again be searching for a president that was lost inside a Vegas wasteland prison now -- the rotting nighclubs and casinos, the landmark hotel signs...it would have been cooler than cool, I think...but the "Escape" franchise has long since run its course and lost its appeal even with cult fan followers like me.

**GamerGuyX** · 07-12-2008 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by kowhite

I think that's ok, for two reasons. One, the movies are sort of their own thing and two, the games themselves aren't always consistent to begin with.

I think it's terrible if you are a huge fan of the games like me. With the way the movies have deviated from the games why even call it Resident Evil?

Also, I fail to understand your comment on how the games are not consistent. Are you referencing the storyline or what?

**kowhite** · 07-12-2008 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by GamerGuyX

I think it's terrible if you are a huge fan of the games like me. With the way the movies have deviated from the games why even call it Resident Evil?

It's just the nature of marketing. I think if you can step aside and separate the live action from the game series...RE is an entertaining franchise in its own right.

While I probably would've preferred something that was canon...those movies would I would say be better if they also retained the style and feel of the games too. Something the live action movies do not at all.

Trust me...I'm a massive fan of Resident Evil. And a massive zombie movie fan, and it took me some time to warm up to these films. They don't feel "Resident Evil" at all really. Not even really stylistically. But...I've some of come to the conclusion since the movies don't FEEL like the games...that it's fine that they just carve out their own version of this universe rather than try and have the games shoehorn their plot in. I'm realistic...while what you say would be an ideal, I'm not going to begrudge an entertaining series for an ideal. I just got over it. I'll get my canon RE kicks out of RE: Degeneration.

Originally Posted by GamerGuyX

Also, I fail to understand your comment on how the games are not consistent. Are you referencing the storyline or what?

I love me my RE...but there are definitely plot holes and inconsistencies in the games. Granted, nothing on the level of comparing the live action movies to the games, and seemingly RE Zero is the biggest culprit. You'll have to excuse me for not being specific though...it's been a couple years since I've played some of the older ones...just my recollection.

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