Resident Evil: Apocalypse **1/2
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Thomas Kretschmann, Jared Harris, Sandrine Holt, Raz Adoti, Mike Epps
Director: Alexander Witt
Running Length: 1:33
MPAA Classification: R

"Apocalypse" picks up right where this first "Resident Evil" left off. In fact, it backtracks a bit to explain how the ending of the first came about. And then, we are off, as Alice (Jovovich) hooks up with some others (Guillory, Holt, Fehr) trapped in the city. The city has been locked down because the virus from the first movie has gotten out of the Hive. The group is offered assistance in getting out if they can find and rescue the daughter of an Umbrella Corp. employee. Added incentive comes in the form of a nuclear cleansing of the city that is on its way. Along the way, they will deal with zombies, more of the creatures from the first movie, and the Nemesis (a really big, ugly mutant with a creepy smile).

"Apocalypse" falls short of the confined terror of the first film. The underground nature of the original added to the rising tension, while here the players have the run of the city. Plus, to some extent, there is not much new here. The Nemesis is a creepy adversary, but he introduced fairly early on, and his eventual end is no surprise, given the events of the first film. There is also another cliffhanger of sorts at the end to set up another sequel.

Chances are, if you liked the first film, you will like this one as well. If you did not like the first one or avoided it completely, you would be better off looking elsewhere for entertainment. What you think you will get out of this film is exactly what you will get. I liked it, but only enough to recommend on DVD.