Plot Details: This opinion reveals everything about the movie's plot.

I liked Resident Evil 2 better the second time around. While they brought some great elements from the video game into the movie, they messed with some things I didn’t like (I’ll go into more detail later so I won’t give out any spoilers this early in the review). After I had a chance to digest and accept what was different from the game I watched the movie again and enjoyed it a lot more.

First, a basic plot overview. The plot builds on the first movie. If you haven’t seen it a lot of this review and the movie itself won’t make sense (it will also spoil the end of #1). If you want to find out more about #1 before spoiling it check out my review on Resident Evil 1

Umbrella wants to find out what happened in the Hive. We thought they had a pretty good grasp on what was going on since they showed up as Alice and Matt escaped and took them both into custody for experimentation all as if it were business as usual. They must have been oblivious to the true nature of the situation, though, because like the idiots they are, they open the Hive for exploration. If a bunch of highly trained, heavily-armed soldiers can’t survive what makes them think a few scientists with observation equipment can do better? At any rate, the T-Virus gets out (rats were the culprits for the spread in the game which is maybe not as great for cinematic excitement but makes for a stronger plot).

Umbrella quarantines the city allowing people out only after they have been examined for infection. When infected citizens make it as far as the gate, the entire city is sealed once and for all awaiting nuclear cleansing. The head of this operation sees this as the perfect opportunity to test his biggest experiments. He makes it possible for Alice to escape her hospital room then awakens Nemesis, a huge monster with big guns who can be controlled by voice commands.

Meanwhile Jill Valentine is trying to find a way out of the city with her friends, and Carlos Olivera along with other Umbrella soldiers realize they aren’t going to be extracted from the battle zone that is the city streets. Dr. Ashford, who has hacked the surveillance equipment in the city, contacts both groups of people and sends them on a mission to save his daughter who is trapped in the school. If they will save her, he will help them escape the city.

As the nature of the T-Virus is revealed so are the disturbing secrets Alice and Angie Ashford carry. They may survive the undead, but there’s always a bigger, badder monster waiting to disembowel them. And even if they can stay alive though the attacks, no amount of skill can protect them from a nuclear blast.

What I didn’t like about this movie is that the atmosphere is weak; it’s not nearly as spooky as I had hoped. The ghost town feel of the Nemesis game is more terrifying than crowds of panicky people. However, what I do like is the action. Nemesis is menacing and impossibly quick for something so huge. He has some excellent hand-to-hand and blazing gun battles. The female stars Milla and Sienna kick lots of butt with some great moves, and Oded handles a gun like a pro. I like the little bit of comedy, too, mostly from Mike Epps. It is just enough of a laugh without making the movie a farce.

The scenes of soldiers gunning down zombies, dogs attacking, and heroes taking down Umbrella lackeys are quick-paced and exciting. On the other hand, dramatic scenes often lack punch, and many of the zombie scenes are blurry and quick with too little suspenseful build-up.

There are some inconsistencies both in the plot and scene set-up that detract from the overall experience. The one that bugs me more than anything else, except for game-related elements, is when Ashford and Cain are talking over the noise of the helicopters. Ashford has to shout to be heard while Cain talks in a low voice and is still louder. The difference in levels completely kills the realism of the scene.

To detail the plot and game inconstancies I will have to spoil some scenes so beware.
***SPOILERS***
An example of the plot inconsistencies is the graveyard. True it was included because of scenes in the game, and in and of itself it’s a well-done scene. However, in movie terms a person with a fully decayed head and a skull full of maggots shouldn’t be affected, and the virus could not infect bodies buried in the ground anyway. So even within the fictional world of Resident Evil you have to suspend some thought for this scene. It’s a well-choreographed fight, though.

What I find worse than that is the variation from the game. Movie 1 was kind of a prequel to the game story. It could have used more elements from its inspiration, but at least there were few if any major inconsistencies, at least none that couldn’t be explained with a little imagination. Movie 2 didn’t do as well in that department.

First and foremost is the plot of Alice. She is what Umbrella has most wanted to see happen, a strengthening of the body by the virus without grotesque mutation. Alice is able to go head-to-head with Nemesis but still keep the body of a magazine model. It’s not a bad concept, but the games were all about pitting normal humans against impossible forces. Jill, Chris, Leon, and Claire had no mutation, they were just good at what they did and were driven by a desire to survive and help their friends. They are really no match for the likes of Nemesis (or Tyrant), yet they manage to come out on top. I don’t like the deviation from that.

Another sore point is the defeat of Nemesis. I like the idea of Alice appealing to the monster who finds enough humanity to overcome his programming and help the hero. I think there can be some great subtext of redemption, overcoming, and strength of spirit in that, but it doesn’t belong in a Resident Evil movie. Nemesis, to me, is supposed to be Jason Voorhees on steroids. He’s nearly impossible to kill with only a massive explosion standing a chance. The end of every game comes with a battle to the death that takes absolutely every ounce of effort the hero has. That’s what I wanted out of the Nemesis battle (not to mention I wanted Jill to be the one to go up against him since she does in the game Nemesis). I didn’t get it so that was a disappointment.

Another problem I have is with the final escape. In the game Nemesis (slight game spoiler here) Jill is clearly shown taking out Nemesis and escaping in a helicopter shortly before the nuclear missile hits. In the movie she is tied up on the roof watching Alice take on Nemesis then escapes with the others before the missile hits. That creates a conflict of where she was and what she was doing. Even though they didn’t want to take the script straight out of the game they could have avoided such inconsistencies.

***END SPOILERS***

There are other minor problems I could mention like thinking Dr. and Angie Ashford should have been Dr. and Sherry Birkin instead, but I think those major points are really what will affect my final rating for the movie. Plus there are some great game elements that appease me. For one thing, certain shots are taken directly from the game. I greatly enjoyed those. Jill looks awesome! Besides being as attractive as she is, her costume and moves and everything are about as perfect a carry-over as any fan could have possibly hoped for. Nemesis is an impressive recreation, Carlos and Nicholai are brought in, though Nicholai has a different role in the movie, all the Umbrella costumes match game design, and the ultimate fate of Raccoon City is right out of the third game.

Content:
The rating mentions non-stop violence. They aren’t kidding. There aren’t many moments that someone is not fighting with an undead or mutated creature. Some of the effects like a maggot-filled skull are grisly, but the gore isn’t as bad as you might expect. I’ve seen much more graphic violence in Black Hawk Down and more disturbing scenes in Hannibal. In fact, it’s quite tame compared even to its predecessor. The focus is more on the fighting than the amount of mess undead creatures can make. The language is bad with plenty of foul words in virtually every scene. There are two scenes featuring topless women though neither is particularly flattering . One is a couple of bloody undead girls, and one is Alice hooked to machines in a water tank. There is little if any sexual talk or
behavior.

DVD:
Considering this was not exactly a runaway hit there is an impressive amount of content on the DVD. I got mine used so I can’t give you a 100% accurate description of the packaging, but I’ll tell you all I can. The case is the standard plastic except for the extra DVD tray. There is a partially clear plastic outer sleeve for it. The only insert mine had was an ad for the RE4 game: no chapter list or anything.

The worst thing about the DVD design is all the previews that play prior to the interface then the warnings and disclaimers that play before the movie. The way to get around it is to hit the menu button when the previews start and select chapter 1 from the menu rather than hit play. What a pain.

Sound is 5.1 surround, aspect ratio is 2.40 widescreen with a pan & scan option. It looks and sounds nice. The menus are creative taking animated graphics from the movie to use as backgrounds.

With the DVD industry so strong it is literally revitalizing movies and TV shows, I have been thoroughly disappointed at the lack of extras on many new releases. They put so little on them then ask for the same price as 2-disc sets like this. The features included with RE2 are the main reason I went ahead and got it and held off on other movies I might otherwise have wanted more.

For starters we get 3 commentaries. Jeremy Bolt is in two of them with writer/producer Paul Anderson, director Alex Witt, and others. They are both informative, Paul’s especially so. Stars Milla, Oded, and Sienna get one which is highly entertaining.

There are a ton of deleted scenes, 20 to be exact. Some are fairly long while others are very short. A few of them don’t have a whole lot to them, but others have additional character development and humor. My least favorite is one that weakly tries to attach Scriptural importance to the events. Some good ones include the following: a new element in the stairway chase that leads to Carlos’ introduction, some fun moments in the graveyard, some funny moments with LJ, and a good moment of tension with the dogs in the kitchen (that one has some weird sound effects, though).

My favorite feature is the collage of outtakes. There is some tremendously funny stuff here.

There is a good bit of behind the scenes footage. The first is kind of a general look at the movie. It’s pretty lengthy. One on stuntwork focuses a lot on creating Nemesis. Another looks at the training of the numerous zombies. Production Design features animatics, shots of the real city, set construction, and more.

A special effects feature gives a closer look at creating dogs, lickers, and more covering practical and CG effects. Some very specific features look at guns used in the movie and female action stars pertaining to RE2 and in general. Another, more off-the-wall feature has the cast talking about Umbrella Corporation as it compares to the real world. One great thing is that the interviews don’t focus on the 3 main stars and ignore everyone else. The guy that plays Nemesis gets some interview time as well as others.

A collage of special effects shows various stages of creating numerous effects play like a music video.

A posters gallery shows the winners of a poster design contest they held. While some of the art is impressive, the feature feels tacked on. There are only a few images; I’m sure there were more promotional posters they could have included. The images could have been larger, and there could have been some information about the contest and who the winners were. I’m sure these guys were excited to have their work included at all, but if it were me, having my name displayed with my work would have been that much greater.

The trailers include the standard trailer and the unique teaser designed almost like a real Umbrella commercial.

The DVD-ROM includes some web links, and there are several previews.

Final Thoughts:
Of my circle of friends everyone that liked #1 liked #2, too. A few that didn’t like #1 did like #2. If you’re looking for a pretty good action movie with grotesque creatures Resident Evil 2 is worth a shot. There are some great game elements but also some conflictions. The deleted scenes and outtakes are worth watching if you like the movie even a little. Rental or purchase will come down to 2 primary elements: how big an RE fan you are, and how much you like watching movie documentaries and listening to commentaries. There is enough that if you want to go through everything it might be worth having the collection long-term. If you just want to see the movie or are iffy on liking it a rental will suffice. The movie is average since it is entertaining and exciting but with its problems, and the DVD is slightly above average just for the amount of extras included. It therefore gets a 3* rating with a strong recommendation for a rental and a reserved recommendation for a purchase.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age