Two discs, color, R, 94 min. plus supplements, Dolby Digital 5.1, widescreen
Street: Dec. 28
DVD only $28.96
First Run: W, Sept. 2004, $51 mil.
SONY
The undead were very much alive in 2004 as zombie films enjoyed a banner year. The stiff-legged cannibals were getting their heads blown off in such entries as the Dawn of the Dead remake and Shawn of the Dead, a comedic take on all things undead. This second installment in the Resident Evil franchise beats them all in pure adrenaline, with Milla Jovovich reprising her role as Alice, the Capcom game heroine who must save the world from a zombie-making virus. The double-disc special edition shows off director Alexander Witt's flashy set pieces to their best effect, with the widescreen version looking and sounding as glorious as you'd hope. The discs' slick futuristic menus are eye-catching, especially on the special features disc, which keys in on the monsters and action. Produced by Jeffrey Schwarz, this baby is loaded: 20 deleted scenes, loads of outtakes and a plethora of featurettes, including "Game Babes," which examines the rise of female heroines, and "Corporate Malfeasance," which is a detailed explanation of how the story's evil Umbrella Corporation echoes existing companies. There are three commentary tracks: one by Witt, one featuring the cast and a third by writer Paul W. S. Anderson (director of the 2002 original) and producer Jeremy Bolt--who are willing to confess when they cut corners and when they stole from their favorite films from the '70s. In all, there's six hours of extra material, none of it less than interesting and some of it, dare we say it, more engrossing than the movie it illustrates.