Resident Evil: Apocalypse Soundtrack

It's interesting to note that however popular a video game might be, attempts to make a movie out of them rarely fly at the box office (Tomb Raider being the rare exception, thanks to the overwhelming force that is Angelina Jolie). But there's another side to that coin: the very nature of today's video games seems to produce great movie soundtracks. There has been quite a slew of them, from Final Fantasy a while back to the most recent, Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Of the two, Resident Evil: Apocalypse is the more listenable, boasting radio friendly singles. It's adrenaline fueled hard rock from start to finish.

So the movie was a dud? Who cares? It's all about images, and it's easy to visualize Milla Jovovich running down the side of a building on one track, kicking zombie butt on another, and gun fights all the way through. (Serious gun fights, by the way -- none of that girly-man Mel Gibson stuff.) Even after that, if Resident Evil: Apocalypse was just a cheap diversion in the theater then, it's a blast in your CD player now. There is no amplifier with enough power to present the adrenaline present on this disk.

What was likely the most spectacular scene in the movie has the best song on the album, which is as it should be. When the fair and lovely Milla clips on a cable and runs headlong down the side of a building, Rob Zombie backs her up with "Girl on Fire." And she is. The soundtrack is a little too low for effect in the movie, but you can turn it up on your system and listen loud, like it was meant to be.

Dark and brooding scenes call for dark and brooding music, and nobody does it better than The Cure. Robert Smith remains at the peak of his powers, extracting angst from every note he sings. After 25 years (can it really be that long?), he still reaches into the depths of psychological, emotional pain like few other writers in rock and roll. We can all be grateful for it.

The album closes with a deep, dark, electronic tripper from Massive Attack. A nice touch here, ending the cycle gently but apprehensively.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse turns out to be quite the musical roller coaster ride -- several notches above its companion movie. Wait for the DVD to watch it, but buy the CD now for a good listen.

By Ian Reif