Review #115: Resident Evil (2002)

Cast/Notable Credits:
Paul W.S. Anderson (Director): AVP

Milla Jovovich (Alice): Resident Evil 2 & Resident Evil 3, The Fifth Element (1997), Ultraviolet (2006)

Michelle Rodriguez (Rain Ocampo): The Fast & Furious (2001), S.W.A.T. (2003), BloodRayne (2005), The Breed (2006), Lost T.V. series

Eric Mabius (Matt Addison): Cruel Intentions (1999), Crow: Salvation (2000), The Job (2003), Voodoo Moon (2005), The L Word & Ugly Betty T.V. series

Colin Salmon (One): AVP

Trailer:

Plot:

Based on a video game: In a fictional city named, Raccoon City, the Umbrella Corporation has a top secret military installation underground called the Hive. Inside the Hive, top scientist work on high level military projects including a virus project called the T-virus. The T-virus pretty much turns people into zombies.

An unknown assailant attempting to steal the virus accidentally sets it free into the Hive. The Mother computer called the Red Queen, detects the virus in the air and seals the facility by locking all exits and doors leaving the scientists inside trapped and victims to the virus.

An expert commando team is dispatched to penetrate the Hive's security system and enter the installation. Under the assumption that Red Queen has gone "homicidal" the team's objective is to shut down the computer. Unknowingly they shut down the computer and unlock the facilities doors allowing the scientists turned zombies to roam free. Trapped numerous levels and feet underground, the strike force must battle their way through zombies (and mutant super zombie) to the top before getting locked up in the facility.

Once again Mr. Anderson gets his paws on another movie that should be better than what it turned out to be. It was okay and enjoyable to watch, but it could have been a lot better. Many people disliked Resident Evil, but I at least enjoyed watching it. I don't believe that the movie is a total piece of crap that it has commonly been made out to be, but it's not the best either. Gee, it really sounds like a Mr. Paul W.S. Anderson movie after all. I had a good time watching it, and can actually watch it every once and a while.

There's a couple things that I liked from the movie. First of all, I'm a zombie lover. So as long as somebody puts some effort into making a zombie flick, I'm hooked. Resident Evil delivered there for me.

Secondly, I liked the security corridor sequence. * Highlight to Read * Four of the strike commandos enter the corridor adjacent to the Red Queen's mainframe room in an effort to disable it. They believe that they have over ridden the security system and unlocked the doors. They enter the corridor only to be sealed into it between rooms. Red Queen launches it's self defense mechanism and a laser beam sweeps the corridor down the middle slicing into the team members and killing some of them.

The leader of the team dodges a couple of sweeps and then comes to his end as the single laser beam then transforms into a laser web slicing him into a hundred little cubes. I thought that was pretty awesome. It's definitely one of my favorite kills of all time.

Thirdly, it has a couple of kick *ss chicks with guns. I think that I have a hard-on typing that. Hot chicks with guns. Who doesn't like that? Milla Jovovich (Pictured right) doesn't really deliver much in an acting performance, but she does play a hot bad *ss chick pretty well. We even get to see a 1/4 tit and nipple of her early on and a quick shot of her "infield" at the end. I guess you take what you can get.

Along side of Milla is another one of my favorite movie hotties, Michelle Rodriguez (Pictured left). Fresh off her success from The Fast & Furious movie, Rodriguez fits well into a "tough" military commando heroine role. Unfortunately this movie starts a trend of her being "type-cast" as she reprises similar roles in S.W.A.T. and the T.V. series Lost.

Resident Evil doesn't offer much in way of good acting or plot development, but I'm alright with that. It's a zombie movie, I don't expect much. I'm easily entertained when it comes down to zombie movies. The one thing that I really wasn't a big fan of was the whole "Alice memory loss thing". One minute she doesn't know crap and the next we find out she's part of the company's mastermind project and knows everything.

I must admit, I've never played a Resident Evil video game, so I'm not 100% sure what the lore and role of Alice was, but I thought that her character role/set up in the movie was horrible. But I wasn't a huge fan of the game so I can't really make an accurate judgment. This part of the film might have been what ticked off so many loyal fans. If I was a hard core gaming fan of the series, I might be able to put my two cents in. But I'm not, so I can't.

Overall, I enjoy watching Resident Evil from time to time. After all, it's a zombie flick. The special effects were pretty good on the film, and there seemed to be a adequate pace to the film. I can't really complain that much about the film...so I see it as a "action packed popcorn movie" about zombies. And I have no problem with that.

Misc. Movie Trivia:
-Film opened on March 15, 2002 and made $40.1 million at the Box Office ($17.7 million opening weekend)
-George Romero was originally attached to direct the film but turned it down due to script discrepancies
-The character Alice, is never spoken, written or identified until the credits