Resident Evil (2002) Reviews

• Good survival horror

  enkephalin072005-01-16

  I had to sift long and deep for a good comment on this. Why all the hostility? I think there was great chemistry on this production and it shows; the actors and crew involved loved the game and had a good time making this. This movie successfully recreated the feel of the game, and because it kept exposition to a minimum of what you needed to know for this particular story and didn't borrow from or revise any of the original characters or settings, it supported and strengthened the franchise. No story is retold here, no words are wasted, the setting, feel and pace is familiar to fans of Resident Evil and yet it's perfectly accessible to those unfamiliar with the broader storyline. Not giving the fan-boys their favorite characters was a good choice since characters tend to get mangled in adaptation, and yet the fan-boys still complain. With this film you have a good, watchable story that can partake of the Resident Evil cosmology, showing it due respect. It did an excellent job establishing characters without too much unnecessary background, developing them just enough to make you want to know what they'll do next, to make you care before the sudden and gruesome happens to them. The acting was above par for a Resident Evil, certainly much better than the first game. The plot was no more comic bookish than any of the games. My one complaint was that the characters were too battle-trained, too slick, too good at fighting for them to be sympathetic horror subjects. This could've been balanced out with more reaction shots showing the soldiers wetting themselves. But Alice's over-the-top commando-style action made her too much of a super heroine to really make anyone concerned about her survival; characters made of Teflon make good action but apathetic horror subjects.

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• Solid!!

  teslaman2007-11-29

  As a big fan of splatter and horror films i was gladly surprised when i watched this. I haven't played the game so i had no idea what to expect and had nothing to compare with. I really feel that this pays homage to the old zombie films at least to an extent. The zombies here are a little bit faster though. It begins with a nice back story and then builds slowly in pace to a climactic frenzy. The effects are top notch, solid directing, a really imaginative and eerie production design and great acting. Yes, i may be a little biased but i really like Milla Jovovich. I think this is the kind of role that fits her best, strong kick ass attitude with an odd personality wrapped in a seemingly fragile shell. Her performance here reminds me a bit of the character she played in "The fifth element" and also the character in the later "Ultraviolet" The other actors did a good job as well so she's not the only one to get credit although the movie revolves around her character. The child AI is a very nice and creepy addition to the atmosphere. The RE theme could have ended up as a nice trilogy but the sequel unfortunately lacks nearly everything(except Milla) that this film delivers. Not that RE2 is a complete mess but nowhere near this. I haven't seen the third installment yet but even if that one holds true in quality to this one number two becomes the odd one out. If you like zombie and action films you'll certainly like this one.

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• Way better than what I expected

  Reaktor-2002-07-27

  I wasn't waiting to see anything amazing when I started watching for this movie, since almost all the license movies have been terrible... Fortunately, my opinion was to change! Movie was great, actors were good enough, and there was actually a plot (whoa!). Director has done a great job by having that videogame atmosphere by use of light, but still keeping the movie tense. Marilyn Manson has also made a great job by composing some of his greatest soundtrack titles which really fit for this movie. I have played both Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2, and recognized many of the scenes which were kind of similar to games. What can I say? For the people who have played games, this one gives good vibes and they are going to love it. For regular people the movie might be above the average. This was one hell-of-a-movie, and I'm waiting for the sequel.

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• Scary and atmospheric

  mbworm2008-01-07

  "Resident Evil" was a smart and scary game. The darkness and the surprises were huge scare factors. In that famous game, you find yourself trapped in a mansion crawling with the undead because of a mistake made by the Umbrella Corporation. Director Paul W.S. Anderson makes a fast, dark guilty pleasure of a film from this game with "Resident Evil". Milla Jovovich is Alice, who wakes up in a creepy, poorly lit mansion at night in a remote forest. She has no memory of who she is or why she's here, but after a group of soldiers bursts in and takes her to a hidden lab underneath the mansion with them, she quickly begins to realize a terrible secret. She and the others find themselves locked in "The Hive", an enormous, elaborate underground structure that was sealed by the supercomputer controlling it. It soon becomes evident that an experiment called "The T-Virus" escaped into the air and killed everyone. But nobody really stayed dead. Now the remaining survivors must fight their way back out of The Hive before the door seals permanently... and at the same time they must contain the virus before it reaches the surface. The film moves at a breakneck pace, with some elaborate sets and great cinematography that sets the dark mood well for this atmospheric sci-fi thriller.

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• Non-stop fun and unimaginable good, bloody action

  Dragoneyed3632008-04-29

  Resident Evil is probably my favorite zombie movie next to Planet Terror. It had flaws, some acting was poor, but still was one great time from start to finish and excellently crafted entertainment!!!!! It had wonderful action, nice gore and the performances overall were exceedingly decent for what they needed to be for a video game adaptation. I especially love Michelle Rodriguez's portrayal of Pain; amazing character. I first thought when I was watching this film that it was going to be an over-the-top gore movie with way to much blood and carnage, not so much as focusing on the main point of the story, but it turned out unimaginably well, for I thought it wasn't going to be that good at all, and the complexity and edgy scenes and screenplay surprised me. Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez acted wonderfully in this film and this was a great action\horror movie that I am extremely glad I was able to have seen, and will gladly see over and over again.

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