Resident Evil (2002)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Paul W.S. Anderson

Writer (WGA):

Paul W.S. Anderson (written by)

Release Date:

15 March 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

A secret experiment. A deadly virus. A fatal mistake.

Plot:

A special military unit fights a powerful, out-of-control supercomputer and hundreds of scientists who have mutated into flesh-eating creatures after a laboratory accident.

Plot Keywords:

Computer | Virus | Military | Corporation | Mutant

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Milla Jovovich	...	Alice
Michelle Rodriguez	...	Rain Ocampo
Eric Mabius	...	Matt Addison
James Purefoy	...	Spence Parks
Martin Crewes	...	Chad Kaplan
Colin Salmon	...	One
Ryan McCluskey	...	Mr. Grey
Oscar Pearce	...	Mr. Red
Indra Ové	...	Ms. Black
Anna Bolt	...	Dr. Green
Joseph May	...	Dr. Blue
Robert Tannion	...	Dr. Brown
Heike Makatsch	...	Dr. Lisa Addison
Jaymes Butler	...	Clarence the Security Guard
Stephen Billington	...	Mr. White

Also Known As:

Resident Evil (France) (Germany)
Resident Evil the Movie (USA) (working title)
Resident Evil: Ground Zero (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sci-fi/horror violence, language and sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

UK | Germany | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Malaysia:18SG | Brazil:16 | Iceland:16 | Mexico:C | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Krampnitz, Brandenburg, Germany

Company:

Constantin Film Produktion

Trivia:

According to George A. Romero the rejection of his script was due to Bernd Eichinger. Everyone else associated with the pre-production apparently liked the script.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the Umbrella special ops team debarks from the train, and the Red Queen's camera is tracking them, we see it highlight each of the team members in turn, and a small image of their face is shown, under which appears a spinning graphic of the gun they are carrying. However, every member is shown to carry the same weapon: a Heckler-Koch MP5, though it is clear that JD carries a modified H&K G36, and that the sergeant (who's weapon is clearly shown on the security camera) is carrying a modified Enfield L85-A1.

Quotes:

Red Queen: Just one bite, one scratch from these creatures is sufficient. And then, you become one of them.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Evolution of 'Resident Evil': Bridge to Extinction (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Invisible Wounds (Dark Bodies)

Surprisingly Entertaining

I was generally surprised that I liked this movie, not being a fan of either of it's stars. I decided to give the movie a try since it does deal with one of my favorite horror topics...zombies!

As a horror movie Resident Evil fails miserably, it's not scary and contains only small amounts of suspense. It is much better as an action film although much of the action is chaotic, accompanied by lame heavy metal/thrash music. But seeing as it is based on a video game and made primarily for teenage boy video game addicts it is quite good in and of itself.

The movie plays well, even though it is apparent that some scenes have been cut to achieve an R-rating. The characters do what they need to do in order to survive.

One small problem with the movie is the relative lack of zombie screen time. They do appear in two major scenes but most of the time the hallways are clear. This hive was supposed to employ thousands of people but you only ever see 100 zombies at the most. Also, the humans seem to be able to travel easily wherever they have to go until it is time for another action sequence. It would have been better if they constantly ran into single zombies which they were able to easily dispose of, but this is nit-picking on my part.

Overall I enjoyed the movie and I have never seen, let alone played, the video game. I'm not sure if this movie will have the staying power over multiple viewings for me (like Aliens) but it's a very good single viewing action picture. Easily the best movie I have seen based on a video game. Despite it's flaws Resident Evil rates a 7 out of 10, if taken more seriously this could have been a really good movie. It would have been nice to see a George Romero version.