I have played almost every Resident Evil game that's come out from the first to the latest and greatest Resident Evil 4.  When this movie came out I was pretty hesitant.  Would they do a remake of the first game or would they create an entirely new movie?  And which would I rather they did?  Having seen this movie and the second movie's attempt to incorporate actual video game parts and movie parts, I must say I'm relieved they didn't remake the first Resident Evil movie.

Instead, they created new characters and created a semi-backstory to the events of Resident Evil the video game.  And, also surprisingly, it works pretty well!  What helps is that we have two cool actresses, Michelle Rodriguez and the always enjoyable Milla Jovovich.  But what also worked for this movie is the tension and suspense that built from the very beginning to the exciting climax.

At the beginning of the movie, we have fully clad men and women ready to kick ass but through a series of events, they end up losing lives and most of their ammo.  That is when the true Survival Horror that the video game stands for begins.

Now granted this movie is a rip off of many different and better sci-fi and horror films from Alien to the countless zombie films that have been made.  But what it lacks in originality, it makes up in style.  The action and violence is pretty stylized and it was fun to pick up some RE connections.  You're not looking at an Oscar-winning movie of course, nor is it as good as some of the zombie movies out there (28 Days Later, both versions of Dawn of the Dead, etc) but for what it is, it is very well done.

And, for whatever you can say about the movie in a negative light, Paul Anderson handles the subject matter much more deftly than Uwe Boll could ever do with his own Alone in the Dark and House of the Dead films.  So far, Resident Evil stands tall as the best and, sadly enough, most faithful video game movie yet.  That's not saying too much, given the competition, but it's still a fun, mindless romp through familiar territory.  And it could have been a lot worse.
I have played almost every Resident Evil game that's come out from the first to the latest and greatest Resident Evil 4. When this movie came out I was pretty hesitant. Would they do a remake of the first game or would they create an entirely new movie? And which would I rather they did? Having seen this movie and the second movie's attempt to incorporate actual video game parts and movie parts, I must say I'm relieved they didn't remake the first Resident Evil movie. Instead, they created new characters and created a semi-backstory to the events of Resident Evil the video game. And, also surprisingly, it works pretty well! What helps is that we have two cool actresses, Michelle Rodriguez and the always enjoyable Milla Jovovich. But what also worked for this movie is the tension and suspense that built from the very beginning to the exciting climax. At the beginning of the movie, we have fully clad men and women ready to kick ass but through a series of events, they end up losing lives and most of their ammo. That is when the true Survival Horror that the video game stands for begins. Now granted this movie is a rip off of many different and better sci-fi and horror films from Alien to the countless zombie films that have been made. But what it lacks in originality, it makes up in style. The action and violence is pretty stylized and it was fun to pick up some RE connections. You're not looking at an Oscar-winning movie of course, nor is it as good as some of the zombie movies out there (28 Days Later, both versions of Dawn of the Dead, etc) but for what it is, it is very well done. And, for whatever you can say about the movie in a negative light, Paul Anderson handles the subject matter much more deftly than Uwe Boll could ever do with his own Alone in the Dark and House of the Dead films. So far, Resident Evil stands tall as the best and, sadly enough, most faithful video game movie yet. That's not saying too much, given the competition, but it's still a fun, mindless romp through familiar territory. And it could have been a lot worse.