Having never played the video game, I thought this movie was pretty good and stood on its own.  With an interesting storyline and some rather innovative twists, Resident Evil is fun--now I want to play the game.  Jovovich stars as a cop/heroine who gets mixed up in the whole "zombies taking over the world" thing.  But she has amensia and doesn't remember she's a cop, or what she was doing before it all started.  My favorite scene is in the tunnel of lasers where everyone was sure to met their demise.  It is fun and graphic and there's a few laughs thrown in, and overall Resident Evil is a good Friday night movie that will give you bang for your buck.