I used to be a very fanatical gamer, until a completely insane online Call of Duty session pretty much ended my gaming days. I lost interest in the virtual gaming world, and went back to old school gaming otherwise known as boardgames. But that does not mean that I don’t look back on my gaming days with some great memories. One of my favorite horror games was Resident Evil. I remember a scene from the first game where you walked along a quiet corridor, and you pretty much knew something was going to happen. And ofcourse it did in the form of a horrible dog that came crashing through the window. I literally let my controller drop from my hands, that’s how much of a jumpscare I got. In 2002 Resident Evil made it’s way to the big screen, and has so far spawned five sequels. Today I rewatched the first movie which I had not seen for quite a few years.
In Resident Evil the Umbrella Corporation has taken over the world by storm. The public knows the company only from their consumer goods, but the true money comes from their bioweapons research. It is a secret that they have been able to hide so far. But then something goes horribly wrong at one of their underground facilities known as the Hive. A special group of commandos is sent out to investigate. It is not long until they meet up with a mysterious woman who has lost most of her memories, and is only known as Alice. It soon becomes apparent that the artificial intelligence of the facility called the Red Queen has taken matters into her own hands. Most of the staff of the Hive have been killed off by her or so it seems. The real reason for this behaviour however is that the genetically engineered T-virus has been unleashed in the Umbrella facility. A virus that has truly horrifying consequences, as Alice and the commandos are about to find out…..
I guess pretty much everyone that is a gamer knows that most movies based on popular videogames, have been a total waste. However I have always liked the Resident Evil films. Yes I guess they could fall into B-movie territory, but that doesn’t mean that they are not a lot of fun to watch. Quite honestly I had forgotten a lot of details from this first film. I was also pretty amazed that this movie is already 15 years old. Resident Evil does not have a perfect script, but that is not why you watch a movie such as this in the first place. On the action and horror front however it really does things right. The action scenes are done well, and the creatures featured in the film are pretty amazing to look at. Especially the fan favorite Licker monster taken straight from the games.
One other reason to watch this movie is actress Milla Jovovich. She plays the part of Alice, and does so very convincingly. If you pardon my language, she really knows how to kick some serious zombie ass. Her co-star Michelle Rodriguez also portrays a strong woman, and both women have a great onscreen chemistry that works incredibly well. The rest of the cast is pretty forgettable, except for maybe James Purefoy, who tries to make the best of the script that has been handed to him. All in all though this first Resident Evil movie does a pretty good job of bringing the game to life. Even if you have never played the games before, you will enjoy this film if you are into horror or action movies. The movie has a good pace, and certainly can’t be accused of being boring. Sometimes it’s just okay to sit back and watch a nice and simple popcorn movie, as I like to call it.
I give Resident Evil a 8 out of 10 score.
As a B Grade horror film, this movie works well and has always been one of my favourite based on a game movie adaptations. It isn’t exactly fantastic as a movie, but it is great entertainment and that’s more or less all you want going in. I also didn’t mind the second film but found the follow ups after that point a little lacking.
Thanks for sharing.
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Totally agree, except for the last part which I haven’t seen yet, the follow up movies were not as good, but they each had some parts that were entertaining in their own way. For me this has always been one of my favorite game movie adaptations as well. A close second is Silent Hill, which was also well done in my opinion. If you have yet to watch it, I highly recommend it 😊
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I kept waiting for Chris and Jill when I saw this movie the first time 😛
I guess the original script was supposed to have those characters, along with several others, but the director they eventually brought on decided not to use any of the known characters from the game. Seems they thought tying it in with the game would hurt the “artistic quality” of the film. Guess we know how that turned out.
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Haha, so true 😊 But eventually they did show up. Jill in part 2, and Chris in part 4. As far as gaming adaptations go, this one wasn’t half bad I guess. Silent Hill was pretty good as well. That last one stayed very close to it’s original source material. I don’t think gaming adaptations will ever be good, but sometimes some of them are at least entertaining like this one 😊
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Great review, I agree with everything you’ve written there! Resident Evil is one of those rare video game adaptations that work, apart from Silent Hill. 😊 Milla Jovovich is definitely the best thing about the movie. I’m not sure if the franchise would’ve worked with anyone else in the role. Also, I can’t believe this movie is already 15 years old! All the horror/action scenes hold up really well.
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Thank you😊 Just as with Resident Evil, I haven’t seen Silent Hill in quite a while. I do know that it really was one of the best game adaptation movies that I have seen. Might be fun to revisit that one very soon as well. That for me was the biggest surprise to be honest: after dusting off my dvd cover for Resident Evil (lol) seeing that the movie dated back to 2002. I must really be getting old now. Mila Jovovich made this franchise to what it is, and it really would not have been the same without her 😊
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I have the three movie box set which I had brought on an impulse a few years ago as I love many things..zombie. I’m not sure how adapted this is from the games as the character’s seemed to lack some depth but i found it was a pretty exciting movie up until.the third where it seemed to get out of hand. I have a passion for certain games and I remember playing the franchise many a times..my.favourite game being Resident Evil 4 where you need to save the presidents daughter. It had a strong story and it was quite with and different compared to a typical shooting game. This was a very enjoyable read Michel.
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Thank you again. Coincidentally Resident Evil 4, was my favorite game as well in the franchise. It had a great story, was tough as nails, featured great enemies, but also had a terrific story. Loved that game and really have fond memories from it. As for the rest of the movies, with the exception of part 6, I have seen them all. I agree that the level of quality went a bit downhill, but still there was also enough to enjoy. I’ve see. Worse movies I guess lol. I also hold a lot of love for zombies (Hmm…that sounds really weird 😂😂), and always highly enjoy watching movies/series that feature them. The walking Dead ofcourse being number 1 😉
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I think it stood out because they weren’t really zombies like the rest of the franchise..and I really liked the dialogue from Leon. Yes zombie movies are always enjoyable to an extent. You would like Seoul Station if you haven’t seen it..it’s meant to be a prequel to Train to Buscan but it’s animated and very good.
I hope you get well again very soon. ☺
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True enough. There were some seriously disturbing creatures and monsters in that part. The villagers themselves were also seriously creepy. But there was a lot to enjoy, like the minigames that allowed you to obtain collectible figures. Very cool idea.
Actually in just under two weeks time I am going to be attending a very big anime convention in the Hague. Train to Busan will be shown at that con, and it is something I sm highly looking forward to as I still haven’t been able to see it. I have heard about the animated prequel. That one unfortunately won’t be airing there, but I am sure I will see it sometime 😊
Thank you very much again 😊.I have been taking it very slow today (which translates into watching a lot of anime lol).
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I have not got into Resident Evil but I heard it getting good
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Resident Evil is definitely a lot of fun to play. Hope you get around to it someday: part 4 is one of the best parts which Inhighky recommend.
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I love Resident Evil films… but the last one just disappointed me…
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It is the only one that I have yet to see. I have missed that one in the theatres. As soon as it comes out on dvd I am going to watch it. I’ve heard it isn’t very good, but I still want to see how it all ends lol 😊
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Alice kicks major ass and looks fantastic doing it. Plus, I love the music of the film, it’s very haunting.
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Yeah, especially the opening theme is the music that really stuck with me. But you are also right about Alice being able to kick some serious ass 😀
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Yes, it really burns into the memory.
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I never played the games but I did watch every film in the franchise. None of them are as memorable as the first one though. I watched it years ago but still remember most of the details and Alice still is one of the most badass characters I’ve seen 😀
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It’s been a while since I played the games, but I really have some great memories from them. It was an experience unlike any other, and at times it felt like I was watching a horrormovie instead of playing a game.
Your right about this being the best part. Even though the others were pretty cool too, they had their flaws and in the end got a bit repetitive. Still…Alice was the best part of the franchise…and a very memorable character indeed 😊
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Shows how long ago it was that I watched this movie, I didn’t realise that James Purefoy was in it! I liked this movie, and even the sequel (probably because I like the idea of Zombies versus army in a city). This film felt like a film of two halves, the first half was clean and suspenseful as the commandos infiltrate the Hive. The second half was gritty survival horror. I honestly preferred the first half but enjoyed the movie as a whole. Great post
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Thank you 😊 Yes, honestly for me that was a bit of a surprise as well that James Purefoy was in it. As mentioned I had seen the first part quite a while back, and had forgotten quite a number of things about it, including who played in it 😊 You definitely are spot on with your assesment. It certainly feeks like a movie with two halves indeed. I might do reviews for the sequels as well, but got a number of other posts that I want to get out first. Thanks for your comment: always appreciate it 😊
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Thanks for the reblog, really appreciate this 😊😊
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I love the Resident Evil films, especially the first. They might be considered B movies, but the storyline and pacing work well for me. Milla’s fantastic as Alice.
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Could not agree with you more. It are the kind of movies that are simply fun to watch. What they might lack in the story department, they more than make up for with the action and fun. Milla is definitely the driving force behind these film. I don’t think another actress could have pulled this off any better 😊
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Thanks very much for linking to my post, appreciate it 😀
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