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)
El huésped maldito (Argentina) (video title) (Colombia) [es]
Ölümcül deney (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
A kaptár (Hungary) [hu]
Biohazard (Japan: English title) [en]
Resident Evil (Spain) [es]
Resident Evil (Croatia) [hr]
Resident Evil - Genesis (Switzerland: German title) (Pay-TV title) [de]
Resident Evil - O Hóspede Maldito (Brazil) [pt]
Resident evil - Domena zla (Poland) (Pay-TV title) [pl]
Resident evil - El huésped maldito (Venezuela) [es]
Resident evil: Experiment fatal (Romania) [ro]
Resident evil: Les créatures maléfiques (Canada: French title) [fr]
Resident evil: Les esprits maléfiques (Canada: French title) (TV title) [fr]
Unbeatable Evil (Russia) (bootleg title) [ru]
Underground of the Living Dead (Italy) [it]

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:

To help him achieve the underground look of the film, set designer Richard Bridgland visited nuclear bunkers in the UK and in Europe.

Goofs:

Continuity: Alice's hair changes position from behind her ear to in front of it when she and Spence talk about their memory loss, and he gives his jacket to her.

Quotes:

Red Queen: I implore you.
Kaplan: Implore away!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Undead Boot Camp (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Wall of Death

Good survival horror

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.