If history is not supposed to repeat itself in regard to personal, social, or artistic mishaps, then one would think studios would be inclined to shy away from converting a successful video game into a feature-length film (see “Tomb Raider”).
But one must think it’s only a matter of time before the corporate stronghold of the film world begins to cash in on adaptations of video games that kids (and adults) can’t seem to keep their controllers off of. And thus emerges writer/director Paul W. S. Anderson’s “Resident Evil.”
Contrary to preconceived expectations, the movie begins and carries on in a way that doesn’t make its video game aspects all that apparent. The story begins in a secret lab run by a super-corporation know as The Umbrella. A deadly virus is released and the invisible gas circulates through the ventilation system, escaping the technologically superior defense system and causing panic in all the workers.
We first meet Alice (Milla Jovovich, “The Fifth Element”) as she regains consciousness from an apparent fall in her shower which has left her with some kind of amnesia. She finds a puzzling note that says all her dreams are about to come true, and then the house is bombarded with a group of commandos who take her and a man named Matt (Eric Mabius, “Crow: The Salvation”) into “the hive,” the underground layer of the opening scene.
The group seeks to find the cause of the system’s malfunction but quickly learns that life isn’t exactly right in the hive. Things get dicey as they try to escape the horrific obstacles blocking their departure. These include the undead wishing to feed upon them, skinned Dobermans, an unfeeling supercomputer, and a big fluid-dripping, sharp-clawed monster of some sort.
If this adventure sounds intriguing, disgusting, and action-packed to you, then I’ve done my job in laying out some of the movie’s best features. Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez (“The Fast and the Furious”) make superbly tough heroines who manage to make it through the action-filled scenes without seeming too cliché or out of context.
While the movie could be seen as a fusion of “Alien,” “Mission Impossible” and
“The Matrix,” and is yet another in the lengthening line of science/technology-gone-wrong films, it stands firmly upon its own two feet as a solid action movie with its fair share of suspense.
The movie is technically sophisticated, utilizing effective tracking shots, close-ups and hand-held cameras when warranted. Moreover, the restricted narration goes a long way in keeping the viewer wondering what is going to happen next, which is often a problem in action movies. More importantly though, the special effects are not over the top, and the dialogue is minimal, leaving the use of sound, editing, and staging as the driving forces of the film’s suspense and subsequent pleasure.
However, nothing is really resolved, leaving one to question — is a sequel on the horizon? Grade: B
