Man, what a movie. This was a selfish pick of mine because there are dozens of better zombie movies than Resident Evil for zombie week, but dammit it’s just too much fun! I’m a huge fan of both the RE games and movies (very different reasons for each), so I make it a point to watch at least one every year.
Resident Evil is the film adaptation (but not really) of the legendary horror franchise. Well, it’s an adaptation in that it features the T-Virus, Umbrella Corporation, Raccoon City, and a mansion with a lab underneath. Absent from this movie are all other things that make Resident Evil so good, but honestly, I appreciate the willingness to deviate from the formula for something new. Video game movie adaptations historically range from meh to atrociously awful. They knew they wouldn’t be recapturing the magic of the games anytime soon, so they went with something new, and honestly it’s not all bad. Alice, the protagonist played by the wonderful Milla Jovovich, is one of the best most endearing characters in Resident Evil, games included.
Resident Evil tells a simple story of a zombie virus infecting a bunch of people and a group of survivors who try to stop it and take down the organization that is responsible. Mixed in is some amnesia, a few passable monster designs, and some incredibly over-the-top action scenes that puts a dumb smile on anyone’s face. Seriously, have you really watched a movie if you haven’t seen Milla Jovovich do a flying roundhouse kick to a zombie-dog’s face? Resident Evil won’t change your life, but if you need a dumb little joy ride through a pretty fun zombie world, you could do much worse than the Resident Evil series. I mean, hell, the worst movie is still better than Resident Evil 6.
Zombie Rating: these zombies are slow and shambling and not very bright, but occasionally they become dope-ass super zombies which is pretty cool. I give Resident Evil zombies 3 rotting flesh clumps out of 5.
If you want to celebrate Zombie Week along with me, tonight I’m watching Korean film Train to Busan! It’s on Netflix, so fire it up!
