DVD Review: Resident Evil (B-)

Resident Evil (2001)
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring Milla Jovovitch and Michelle Rodriguez
MPAA: R
Grade: B-

Review by Scott Standish

I am a gamer but I have to admit that up until Resident Evil, I was very suspicious of movies inspired by video games. What makes a great game does not necessarily make a great movie. Remember Mario Brothers, the movie?

So I have to admit that I was very surprised by just how much I enjoyed Resident Evil (the movie). Resident Evil is a fun, fast paced thrill ride that provides a few scares along the way.

The much maligned (unfairly in my opinion) Milla Jovovitch kicks ass here as an action star and her acting work is even quite good. After her performances in Joan of Arc, The Fifth Element, and now Resident Evil, I am finding myself a fan of this underrated actress. Okay, she's not Meryl Streep but she has held her own in some very tough roles lately.

Here's the set up for Resident Evil: in the not so distant future, in the town of Raccoon City (I have no idea what that's about) there is a monopolistic corporation called the Umbrella Corporation (I have no idea what that's about either) that has secretly worked on genetic virus engineering. Unfortunately, the virus has escaped throughout the Hive (a spiral underground facility) and if the virus escapes, it could potentially kill everyone on Earth (or make them all buy the same operating systems or something).

The fun really begins when a team is sent in to isolate the virus and shut down the hive. Milla and Michelle are part of the crew and as they start to discover dead bodies, its obvious that things have gone very wrong for the Umbrella Corporation and their strange experiments.

The plot is kind of silly but the film doesn't take itself too seriously. Paul Anderson obviously wanted this movie to have great action, some tongue in cheek humor and very cool effects. Mission accomplished.

More intelligent than your average action movie, and still a lot of fun, Resident Evil is definitely a film that is worth checking out.

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