After the computer kills all the members of an underground lab, amnesiac Alice (Milla Jovovich) and a team of special agents must enter the lab to shut down the computer and figure out what happened. Along the way, there are zombies, genetically altered monsters, a virus, and traitors.
Quick Review: One in a string of glittsy, substance-low monster films (along with The Mummy ’99, Underworld and Van Hellsing) Resident Evil may be empty, but it is still a lot of fun. It avoids being a tired sub-genre film by being so many sub-genres at once. It’s a zombie film, a creature feature, a disaster film, a spy movie, an escape film, a sci-fi evil computer picture, an anti-corporate diatribe, and a disease flick. And more than any of those, it’s an adventure movie. What’s surprising is that they are all done right. The pacing is nearly perfect, keeping things always moving, but never too fast to miss plot points or character development. The music keeps the tension high. The fights are exciting. And I found myself caring about Alice. It doesn’t hurt that she’s played by Milla Jovovich who looks stunning and moves like a cat. But then, the entire film looks good. It’s worth watching once just to study the colors. No one will be discussing philosophy after watching Resident Evil, but sometimes, that’s OK. You will be entertained.
Followed by Resident Evil: Apocalypse.