 | RESIDENT EVIL Makes Good Halloween Fun
rating: 4
Ravenous zombies - what more could you ask for on Halloween? RESIDENT EVIL is chock full of monsters, blood, gore, and actually cool, creative decapitations. Based on a popular computer game (which I have never played), RESIDENT EVIL is an entertaining monster flick for a cozy evening at home.
RESIDENT EVIL opens with a bang: something has gone seriously wrong in a secret, underground research facility. (Isn't that always the case?) Red Queen, the computer that runs the complex, has gone mad, killing everyone in the place, and initiating a complete lock-down of the facility. The only people on the outside who might know what is going on have no memory. A crack military team is sent in to determine what happened. But things go horribly wrong...
As zombie movies go, RESIDENT EVIL is pretty fun. It launches the viewer on a wild ride, rarely pausing for breath. The special effects are pretty well done, and as stated earlier, there are some pretty original decapitations using lasers. The plot is pretty loose and full of holes, but I really didn't care; I was having too much fun. The acting is typical for a monster flick, but then again, you don't watch a monster movie for the acting.
If you enjoy this sort of thing, you will really like RESIDENT EVIL. My husband and I did, and it was just the thing for Halloween. But seriously, couldn't the Umbrella Corporation, who owns the research facility, see this coming? I mean, they named their master computer Red Queen. It was in the cards. Eventually, the Red Queen was obviously going to say "Off with their heads!"
NOTE: This is a THREE-STAR review. There was a problem after posting. When the review was restored by Amazon, the number of stars was different.
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Cool concepts, characters/effects lacking realism
rating: 3
First of, I am not a gamer, and am not familiar with the game. This was the first time I watched this Blu-Ray. Equipment used to watch, is Panasonic 42" Plasma, BD30K Blu-Ray player and Onkyo 605.
The story was engaging in that it was futuristic, and had some cool effects (although over computerized). I am rating it 3 stars, for the story and overall acting/movie. The PQ and AQ were above average, but not demo, with the picture a bit soft in parts. If you're a fan of the genre, give it a rent.
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finally a decent video game to movie adaption
rating: 4
While the movie is loosley based on the resident evil games it still manages to stay true to its the games roots. just the simple things like the underground research facility, raccoon city, the arklay mountains and even the licker from the games will have the fans saying oh yeah i remember those. Im keepin this review short so for those of you who have no idea about the games, heres the pros and cons. pros: plenty of people getting killed here so this film will satisfy your barbaric needs, offers other neat sequences of action other than killing zombies, and the main monster is very well planned out. cons: the loud headbanging music really doesnt go with the resident evil genra, milla jovovichs red dress really is out of place here, the characters all have paper thin individuality. Its a good movie, just a few misteaks made but definatley worth watching.
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T is for Virus
rating: 4
This movie is based on a horror/survival videogame by Capcom. Now I got that out of the way, Resident Evil is a pretty good zombie movie, successfully adapted from the game by Paul W.S. Anderson. This film is everything House of the Dead wanted to be but couldn't. The zombies move at a decent pace as does the movie and there are plenty of "BOO!" moments, but nothing too scary. Gorehounds will be happy and Zombaholics will have fun playing guess the reference, such as the elevator scene which recalls the original Dawn of the Dead. The acting is good as far as zombie movies go and the cinematography is great. A must have for any zombie fan.
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A ZOMBIE FILM WITH A GREAT STORY AND GREAT ACTION 9.5 OUT OF 10
rating: 5
Resident Evil brought zombie horror back from the dead, and it did so in a superbly crafted fashion. This is the best zombie film when it comes to story and it puts all zombie films to shame in comparison. It is a definite must-watch for any zombie fans and it will surely put many of your zombie favorites to shame when you watch it.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: In an underground lab facility called The Hive; which is owned by the Umbrella Corporation; an outbreak of the Umbrella-developed T-Virus has escaped into the air-conditioning system. So the AI security system known as the Red Queen, seals The Hive, and kills everyone underground to prevent the virus from escaping; trapping them in elevators, filling lab rooms full of water, and spewing a gas that removes all of the oxygen in the air. When the report is received an Umbrella unit of soldiers are sent to retrieve the security people from the Spencer Mansion; Alice a hot, young woman, who wakes up naked in the shower after a nerve gas was released into the mansion knocking her out and making her lose her memory, Spence, a guy who wakes up inside the train that takes the Umbrella team to The Hive and also has lost his memory, and Matt, an environmentalist disguised as a cop in order to retrieve samples of the T-Virus from The Hive in order to expose the Umbrella Corporation's illegal genetic experimentation and find his sister who works in The Hive. So the group goes into the basement of the mansion, and takes the train that is stored in the basement, and takes it to travel to The Hive which is located a half-mile underground. Their main mission is to go the Red Queen's chamber and shut her down, to unlock the doors and see if there are any survivors. All hell breaks loose when the Red Queen is shut down, and all of the doors are unlocked, because it turns out the dead have been re-animated (a.k.a. have become zombies). So the team has to find a way out and prevent the zombies from eating them or something else eating them and get out of The Hive before time runs out because if they don't get out in time, the doors to the basement which they entered will seal shut and they will be trapped a half-mile underground. The team also learns of the Umbrella Corporation's misdeeds and the things they've created. And as Alice and Spence regain their memories they begin to remember how the events leading up to the outbreak transpired and caused it, and remember who caused it.
MUSIC: The music in the Resident Evil movies have always been great, and this is no exception. I also love the song played by Slipknot in the credits (My Plague).
GORE FACTOR: There is very little gore throughout most of the movie, and only really has gore near the end. But this film takes a more realistic approach to zombies as to the fact that the blood in them has become coagulated (Dried up) because they're dead.
ACTION: There are shooting scenes which are pretty cool, there are zombie escape scenes which add a nice effect, the scene with the infected dogs was awesome, and the scenes involving the licker were cool.
ENTERTAINMENT: This is definitely an awesome zombie movie. The story is great, the plot twists are excellently done, and the characters are cool. The action really keeps the film going as well and the music really sets the mood. This movie also has good pacing, and is hardly boring or over the top. A definite buy, don't just rent it. Plus the ending is bizarre and is actually kind of creepy and it will bother you in a good way.
OVERALL: It is a spectacular zombie film that every zombie enthusiast should watch (Get to it, J-Train, while I focus on finding Day of the Dead and watching it). It is a great representation of the classic game franchise and it serves as an example of how game-based movies should be made.
THE GOOD: Great story, great music, great characters, cool creature designs, cool action, bizarre ending, hot female lead.
THE BAD: One or two scenes of action and acting are a little cheesy, thankfully these happen early in the movie and don't last long.
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