Resident Evil
Screen Gems | Release Date: March 15, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
35
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
10
Negative:
11
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
New Times (L.A.)Luke Y. Thompson
Jovovich isn't at her best, but that's mainly because her character is required to be in shock most of the movie, except when she remembers that she's a Charlie's Angel, or happily sheds clothing to maintain that R-rating. Frankly, most of us can live with that. Read full review
63
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
About as good as the genre gets.
63
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
One of the few video game movies to truly re-create the gaming experience -- from the three-dimensional maps to the structure of encountering increasingly grisly and dangerous foes at higher levels of play. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A splattery futuristic zombie thriller, designed as a jolt-a-minute freakout for young audiences who were numbed into submission long ago. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Is this the future of horror or just some bizarre fluke? Don't ask me, I'm having too much fun to care. Read full review
50
USA TodayMike Clark
Evil's one strong presence is lead Milla Jovovich -- and not because the script gives her supercop/soldier anything interesting to say. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
The dialogue is nothing to speak of, but the movie has a dynamite opening sequence in which the corporation turns on its workers, leaving them, if not dead, then with "virtually no intelligence," like office workers everywhere.
50
Chicago ReaderHank Sartin
Hits the ground running and never looks back. But after an hour of propulsive pacing the shock value wears off, and all that's left is pop-up carnage. Read full review
50
VarietyScott Foundas
Despite a promising setup, pic never really goes anywhere, instead immersing viewers in a kinetic onslaught of flesh (namely, that of Milla Jovovich) and flesh-eaters (most of the rest of the cast). Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
There's a psychological undercurrent. The movie occupies a zone where science fiction and nightmares collide and intertwine. Read full review
50
Film ThreatDavid Grove
Technically impressive horror film and sometimes fun to watch, but totally undistinguished. Read full review
42
Seattle Post-IntelligencerEllen Kim
Like many video games, Resident Evil has a drearily long setup, then a lot of blood and gore, then an overextended ending. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Handsome and sometimes creepy, but formulaic in the extreme. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
While computer games can boast an abundance of nifty graphics and odious villains and plucky protagonists on long journeys, they're invariably a tad wanting in the cinematic essentials -- you know, stuff like plot and characterization and theme. Read full review
30
Washington PostRichard Harrington
In the end, it all looks and plays like a $40 million version of a game you're more likely to enjoy on a computer. Read full review
30
The New York TimesStephen Holden
The movie has a frantic staccato style that is more game-oriented than cinematic. Read full review
30
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Too grim and humorless to even qualify as trashy fun. Read full review
30
L.A. WeeklyJohn Patterson
The interchangeable males all resemble Freddie Prinze Jr., and Anderson's direction is no less anemic, making one yearn for an Escape/Quit button that, sadly, doesn't exist in this medium. Read full review
25
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is "Dawn of the Dead" crossed with "John Carpenter's "Ghosts of Mars," with zombies not as ghoulish as the first and trains not as big as the second. The movie does however have Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez. Read full review
25
Boston GlobeLoren King
A video game cum movie that substitutes shrieking decibel levels for a coherent plot and any resemblance to originality. Read full review
25
New York PostLou Lumenick
It's so incoherent that at first you wonder if the reels are being shown out of order. Read full review
20
Los Angeles TimesJan Stuart
A ditsy and dizzying spook-house thriller in high-tech, high-hemline gear. Read full review
10
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Mildly grisly, assaultively noisy and tremendously boring. Read full review
0
Miami HeraldCharles Savage
Such a bad movie that its luckiest viewers will be seated next to one of those ignorant pinheads who talk throughout the show. Read full review
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