Resident Evil
Screen Gems | Release Date: March 15, 2002
7.2
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 527 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
357
Mixed:
112
Negative:
58
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
6
ManiacacaAug 23, 2013
This was... alright. It didn't follow the RE lore exactly, though did a good job with story telling.
The action scenes didn't fit RE at all, and felt too cheesy.
The sequels are actually decent, and I did enjoy this as a movie series inThis was... alright. It didn't follow the RE lore exactly, though did a good job with story telling.
The action scenes didn't fit RE at all, and felt too cheesy.
The sequels are actually decent, and I did enjoy this as a movie series in it's own right. It'd be worth a rent to any RE fan I'd say.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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6
grandpajoe6191Sep 21, 2011
"Resident Evil" is a zombie movie based on a famous game franchise. The movie is different from the game and offers new perspective and entertainment, if and only if you can handle the cheesy dialogue and the lost-its-way plot of the movie.
4 of 5 users found this helpful41
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4
IanM197Sep 17, 2010
It isn't a movie that's going to set the world on fire and it certainly isn't the best video game adaptation out there, but Resident Evil succeeded mildly at making an entertaining, if boring at times, film. It obviously isn't perfect and theIt isn't a movie that's going to set the world on fire and it certainly isn't the best video game adaptation out there, but Resident Evil succeeded mildly at making an entertaining, if boring at times, film. It obviously isn't perfect and the horrible CG looks almost stop-motion at times (the Licker in particular could have been done far better, or dropped completely) and it foreshadows enough to give you a reason to watch the sequel.… Expand
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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4
RikiegeNov 1, 2012
Zombie movies are very views.
1 of 7 users found this helpful16
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5
LOmarGJul 28, 2013
Can be disappointing on so many levels, but even though it doesn't do a good job of adapting the game, I still find this entertaining and watchable. The Manson/Beltrami score collaboration works well, as does the cold corporation slant.Can be disappointing on so many levels, but even though it doesn't do a good job of adapting the game, I still find this entertaining and watchable. The Manson/Beltrami score collaboration works well, as does the cold corporation slant. It's just that considering the source material, this doesn't live up to the awesomeness it could've been.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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5
ArkonBladeMar 23, 2011
im a huge fan of the RE games ive played them all . what disappoints me about theese video games to movies the most is the pure abandonment of the source material . not much about this movie resembles much of any thing to the resident evilim a huge fan of the RE games ive played them all . what disappoints me about theese video games to movies the most is the pure abandonment of the source material . not much about this movie resembles much of any thing to the resident evil game outside it has zombies and is in a mansion thats about where it all ends . its a wachable movie if you try to forget its called resident evil . with out chris , jill , barry , and wesker the stars of the first game you dont really have a resident evil movie just some zombie flick branded with its name trying to cash in on it.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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4
MovieLonely94Oct 19, 2010
The idea is nice and the action is quite impressive, but this movie is so uninteresting and boringly dull that it makes fans of the franchise want to stick to the video games instead.
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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4
CooterPatooterMar 4, 2012
I know this comes as lukewarm praise, given Anderson's horrendous catalogue, but this is his best film. Skip the rest of the series. Actually, skip this one too.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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5
voidersApr 26, 2013
That movie was good and bad points. I liked the actors, the soundtrack, the mistory about how the virus escaped. Mila is good actress, the script is original, but is not amazing, is just "another hollywood action movie".
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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6
KayVen17Aug 27, 2016
Deutsche Review - Kritik

Story: 17/25 Punkte
Schauspieler: 14/25 Punkte
Bearbeitung: 16/25 Punkte
Sound: 18/25 Punkte

Gesamtpunktzahl

65/100 Punkte
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
BroyaxOct 23, 2017
En général, les jeux vidéo qui deviennent des films deviennent de la merde, alors on pouvait s'attendre au pire du mauvais sur le grand écran avec cette série de jeux de merde démoulés par Captron depuis nombre d'années.

Or, contre touteEn général, les jeux vidéo qui deviennent des films deviennent de la merde, alors on pouvait s'attendre au pire du mauvais sur le grand écran avec cette série de jeux de merde démoulés par Captron depuis nombre d'années.

Or, contre toute attente, il n'en est rien... ou pas complètement en tout cas. Le scénario comporte quelques trous et emprunte moult raccourcis faciles ; l'ensemble fait un tantinet naveton (c'est-à-dire petit navet) de bas étage et la réalisation bien qu'assez présentable est souvent brouillonne.

Milla n'est certes pas aussi flamboyante que dans Jeanne d'Arc, c'est le moins qu'on puisse dire mais elle se débrouille... évidemment, je suis parti pris, car j'apprécie beaucoup Milla. Pour l'épauler, on est content de retrouver Mademoiselle Rodriguez, l'oeil mauvais, la moue merveilleusement boudeuse et le doigt sur la détente : une parfaite tirailleuse.

Les autres sont des branques et de la chair fraîche pour le broyeur... on apprécie d'ailleurs à leur juste valeur de jolies scènes gore très drolatiques. Finalement avec cette fin ouverte, ce premier Resident Evil filmé pose d'assez bonnes bases pour des suites plus ou moins jouasses !… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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4
drlowdonSep 4, 2016
Turning the (cheesy) horror games into such an action orientated fare means that, as well as not being a particular great film, Resident Evil also has little in common with the video games on which it is supposedly based. To be totally fairTurning the (cheesy) horror games into such an action orientated fare means that, as well as not being a particular great film, Resident Evil also has little in common with the video games on which it is supposedly based. To be totally fair there have been worse video game movies (Super Mario Bros, Street Fighter) but the script is pretty poor and the plot lacks coherence meaning that overall this is a bit of a waste of time.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
HalfwelshmanJan 26, 2012
I'll admit this from the off - I am not a fan of the Resident Evil games. I think I played Resident Evil 3 briefly a long time ago but that's where my experience with the series ends. The first film in the series is a bit of a guilty pleasureI'll admit this from the off - I am not a fan of the Resident Evil games. I think I played Resident Evil 3 briefly a long time ago but that's where my experience with the series ends. The first film in the series is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. Resident Evil works as a pretty decent example of both an action and a horror movie - the set pieces are entertaining and stylish, there are a couple of decent scares and the whole film maintains momentum (if not quite tension) throughout. Milla Jovovich has another ballsy action heroine role to add to her C.V., and while Alice is not quite up there with Leeloo, she's a solid protagonist that does exactly what is required of her, that is to say she still kicks serious undead behind. The rest of the cast, and their characters are generic and unmemorable, and as is traditional with this kind of film, it quickly becomes a game of "who's going to be zombie lunch next". Will we ever see Michelle Rodriguez playing a different character? It's highly doubtful, but hey, she's got a good thing going with type-casting, so who am I to judge. The script is also pretty clunky, but at the end of the day it's just an action-horror movie, and one based on a video game at that, so you don't expect much in that regard. The CGI was also never top-of-the-line (being a film entirely financed by small European studios) and these effects look even worse today, so thankfully they're used sparingly. You can have a pretty good time with Resident Evil if you're prepared to gloss over a few issues, and just take it for what it is - a bit of fun. You'll really see it at its very best if you watch it with a couple of friends, perhaps with a beer or two, then you can all indulge in what makes it good entertainment, and as one, you can also ridicule what makes it...less good. Just sit back, leave your brain outside and enjoy the ride. And watch out for the lasers.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
hoops2448Feb 14, 2012
The charm of the first Resident Evil is that it accepts that its for a video gamer crowd. Its loud, its proud and because of that, there is a slick pace and tone that makes the movie enjoyable. It also has the predictably hammy performancesThe charm of the first Resident Evil is that it accepts that its for a video gamer crowd. Its loud, its proud and because of that, there is a slick pace and tone that makes the movie enjoyable. It also has the predictably hammy performances you can expect in a video game adaptation with Milla Jovovich and James Purefoy being the main culprits with Michelle Rodriguez bringing her usual latin tough girl routine. Sure the film is mindless but it puts sufficient enough menace into the monsters with the zombies being well created and performed. The CGI used in the film has noticeably aged since the film came out and it doesnâ… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
eTurkeyApr 2, 2012
If you're a fan of the video games and have not seen this film then DON'T suddenly scramble away to the nearest video store with the belief that this film is anything like those titles, because that would be a bare-faced lie. Whilst thisIf you're a fan of the video games and have not seen this film then DON'T suddenly scramble away to the nearest video store with the belief that this film is anything like those titles, because that would be a bare-faced lie. Whilst this movie does hold its own for the most part it deviates so far from the popular games that it bares only minimalistic origins to It's original inspiration. Positive aspects about this feature is the soundtrack which features music very suited to the atmosphere of the setting and the CGI which was fantastic for the time.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
SpangleNov 15, 2016
Undeniably entertaining, Resident Evil often mirrors a schlocky and campy science fiction film from the 1980s. With campy dialogue and cheesy effects, Resident Evil has a fantastic time creating an interesting universe in which businesses areUndeniably entertaining, Resident Evil often mirrors a schlocky and campy science fiction film from the 1980s. With campy dialogue and cheesy effects, Resident Evil has a fantastic time creating an interesting universe in which businesses are evil and do everything for the bottom line. Not sure where they got that idea. We are all about serving stakeholders (business major joke). That said, though entertaining, its thematic undertakings are done via force feeding. Additionally, the film is plagued by cliches, poor dialogue, bad writing, bad acting, and now aged effects. When Resident Evil hits, however, its tension is hard to deny.

First, the negatives. The writing - both in the dialogue and character development - is horrific. Apparently Milla Jovovich is named Alice in this film and Michelle Rodriguez is Rain. Maybe I missed that, but even their names are barely developed here minus a few mentions here-and-there. The film tries to play this off by having Alice suffer from amnesia in the beginning, but this barely works when the audience does not even really know who Alice is either. This prevents the audience from being able to really develop any form of connection with her character, beyond the primal need to survive. The bad dialogue in the film is accentuated by poor delivery at times that really pulls you out of the moment. For example, the final sequence on the train has Generic White Male Character #3 yell something to Alice and both of them totally blow their lines. This really kills the momentum of an otherwise tense sequence by pulling you out of it. Essentially, the acting in Resident Evil makes you realize it is a film.

The cliches are far too many to list out, but obviously, Resident Evil's approach to zombies is hardly unique. Every other zombie movie has headshots as the means of death and it has been to death at this point. Fortunately, the film felt the need to try and revive this cliche. The film also lumps in a malevolent computer system, poorly behaving corporations, superviruses, hidden antiviruses, and "unexpected" zombie transformations to the cliche equation. The film's cliches even do brush against its thematic elements. Not only are these anti-business elements spelled out for the audience by explaining that businesses never learn and never care about others, but these are wildly typical. Resident Evil is hardly profound in this arena and makes the film feel all the more cliche. By the time this film came out, audiences had been introduced to the concept that businesses were evil sometimes and did not need to see this mentioned here. Director Paul W.S. Anderson is hardly pulling the wool away from the audience's eyes here, especially since the Enron scandal happened in October 2001. Of course, this is hardly the first business scandal on the books. Films that try and have some kind of thematic element need it to actually be, well, worthwhile. When everybody already agrees and the film spells it out for you, it is highly likely to fall on deaf ears as it does here.

All of this said, Resident Evil can be a highly successful film at times and is undeniably fun. For action junkies, Resident Evil will deliver the requisite adrenaline boost. With great scenes of horror blended with good music and good action sequences, Resident Evil can really leave you on the edge of your seat, waiting in dread for what is around the next corner. Many love Anderson's work on the horror film Event Horizon (have yet to see it myself) and it is easy to see why here. Resident Evil definitely scares and use the mystery of the situation its protagonists finds themselves in to really ramp up the horror and the tension.

Overall, since it is an action film, I feel the need to be lenient on Resident Evil. Its action set pieces are great fun and really well-executed. For all of his faults as a director, Anderson knows action. Sadly, the film simply has nothing else below the surface to survive and simply self-destructs.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
ElucidateJan 23, 2014
I will not jump on the "this movie messed up Resident Evil" bandwagon. Clearly, the film series is going to have a completely different direction and take place in a different fictional universe than the games. Having said that, the film'sI will not jump on the "this movie messed up Resident Evil" bandwagon. Clearly, the film series is going to have a completely different direction and take place in a different fictional universe than the games. Having said that, the film's plot is still too incoherent and the dialogue still too juvenile to make it memorable in any way.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
BigZNov 5, 2014
Pretty standard zombie movie with an interesting plot. It's always tough to try and make a movie based on a video game, you are never quite sure which audience you are going to offend first. I think it hobbled along okay. A bit shaky here andPretty standard zombie movie with an interesting plot. It's always tough to try and make a movie based on a video game, you are never quite sure which audience you are going to offend first. I think it hobbled along okay. A bit shaky here and there but it didn't try to overstep too far except with the CGI work. Waiting a few years may have helped with that. I feel like the scale was shortened a bit soon. Of course that is notorious in horror movies. Probably the coolest guy in the movie died before he could show off how BA he is. Annoying. I love Milla though. She is a cutie while still being an awesome female action hero. This is one of her first tries in that role and she handles it alright. It is your standard zombie movie. I don't why people feel like you need to make zombies more complicated, its simple they are mindless and slow they die with a head shot there is just a freakin lot of them. While being bloody and gruesome the human touch and feeling didn't get lost, they really tried to save each other and not be stupid. It became what it intended I suppose. A shooter zombie flick based on a popular video game. Not overly impressive in any way. Watch it if you want. I won't stop you.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
CineAutoctonoJul 26, 2015
Great movie eh! pure zombie virus infection of T , good plot and who says it with the best terror, but not nearly as interesting as it was supplied eh! .
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
FilmMasterEddyAug 13, 2016
Guilty Pleasure Time!

That venerable horror subgenre, the zombie movie — immortalized by George A. Romero in his “Living Dead” trilogy — gets a malnourished rebirth in “Resident Evil,” the long-in-development screen adaptation of theGuilty Pleasure Time!

That venerable horror subgenre, the zombie movie — immortalized by George A. Romero in his “Living Dead” trilogy — gets a malnourished rebirth in “Resident Evil,” the long-in-development screen adaptation of the hugely popular videogame franchise.

Co-written and directed by the young British director Paul Anderson (who, apparently to avoid confusion with Paul Thomas Anderson, now calls himself Paul W.S. Anderson), German-shot and financed pic works as a prequel to the games, although it uses many of the games’ popular zombie characters (with such indelible names as the Licker, the Crows and the Zombie Dogs).

Short prologue is set inside the sprawling underground research labs of Umbrella Corp., known as the Hive. Umbrella appears to be an all-purpose household company but is actually the front for a top-secret military technology and genetic experimentation operation. (It’s a subject fit for Romero, and he did write the first script and had been set to direct.)

Anderson (who directed the videogame adaptation “Mortal Kombat”) maps out the Hive’s infrastructure, satirizing the security paranoia. The Hive’s security is regulated by an artificially intelligent computer called the Red Queen (one of a series of Lewis Carroll allusions); 10 minutes in, the Red Queen locks down the Hive and begins a series of defensive measures (including releasing poisonous gas into densely populated workspaces). A deadly virus was released into the Hive’s ventilation system, and the Red Queen, who behaves like a menstruating Hal 9000, will do anything, ANYTHING to keep it contained.

Enter some soldiers, including One (Colin Salmon) and Rain (Michelle Rodriguez), dispatched to shut the Red Queen down. They’re accompanied by Alice (Jovovich), a soldier with a temporary memory loss, and by Matt (Eric Mabius), who claims to be a cop.

They shut the Red Queen down, but in doing so the Hive’s passageways are unlocked, giving free reign to hundreds of contaminated workers who, as a result of their exposure to the virus, are now very undead.

The manic zombie mayhem that ensues — unfolding “High Noon”-style in real time — is in many ways a scene-for-scene copy of Romero’s 1985 “Day of the Dead.” But, unlike Romero, Anderson fails to situate “Resident Evil” zombies within any larger social context.

Anderson’s script lines up all the elements for a B-movie quickie: the multiethnic cast, the chicks who kick ass and the traitor-in-our-midst scenario. But Anderson is too set on making an A-picture here, focusing on a series of exhaustingly routine big-action set pieces. Like the recent “Queen of the Damned,” “Resident Evil” seems conceived more out of a desire to provide lip service to fans of the underlying source material than to make compelling entertainment. Anderson’s zombie shenanigans are as empty as “Queen of the Damned’s” vampire theatrics.

Nonetheless, Anderson’s surface effects are occasionally admirable. Pic relies more on prosthetic makeup and animatronic f/x than on digital technology, giving pic’s zombies and other assorted monsters a more organic sense of form and movement.

Pic is reasonably accomplished technically, though Richard Bridgland’s production design is standard-issue futuristic grunge, recalling similar futurescapes from Anderson’s own “Soldier” and “Event Horizon,” as well as last summer’s “John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars.”… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
HassalehOct 14, 2016
If you want cheap B-movie action entertainment, look no further. Resident Evil is a good movie to watch at a get-together with some friends, maybe on Halloween night after a couple of beers when you're no longer aware that this movie sorelyIf you want cheap B-movie action entertainment, look no further. Resident Evil is a good movie to watch at a get-together with some friends, maybe on Halloween night after a couple of beers when you're no longer aware that this movie sorely lacks any real scares, likeable characters or convincing acting. In this context you can have fun with this film but certainly not if you expect anything thought-provoking or technically impressive.
On the long list of bad video game adaptations to film it may sit in a decent mediocre spot but considering how awful these movies generally are you should actually expect less than average from this film. If you want to watch something really good, then avoid this one.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
eva3si0nSep 13, 2020
I love the Resident Evil game series. And the first part of the film franchise did not disappoint me much. Yes, there is no normal production and plot. In general, the whole film looks a little ridiculous and more like an arthouse movie shotI love the Resident Evil game series. And the first part of the film franchise did not disappoint me much. Yes, there is no normal production and plot. In general, the whole film looks a little ridiculous and more like an arthouse movie shot for a minimum budget. But Resident Evil fans will receive their own in this film.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
JeBjBoAug 3, 2022
Ok ganz ehrlich? Irgendwo ganz tief drin ist Anderson ein ganz fähiger Regisseur, der was von visuellem Storytelling versteht. Change my mind.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
DunkaccinoNov 13, 2022
Every time there is downtime or expositions, we get the sense that something gigantic is gonna happen to our protagonist. Resident Evil is not style over substance. It’s all style, with no substance. It’s the “popcorn” part of a “popcornEvery time there is downtime or expositions, we get the sense that something gigantic is gonna happen to our protagonist. Resident Evil is not style over substance. It’s all style, with no substance. It’s the “popcorn” part of a “popcorn movie”.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
HellHoleHorrorFeb 16, 2022
This is a good and gory zombie action film. It is not full of horror and suspense but it makes you jump and some of the gore kicks you back a little. This is good as there is no brain power required. You just sit back and enjoy the action andThis is a good and gory zombie action film. It is not full of horror and suspense but it makes you jump and some of the gore kicks you back a little. This is good as there is no brain power required. You just sit back and enjoy the action and the beautiful star of the movie. Nothing intellectual is a good thing. The action is good but they do use a lot of CG effects which gets a little tired occasionally. Worth seeing though.… Expand
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