A shockingly good interpretation of the games.

Rating: 9/10 (19 July 2002)

We all know that there has so far not been a single decent movie based on a game. Of the most recent efforts, Final Fantasy was little more than a kiddie version of Aliens, whilst Tomb Raider was incoherent overly-sanitised nonsense quite obviously made by people who haven't played the games.
The makers of Res Evil, on the other hand, are clearly fans of the games. This has allowed them to bring the forboding atmosphere of the the titles to the film. Initially designed to be a prequel to the games, Res Evil begins in the confines of the Hive, an underground research facility belonging to the menacing Umbrella Corporation.
Whilst the film starts prior to the first game, the end of the film skips over the body of the first and second games, and finishes at the beginning of the third, paving the way for the sequel, Nemesis.
The performances of the main characters are good, with a standout performance from Jovovich, as the Amnesiac operative of Umbrella Corp. As a bonus, in addition to her fine performance, Jovovich also spends much of the film either wet or naked!
The effects are absolutely superb for a film without a blockbuster budget. Indeed, the effects for The Licker, the film's main villain, is actually far better and much less artificial in appearance than some of the Godawful CGI in blockbusters such as Star Wars Episode 2, and Spiderman.
The pace of the film is also without fault, with the relentless action and tense sneaking around gripping the attention of the viewer, and never letting go. When packaged with the great effects, good performances, and excellent atmosphere, I have no hesitation in recommending Res Evil without qualification.
There is one point of note, however. Some people I know who have seen the film but not played the games have enjoyed the film a little less than fans of the game. This is probably due to the back story the games provide. So, I'm giving this film two scores:
If you've not played the games - 7/10 - An above average thriller. If you have played the games - 9/10 - See it now!