Resident Evil

Rating: 6/10 (19 September 2005)

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Mortal Kombat, AVP: Alien vs. Predator, Death Race, Pompeii), I had always heard of the popular zombie survival horror video games series, and I had enjoyed the George A. Romero Living Dead films, I was hoping for the same entertainment with this video game based film. Basically the film starts in the secret underground laboratory located beneath Raccoon City, called The Hive, owned by the Umbrella Corporation, an accident occurs and a deadly chemical called the T-Virus is released into the facility, the artificial intelligence security system, The Red Queen, traps all workers inside to contain the infection. Alice (The Fifth Element's Milla Jovovich) awakens alone in a deserted mansion, she is suffering from short-term amnesia, she is shortly accompanied by police officer Matt Addison (Ugly Betty's Eric Mabius), before he is subdued by a military unit, sent by the Umbrella Corporation. The commandos consist of leader James "One" Shade (Colin Salmon), Rain Ocampo (Michelle Rodriguez), medic Chad Kaplan (Martin Crewes), J.D. (Pasquale Aleardi) and two others, they have been assigned to shut down the main computer and quarantine the virus, and along the way also meet fellow amnesiac Spence Parks (A Knight's Tale's James Purefoy), he was in a sham marriage with Alice, to protect the Hive's entrance. To get to the Hive the team must first travel the long underground train system to reach the facility, and pass through the various, and dangerous, security and weapon systems they unintentionally activate, including a laser defence system that slices most of the commandos into pieces. Alice and the remaining members manage to get to the circuit board containing the Red Queen system, it is deactivated and all doors are unlocked, but the team had not counted on the release of a horde of zombified people, these undead creatures were formerly the staff working inside the Hive, they have been infected by the T-Virus. After battling with these flesh hungry mutated people, Alice suggests reactivating the Red Queen who will be able to explain what happened in the Hive, the artificial intelligence explains the infection that spread, that the virus is contagious and reanimates dead bodies with an impulse, they are driven by the basic need to feed, one bite or scratch from a creature and that person will become one themselves, trauma to the head is the only way to kill them. The team try to navigate their way out of the facility and back to the train to reenter Raccoon City, but the zombies are all over the place and blocking their path, as well as mutated dogs, and an experimental beast made from evolution in human flesh, and they must also be careful not to bring the effects of the T-Virus to the surface and spread the infection further. Also starring Ryan McCluskey as Mr. Grey, Oscar Pearce as Mr. Red, Indra Ové as Ms. Black, Anna Bolt as Dr. Green, Joseph May as Dr. Blue, Heike , Makatsch as Lisa, Jaymes Butler as Clarence, Stephen Billington as Mr. White, Fiona Glascott as Ms. Gold and Jason Isaacs as Dr. William Birkin, also narrating. Jovovich is great being the kick-ass woman who slowly regains her memory and a bunch of martial arts and gun skills, Rodriguez is also feisty, the supporting cast all do well also, the special effects and makeup for the zombies, mutated things and scientific stuff are all cool, and the music by shock rocker Marilyn Mason gives the action edge, it is exciting compared to the rubbish or average sequels that followed, a great science- fiction horror action film. Good!