AMAZINGLY WELL DONE!

Rating: 10/10 (3 July 2002)

I want to start off by saying that I was blown away by this movie. I am a big fan of horror movies. And seeing as most video game to movie adaptions are utter complete crap, I wasn't expecting too much from this movie. This movie grabbed my attention from the first frame and held it to the very end. I know what you're thinking...."Resident Evil a '10'?" Let me tell why this is is so well done. The games mostly focus on a company doing genetic experiments and create zombies. Mayhem ensues. The movie starts out telling you a little about the corporation. Not too much to make it a drawn-out scene, but to give enough to know what is going on. Anderson then makes a seamless transition from the intro right into the lab. The opening scene is done so well, without using a lot of dialogue and letting the music build up the tension. The score really makes the movie. A different score would have made this just another zombie flick, but Manson does his best work to date. (And I'm a big Manson fan who owns all his albums. I am eagerly awaiting his next release after hearing the Resident Evil theme.) The score starts with an ominous sound, followed by a creepy keyboard intro and a simple driving bass riff. As the song progresses, more and more tension builds as drums, guitar and the other sounds are added. This song is short, but works so well with the opening sequence in establishing the tone of the movie. Gothic, haunting and creepy all at the same time. Now about the other fronts. This isn't on the same level as some other movies. It isn't a brilliantly written script. The subject matter isn't very intellectual, but rather primal and savage. When making the judgment, you have to view the movie for what it is. A fun, gore-filled thrill ride. The actors don't do anything oscar-worthy, but they do portray their characters well. The make-up work IS oscar-worthy. While its not on the same level as something like Lord of the Rings, it is still quite amazing in its own right when seeing how many zombies they have to create. I would say the film is well-directed, seeing as the director did make an enthralling movie that kept me glued to my seat for the entire time. I don't think I've been so brought into the world of the film then with this movie. I also jumped at a few parts, which is doesn't happen often. This also has one of the best endings I've seen in a movie. So far, this is hands down the best horror movie I've seen in 2002, one of the best movies of 2002 and one of my favorite movies of the horror genre. I'd place right next to Night of the Living Dead, the other masterpiece. In fact, you could almost call this a modern version of the 1968 classic. Now, for the poor reviewers I have this to say. You probably didn't like this just because Romero didn't direct it. And while I consider Night a classic, I hated the other 2 movies in the Dead trilogy. And you can't say the movie didn't capture the spirit of the game. If anything, it captured it all to well. As with all movies, there are those who love and those who hate. My advice? Give this a try expecting nothing and just watch and enjoy the movie. You'll thank me later.