Science-fiction horror classic of the early years of the new millennium that has aged surprisingly well

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2020)

Resident Evil is the first of six live action movies based upon the Japanese Biohazard video game franchise. The movie tells the story of a mysterious attack on an underground research facility known as The Hive that is owned by Umbrella Corporation. A specialized commando attempts to enter the vast complex and find out what has happened. Three amnesiacs who are found near the facility are captured by the the commando. The group soon realizes that the scientists have been murdered and that the research facility hides abominable secrets that put their lives in danger.
This movie has aged surprisingly well. The special effects look barely dated and convince with a gripping dystopian atmosphere. The locations are particularly intriguing as the entire movie takes place in a dark underground research facility and its immediate surroundings. The soundtrack underlines the film's atmosphere and comes around with sinister, liberating and gripping nu metal and alternative rock music. The story comes around with a few twists and turns. The characters are quite intriguing, especially enigmatic lead character Alice played by an excellent Milla Jovovich, tough police officer Rain Ocampo played by Michelle Rodriguez and the holograph played by Michaela Dicker who represents the facility's artificial intelligence known as the Red Queen. Resident Evil offers a balanced mixture of atmospheric and tense sequences and brutal and dynamic scenes. The combination of action, horror, mystery and science-fiction elements is also quite balanced.
In the end, Resident Evil is certainly one of the very best live action movies based upon a video game franchise. I initially watched this film as a teenager and liked it but I have recently been watching it again as an adult and have come to the conclusion that I like it even better today than I did back in the days. The movie is in the spirit of numerous horror and science-fiction movies of the late nineties and early years of the millennium such as Cube, Equilibirum and My Little Eye. If you like these films, you are going to adore Resident Evil. Make sure to check out the video games as well if you haven't done so already.