Not Too Shabby.

Rating: Null/10 (17 March 2002)

When dealing with an adaption, no matter what the sorry (book, game, comic etc), viewers have to expect SOME THINGS to be altered or changed. That was something I was having a great deal of trouble dealing with when preparing myself for the flick. My biggest complaint going in was that this wasn't going to be the eerie mansion horror survivor adaption that my Playstation and I grew quite fond of, so I walked in very skeptic.

The movie, to my surprise, started in the mansion and then advanced forward to the secret Umbrella Corp labs. and combined elements of all of the games into one movie. Throughout the movie, the acting as well as the diologue is inconsistant. When it's good, its really cool, but when it's bad, it's laughable (ie when Michelle R.'s character says 'Poor B**tards'). While not trying to RELY on humor, there were a few good oneliners, though a few should have been more polished and spread out. As a lover of the game series, you can either love it or hate it. No, the first movie (yes, the sequel is already being, if not finished, written) does not follow the first game with a dark mansion filled with traps, puzzles and creatures, but rather the last fourth of the first game where you are underground in the labs, searching for Chris (Milla and Eric are obvious representations of Jill and Chris. Milla even dresses like Jill). After you let go of the fact that this is more like an amalgam, you being to appreciate this as an alternate RE chapter with a few nods and references for fans of the games. Any old horror fans will see this as a revamped, perhaps better version of Romero's Day of the Dead (I would have loved to see his version of this). All in all, with the faced past action, the somewhat intruiging plot, stylish directing and well forged score, Resident Evil turns out to at LEAST be a very entertaining movie. Go for it.