Put it this way ... the videogame was better.

Rating: 6/10 (23 April 2003)

Heya! Well I saw this film twice, first in the cinema and secondly on a rented DVD. The first time I went to see it I wasn't extremely excited about it because I am not a huge Resident Evil fan. I have played most of the games before so I suppose the film did attract my interest a little. I left the cinema feeling a little disappointed, I wasn't built up for an amazing film and as I said before I wasn't overly-excited but I guess I just expected more...
The second time I was actually more eager to see it. My friends had rented some DVDs and among their neat little pile was Resident Evil. I felt that maybe when I watched it this time I would appreciate some of the better bits more rather than criticising all the less than satisfactory areas of the film, I was riding on hope, and I guess I came up with the conclusion that this film is just a little above AVERAGE.
First of all let's start with the acting ... fine! Eric Mabius (who played Matt Addison) was just average. He acted as if he was acting, I know that may not make sense but that's how I feel. Milla Jovovich (she has the same first name as me! I thought I was the only one) (playing Alice) acted well and in some scenes her acting was superb(SPOILER: the scene where she has to decide between killing Rain and her own survival). Michelle Rodriguez, ofcourse, pulled off the tough bitch (she played Rain) act with more than a little ease. The rest of the actors were fine however some were mediocre in parts (Martin Crewes).
I was expecting a spooky mansion with plenty of jumps and chilling special effects. Whilst playing the videogame I jumped hundreds of times and I jumped no times during this film. Unless you have a serious fear of zombies then this film isn't extremely scary...either. The special effects were good in parts (amazing looking zombie dogs) but really, really weak in others (that 'Licker' monster...it almost spoiled the film). The setting was fine and I liked the transitions between computer and reality. The storyline was also interesting and easy to follow and there were a few scenes in the film that were quite tense. Also, using a child's hologram as one of the main villains in the film was an excellent idea and very intriguing and she was actually kind of spooky.
The make-up was okay methinks. The zombies weren't amazing looking but did pull off the 'dead' sensation quite well. I think the make-up artists were going for a more subtle 'dead' feel rather than a gore-spattered monster look (however in my opinion I think this would've worked better). However some of the effects with the zombies (walking on a broken ankle) were excellent, and overall the sheer mass of flesh-eating dead monsters were enough to disturb you.
The action was quite good too. This was one of the better parts of the film, Milla Jovovich racing through corridors, beating the crap out of zombies, executing amazing flying kicks off walls and firing some flashy weaponry made for entertaining watching.
I am not a serious Rock fan but I know good music when I hear it. I'm not saying all the music in the film was good however it worked with the film well and created an eerie harmony, music and image flowed smoothly and effectively together.
The ending in my opinion was a nice, bitter-sweet twist as well. Some people were just fed up with the film thus far and cared nothing for the ending but I felt that it set the film up for a flowing sequel and was also an unexpected, chilling ending.
Overall it retained the essentials of the game and was quite entertaining. It's watchable, you can sit and watch it with no qualms whatsoever however it's not a film you'd go out of your way to make time for. I'm not sure about the DVD, I wouldn't mind owning it but I suppose it wouldn't get a lot of use on my shelf. Combining the acting, action, tension, storyline and other aspects of the film...it was just slightly above average.
Watch it, you probably won't regret it! Some scenes are enjoyable and memorable but most likely you'll forget the rest of the film...
6/10