As you all know, this flick is based on the popular Capcom video game “Resident Evil”. Although the film is a prequel to the game and doesn’t showcase any of its characters (no Jill Valentine in the house), it still sports many of its elements: the mansion, the un-dead dogs (very well done), the zombies, The Umbrella Corporation, the “licker” beast, Raccoon City and a hint about “Nemesis” (who will be explored in the sequel).

Having played and dug the first two Resident Evil games didn’t interfere one bit with my enjoyment of its exhilarating cinematic counterpart. I really didn’t expect or want to see a frame-by-frame rendition of the game, I just hoped for a good old time at the movies and that’s exactly what I got. Talk about a relentless, action-packed trip! The flick starts off with a loud bang and doesn’t let up until its way kool “open for a sequel” ending. I’m talking vicious flesh-hungry zombie attack sequences, mucho exciting gun play, one particularly tense sequence involving a deadly laser beam, an awesome scene with slimy zombie dogs chasing scantily clad Milla Jovovich (Alice) around and one hell of a badass licker beast causing fun (for us) havoc. The movie just never stopped delivering the bloody goods and much like the video game, we get to follow the characters as they overcome crazy obstacles over crazier obstacles to try to get out of the mess alive. FUN FREAKING TIMES!

Which leads me to the film’s biggest flaw: its characters. Since the action moves so fast and the acting is mostly about reacting to intense shite going on, there isn’t much room left for character development. The soldiers (or whatever they are) are never properly introduced (they just barge into the action and start kicking that bootie) and the dialogue is mostly used for necessary exposition about the situation. Actually, there are three dudes in here with brown hair and at times I got confused as to who was who. A minute or two should’ve been taken to explore the players more extensively early on. In consequence, I never really cared about anybody but Alice (Jovovich) whose drop dead gorgeous looks, compensated for any lack of depth she might have had. Another small problem I had with this un-dead puppy is that on occasion, characters would pop up in a setting (alone) with no explanation as to how they got there or why they separated themselves from the group. That would bother me for about half a second but then gnarly action would kick in and distract me away from the specific plot hole. I’d get all riled up, sit on the edge of my seat and forget all about it. Clever, clever…  

On the characters' plus side, I did appreciate the light whodunit as to who unleashed the virus. A few characters surprised me here as to their true nature and that got me somewhat involved on a human level (I said "somewhat"). I also dug the whole amnesia subplot which was slapped in there in regards to the Alice and Spencer (Purefoy) characters. Seeing both characters (especially hot-to-trot Alice) slowly remembering who they were while regaining their combat skills, put a grin on my amused face. Personally, I can’t think of a more satisfying image than Milla Jovovich in a shorter than “Gary Coleman” red skirt snapping all kinds of zombie necks and kicking the crap out of various beasties. Man, I love tough females, they really crank my dial!

Now I’ve heard many voice their concern in regards to the “Matrix-like” fight sequences and the overuse of CGI in the film. Well, let me offer you some comfort by saying that the only “Matrix-like” shot in this celluloid nightmare involves Milla kicking that freaking demon dog in the head (as seen in the trailer) and that the CGI is actually mostly subtlety used to enhanced some of the more basic visual effects (like the zombies). Sure, the “licker” creature looked a tad CGI in certain scenes, but overall, he came across as pretty bad (in a good way) to me and I loved seeing him go haywire. All that to say that it’s not as tacky as you might think.

George Romero was initially supposed to write and direct "Resident Evil" but Capcom didn’t like his script. You can find the screenplay here.