Resident Evil (2002) Revisited – Horror Movie Review

Ah the early 2000s. The XBOX, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube were the hottest videogame consoles around. Limp Bizkit, Smash Mouth, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, and Usher were ruling the airwaves and little did we know we would be blessed with tons of horror video game movie adaptations as well. Granted, some weren’t that great, looking at you House of the Dead, Doom and Alone in the Dark. But there also were some fun films from this genre…Silent Hill and Resident Evil. At the time, both weren’t exactly loved by critics, but they did have their fans and have each spawned sequels. Today, we’re looking at the first Resident Evil (watch it HERE) on this episode of Horror Revisited.

Let’s start back in January 1997. Resident Evil had already released on the Playstation One to critical fame as well as being adored by gamers. A German Production Company by the name of Constantin Film, bought the live-action rights for Resident Evil. They would hire Alan B. McElroy to write it. This would be described as an action/horror film packed with violence and would be similar to the original game. In this version, there was no mention of the Umbrella Corporation or STARS. It followed a special forces team sent by the government to rescue scientists from the famous mansion lab. They were called in because a SWAT team that was sent earlier would be wiped out. Eventually, they realize it’s a trap and are pawns inside the lab. Unfortunately, this script was rejected. Eventually George A. Romero would even be involved after his beloved television commercial for the game’s sequel Resident Evil 2. He would write a total of five to six different scripts but all would be rejected.

Back in 1995, a little known video game movie adaptation was released in theaters. It was called Mortal Kombat. It would go on to become a very commercially successful product and was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Anderson had played the first Resident Evil and saw the potential in it. He wrote a script called Undead, which was a ripoff of the game. The bigwigs at Constantin Film loved his idea and had Anderson develop it into a script that we now know as the first Resident Evil film. Later in 2000, Anderson would be announced as director and writer of the film and would enter the pre-production process.

During the casting process, Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodrigues and James Purefoy would be the first few to sign onto the project. Eric Mabius and Heike Makatsch would eventually join the cast as well.

Production began on March 5, 2001 in Adlershof Studios in Berlin as well as its surroundings including the unfinished U-Bahnhof Bundestag train station, Landsebeger Allee, Kaserne Krampnitz and the Schloss Lindstedt.

This version of Resident Evil follows the story of Alice, played by Milla Jovovich, an amnesiac woman who wakes up in a mysterious mansion. As she explores her surroundings, she encounters a team of commandos led by James Shade, the great Colin Salmon. The mansion is an entrance to the Hive, an underground research facility owned by the powerful Umbrella Corporation. The facility is in lockdown due to the release of the T-virus, a biological weapon developed by Umbrella. The virus turns the facility’s staff into flesh-eating zombies, and Alice and the commandos must navigate through the perilous corridors, facing mutated creatures and traps. As the group delves deeper into the Hive’s secrets, they uncover the Red Queen, an artificial intelligence overseeing the facility. The Red Queen reveals that the T-virus was released intentionally to contain the outbreak. Throughout their journey, the survivors confront not only the undead but also the conspiracies of Umbrella, leading to a climactic showdown against the corporation’s malevolent forces.

Just like in the video game, The Umbrella Corporation served as the primary antagonist. The decision to focus on this corrupt pharmaceutical conglomerate as the source of the T-virus outbreak provided a compelling narrative backdrop. One that might even feel relevant 22 years later. The film dives headfirst into the unethical experiments conducted by Umbrella, adding layers to the plot and setting the stage for future installments to come.

Visuals and Special Effects were used a lot during the film. Anytime though you see a CGI Monster on screen, you’re completely taken out of the film. It hasn’t aged all that well. While we have our own opinions on them, they still contributed to the film’s overall visual impact, especially when bringing the mutated created and the Red Queen AI to life. Anderson hired cinematographer David Johnson and together they would construct an eerie atmosphere as well as a dark and immersive world.

Professional dancers were hired to star as zombies. This is because they had better control oof their body movements. Because of a shortage of manpower and limited amount of dancers, some of Capcom’s executives and the films producers all would agree to make appearances as background zombies.

Also during the post production process, the score would be composed by Marco Beltrami and Marilyn Manson. Manson made the score sound electronic and thought it sounded differently than much of his previous work.

The film was originally scheduled to release on October 26, 2001 just in time for Halloween…but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Not until January 2002 did audiences see the first trailer for it. Resident Evil’s new release date would be March 15, 20002. Sony Pictures was distributing the film in North America through their Screen Gems label.

The film opened to $17 million and ranked in second place behind Ice Age. It would go on to gross $40 million domestically and $103 million worldwide. Currently it sits with a score of 35% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus saying “Like other video game adaptations, Resident Evil is loud, violent, formulaic and cheesy.” While critics like Roger Ebert dismissed the film, people like James Cameron would go on to call it his biggest guilty pleasure.

It would release on VHS and DVD on July 30,2002. It would come with a bunch of documentaries including five featurettes, score composition, costume design, set design, zombie make up tests and Slipknot’s music video for My Plague.

Two years later, A deluxe edition DVD was released which included new special features including an alternate ending, and some new featurettes as well as a sneak preview of the upcoming sequel. It would eventually get the HD transfer it so deserved in 2008 alongside the other two films of the then trilogy.

We’ve stated countless times in this episode about the sequels. The first sequel Resident Evil: Apocalypse would release in 2004… but that’s a story for another time.

After having seen this film countless times growing up, I can side with James Cameron in calling it a guilty pleasure. While there are plenty of problems with it, there’s also many things right with it too. It successfully captures the essence of the video game series and incorporates iconic elements from the games, including the T-virus outbreak, zombie creatures, and the ominous Umbrella Corporation. It also effectively builds a tense and atmospheric horror setting within the confines of the Umbrella Corporation’s underground facility and gives a very chilling atmosphere much like a survival horror game. Milla Jovovich is a strong lead performance and adds depth to her narrative. The pacing is well-managed, maintaining a steady rhythm that builds tension and leads to a satisfying climax. It also ends on such a fist pumping moment, that you can’t wait to see what’s in store for Alice as she is about to undertake the remains of Racoon City.

In summary, revisiting Resident Evil is what I would consider to be a good movie. due to its faithful adaptation, atmospheric horror, strong performances, a well-balanced blend of horror and action, introduction of original elements, engaging plot and establishment of a successful franchise… even if it’s visuals haven’t aged well.

Two previous episodes of Revisited can be seen below. To see more of our shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals channel – and subscribe while you’re at it!