Resident Evil (2002)

As I was looking for a movie last night, I decided to watch something with a zombie theme. This Sunday my friends over at the Save the Chapel movement are filming a short zombie flick at the Evans City Cemetery and unfortunately I cannot make it (for details on this shoot - check out their website or facebook page). Oh well, with this being Veterans Day Weekend, I decided to watch something I could focus on all weekend, so my choice was the Resident Evil series. First up for review, the one that started it all, Resident Evil from 2002.

Plot/ A special military unit fights a powerful, out-of-control supercomputer and hundreds of scientists who have mutated into flesh-eating creatures after a laboratory accident.

I will admit I have never played a Resident Evil video game, so for me watching the movies was my way into the ethos (something I like to do not being a gamer). This film was the first and possibly best of the series. Yes, there were some cliché zombie moments that were detractors, but those were few and far between. This flick was much more than cliché, featuring a nice blend of action, tension and horror, while laying out a layered storyline.  The atmosphere, acting, cinematography and pacing were all solid, not to mention a tremendous soundtrack and some great special effects that worked perfectly for the mood of the film. Milla Jovovich was ideal for the role of Alice (the rest of the cast too bad either) and did a masterful job throughout. Sure, this was not truly a horror or zombie movie, featuring more action and adventure than terror, but that does not matter. In the end, this was one of the flicks that re-energized the zombie movement and one that should be watched not because it was a video game, but because it is truly entertaining.