May 31 2004
Movie: “Resident Evil” (2002)
Resident Evil (2002) directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.
Starring Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, James Purefoy and Martin Crewes.
Zombie Film Rating: 
Summary: According to the introduction, the Umbrella Corporation possesses a massive military weapons development facility (called “the hive”) located under Racoon City. Something has gone terribly wrong at this facility. A virus (the “T” virus) has been released, and the computer responsible for running all aspects of the operations in the Hive has locked the facility down.
We’re now introducted to Alice (Jovovich) who we find regaining consciousness lying on the floor of a shower, she appears to be suffering from amnesia, as her immediate surroundings are unfamiliar. As she explores this space she stumbles across an unknown male, only seconds before the windows explode and black clad assault guys fling themselves in through them (As an aside, I enjoyed the fact that the shoulder flashes on the SWAT style uniforms reads “Sanitation“, this may have been a reference to the video game, I’ve never played it…..)
It is explained to her that she is a security officer, an employee of the Umbrella Corporation, planted in this mansion with her partner (posing as her husband) to guard the secondary extrance to the hive. They explain that the “Red Queen” (the Hives computer) has gone homicidal, and they are not entirely sure why. They have 24 hours to enter the hive and learn the truth before the hive is locked down forever.
The team enters the hive, but finds no signs of any survivors (and indeed only find the body of one victim, submerged inside a flooded lab). Alice in the meantime is trying desperately to recover her lost memory, and to figure out what her exact relationship with her partner is.
The team finally arrives at the control centre for the “Red Queen” and has to traverse a long, strangely lit corridor to 
access the computer core itself, naturally as soon as 3 members enter the corridor the doors on either slam shut, and laser beams start slicing and dicing like a 22nd century Ginsu.
The team (now significantly reduced in number) finally gets into the core, and releases a portable EMP (Electro-magnetic pulse), disabling the computer, after having a short but threatening conversation with the a hologram representing the computer.
This has the benefit of unlocking all the doors previously under the control of the computer, the unfortunate side effect is that bad things are on the other side of those very doors. This is evidenced by the sudden arrival of a number of zombies (initially mistake for survivors) who encounter the team members outside the computer control room.
The team now finds itself running for its life, not only racing against the zombies, but also the clock (as they will be locked into the Hive should they fail to exit before the 24 hour deadline expires).
Again the team finds itself betrayed by Alices partner, who we discover was the cause of the virus outbreak within the Hive. He had attempted to steal the “T” virus to sell it, so he and Alice could live happily ever after (as an aside he meets a nasty end shortly thereafter).
The team (shedding members like an 80’s punk band) finally escapes having been whittled down to just Alice and her more morally upright love interest (who has unfortunately been exposed to a variant of the “T” virus”), as they exit the hive (just in the nick of time) they are swept down upon by agents of the Umbrella Corporation and seperated.
Alice again wakes from an artificially imposed sleep to find herself nearly naked on an examination table in some sort of lab. She is locked in, but manages to defeat the lock using a needle from her IV. She finds the entire hospital deserted, and as she exits from the main entrance finds the streets empty, with debris suggesting massive chaos.
She arms herself with a shotgun (from an abandoned police cruiser), and stands ready to face her fate (which of course is the sequel).
Critique: A high budget, but lackluster zombie film. Some nice sequences, shiny effects and generally satisfactory showing by all concerned, it leaves me wanting (and expecting) a little more.
I am not a fan of the video game, having played it once one morning at a friends place when I was suffering from insomnia, so I really don’t have the background knowledge to establish what may or may not have been inside jokes.
I have some hope for the sequel, which is due out some time this year. I have to be entirely honest, while I am looking forward to a new zombie film, I am NOT expecting another Dawn of the Dead.