Diagonaldi Very well executed

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

cricketbat I was surprised with how much I enjoyed Resident Evil. Despite the clumsy dialogue, cheap special effects and Michelle Rodriguez, I found myself getting caught up in it all. This feels like a fresh take on the zombie genre and I would be happy to add it to my collection of horror films.

The Movie Diorama No one could've predicted that this was going to be the start of something massive. Regarded by many as the ultimate guilty pleasure series, this first instalment gives us zombies, a badass female protagonist and an utterly convoluted plot. A woman simply known as "Alice" wakes up unable to recall her memories. A specialised team take her and infiltrate 'The Hive' which has entered a state of lockdown. Why? Viral breakout obviously. The infamous T-Virus. Fans of Capcom's survival horror games of the same name, will be immensely disappointed. There's no horror, there's limited survival and replicates nothing from the first game. It's simply taken the name and turned into something else. Fortunately, whilst I've played the game and discount myself as a fanboy, I honestly don't mind the lack of replication. Call it a film reinvention as you will. Doesn't stop it from being mediocre though. Paul W.S. Anderson directs what looks like a B-Movie. Cringeworthy dialogue, although with some damn good one liners from the badass Michelle Rodriguez, terrible and dated effects that are incorporated in a plot that finds itself incredibly confused. What seems like a simple infiltration turns out to be a mess fuelled by patchy flashbacks and exposition. Milla Jovovich definitely transforms herself and you can start to see her action stardom manifest. There is an almighty personality switch where her timid and quiet self transforms into the ultimate badass b**** in town. She does not give a flip what you think. She kicks a zombie dog in the face for Christ's sake! I appreciate the usage of props and makeup, but simple aesthetics does not create a good film. Mediocrity at its finest. A sentence I'll be saying consistently in these reviews...

Thomas Drufke Video game movies have been awful for decades now. Resident Evil isn't necessarily the exception to that rule, but it's nowhere near as awful as the genre has been.Resident Evil is at its best when it pushes aside the politics of this "secret military group" named The Umbrella, and instead is an homage to the original Alien. When the film takes twists and turns that are supposed to surprise you, when in fact, they feel like a weak attempt at shock, it becomes overwhelmingly convoluted. But in the instances that the survivors, led by Alice (Milla Jovovich), are scrambling through rooms doing anything to survive CGI creatures and flesh eating zombies, Resident Evil is pure guilty pleasure.Much like the Underworld franchise, I honestly don't care about any of the supporting characters. Knowing where most zombie flicks go, there's really no use to getting attached to secondary characters when you know their deaths are all but guaranteed. I did, however, find Alice to be compelling, as long as the sequels do more to expand her history and explain how she became an absolute bada**. In fact, one can make the argument that Alice is a more likable character than Selene is in Underworld.As I've said a lot recently, there's nothing wrong with a mindless action adventure if it doesn't take itself too seriously. Resident Evil is actually a pretty serious film, people are dying left and right, and the world is on the brink of an apocalypse. But there's something to be said about a throwback action-horror taking place in one confined space. In this case, it gives the viewer a sense of what a first person shooter game with this story would feel like. I've never played any of the games, but I can certainly see where this story lends itself to the video game medium. Now, is there an excuse for a horrendous looking creature via CGI? Or maybe some truly useless characters with weak (at best) dialogue? No, I can't say there is. But hey, it's a solid cable watch.+Action that doesn't pull punches+Alice is likable-Dated CGI-Inexcusably bad dialogue5.8/10

Leofwine_draca Films based on computer games have long been the bane of modern cinema and RESIDENT EVIL does little to change the pattern they have fallen into over the years. This is an almost plot less action epic with a few zombies and monsters thrown in as an afterthought; a well-executed exercise in suspense, fear, and frights which goes through the motions without ever being engaging. Every cliché in the book is present here, from the actions of the zombies to the situations our characters find themselves in and the finale, amongst other things. In fact the best bit of the film is the very beginning, the prologue showing the complex spiralling out of control with death and destruction as a result; the feeling of helplessness and despair is overpowering and hard-hitting; personally I connected this with the real-life reactions of victims of disasters such as the World Trade Center bombing and thus found it very powerful stuff.From then on the tired formula follows a bunch of marines infiltrating a spookily deserted base (more than a few nods to ALIENS here) and finding themselves picked off one by one by a number of menaces: genetic mutations, the living dead, a malevolent super computer, and skinless dogs. Having never played the game I can't comment on the connection, although I guess that the "feel" is spot on. The film's biggest loss is the gaping hole left by the departure of George Romero, who would have undoubtedly made this something special. Flashy workman Paul W. S. Anderson has little of Romero's skill and expertise in the genre and we're left only wondering what it would have been like with gory George on board.Technically the film is very good, excellent use being made of the budget and some interesting actors giving edgy performances. Lead Milla Jovovich manages to make her character smart AND sexy whilst the supporting male actors give subdued but solid turns. The only turn-off is Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Vasquez from ALIENS again, except without the likability; her character fails to engage on any level, making her plight (she finds herself the victim of a zombie bite) rather uninteresting. On the plus side, special effects are very good indeed (zombies have never looked better), whether makeup or solid CGI work (especially the skinless dogs, which provide a worthwhile menace; unfortunately the genetic mutation which turns up later on looks exactly like what it is, a pretty but hollow computer pattern). The script, however, is pretty shallow and the twists and surprises telegraphed a mile off.This is a film of two halves; the first builds up the suspense whilst the latter provides the payoff, namely the action. I prefer the former, with its gradually building intrigue and growing horror, scenes of genuine nastiness, excellent use of lighting, and a dark, brooding atmosphere. The action is all right but ruined by a loud, irritating and out-of-place soundtrack incorporating the likes of Marilyn Manson. I remember being annoyed when UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: THE RETURN used a similar technique. I don't want to be blown out of my chair by several decibels when watching a film, and such intrusive noise only dispels the realism and takes you out of it. Without the music this would have been a lot better. Thankfully, there are some scenes of gore to take your mind off the flaws, with some nasty laser dissections copied from Canadian indie hit CUBE and some zombie-munching fun, although hardcore gore lovers will be disappointed by the lack of intestine-munching. As a fun, brainless popcorn flick this delivers, but there isn't much to stay in your mind afterwards and it has little re-watchability value. Not bad but could have been a heck of a lot better.