Post by slayrrr666 on Oct 29, 2010 10:38:41 GMT -5
"Resident Evil" is a pretty good flick if given the chance.
**SPOILERS**
In an underground facility known as The Hive, a deadly virus is accidentally unleashed on the employees, forcing the facility into a lock-down. The next morning, Alice, (Milla Jovovich) and her husband Matt, (Eric Mabius) are taken from their home by a group of commandos and are taken into The Hive. Alice is completely clueless about the whole experience, yet Matt seems to know more about the group. Upon entering The Hive, the defense mechanisms think they are intruders and start using security measures to deal with them. Finally discovering the truth about the computer's shut down, the second wave of defenses activating results in the release of zombies and other mutations from inside. It becomes a fight to survive the rampaging onslaughts and get out alive.
The Good News: I know this one isn't that well liked, but it isn't that bad when it's judged on it's own values. The fact is, this is simply a nice, action-packed film that really doesn't has some nice action set-pieces. The initial shoot-out with the zombies is a clear highlight, containing some really nice shoot-outs layered in. The fact that there appears to be small glimpses of them not being able to get the upper hand work wonderfully. The relentless onslaught of the ever-approaching zombies being mowed down and a large mass approaching make the scene all the better due to it's hopelessness. The final voyage back home features a couple nice one really neat sequence, where a continuous attack by a mutated creature is coincided by with a zombie attack by one of the characters inside a cramped car. It's a pretty nicely realized scene that has some nice bits of action in it. There are scattered moments in here that are quite nicely used in here. Beyond the action, there are more than enough moments of suspense crept into the film. The opening abduction is the main one, as the long, dark, empty hallways, obscure angles and the lone person wandering around in a skimpy outfit are quite easily influenced from the Gothic school of suspense. It's a nice change from more modern films that eschew that kind of style. In most locations, the wide open spaces inside the building are the cause for most of the feelings of isolation and dread that are apparent in the film. In the opening part, it's quite established that a feeling of unease will permeate the movie, and for most of the film, this is true. This helps to generate some shocks. Generally, there are mostly cheap shock jumps yet they do work some of the time. However, the film's greatest feat is the character ark of Alice. Initially starting out with amnesia and being forced to remember events as things go along, her recollection pieces together the puzzling plot is a nice, creative idea. By making Alice as clueless as we are about events and procedures, we follow her to get the whole story about what's going on. It's a nice idea.
The Bad News: While not exactly a bad movie, it's still not without flaw. First and foremost, a zombie film should have some zombies present in it. There are around five or six scenes with zombies in it, and most of them are grouped together into a small segment of the film. Of the film. This needed to be a much higher number than what was present here, as there isn't much room to have other creatures in a zombie movie. The fact that the zombies themselves are so rarely on screen is made all the more confusing when they look marvelous. Closer to an Americanized version of Italian zombies, with rotting faces, hunks of skin missing, and wounds and scars all over the body, they definitely leave an impression when its all said and done and it's so much weirder that they aren't shown so much. Also, the film has very little gore in a zombie film, and it can be a little weird watching one for zombie fans that isn't a normal stomach-churned film. The biggest strike, though, is the whole movie just feels too glossy and marketed. While there are scenes with suspense in here, it has a feeling of being too impersonal to the subject matter, and that leads to a dull experience if unprepared for it. I really don't have to mention the terrible-looking CGI creatures that pop up every now and then, that just seems like a waste to typing room.
The Final Verdict: A glossy, impersonal zombie flick than can entertain in spurts, but isn't the savior of the genre it so wants to be. Had it felt more real, I think it would be a better received movie, but I can live with them if it means that we get big-budget zombie movies. Give it a chance, but don't knock it just because you can. It can slip in and become a guilty pleasure.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Brief Nudity