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Film Details:
Written & Directed by Paul Anderson (Mortal Kombat, Event Horizon) Starring Review: by Don (e-mail your faithful reviewer) I recently had the pleasure to see the Resident Evil movie on DVD so, while some of you may have seen the film, I'm reviewing it anyway. all right.. I'm a fan of the Resident Evil video games, and I have to say I was quite pleased with this adaptation. Yes, they changed a handful of things, but c'mon, they always do. The effects of the T-virus were sped up a bit for the purposes of the film and I understand the necessity of that. They only have 101 minutes here people. The opening sequence helps explain how the T-virus managed to get loose inside the Umbrella Corporation Hive, and sets up a lovely plot point for later in the film. Our Main Character is Milla Jovovich (MEE-la YO-vo-vitch - she makes rather a big deal out of the pronunciation of her name on the Commentary track) as the amnesiac Alice. Alice awakes in the shower in an unfamiliar place. She finds clothes that fit her, and large weapons. One of life's great truths is that when one is naked, vulnerable and confused, it's always good to find something stylish to wear and large caliber weaponry before anything else finds you. Alice represents the viewer, the player. She knows virtually nothing of the place she is in and as she learns more and regains her memory, you the viewer learn with her. It's a good story device to help the movie feel similar to the game. Of course the strange place she is in is The Mansion. Those of you who are familiar with the games know what I'm talking about. The rest of you... without having experienced the games, you're going to be lost. Many of the set designs were lifted directly from the game and creature designs were almost entirely unaltered. I found the film to be quite claustrophobic and creepy, managing to instill that same sense of quiet paranoia that the games produce. Yes, it is a sort of prequel and yes, there are elements of the film that differ greatly from the games, but I don't find that it detracts from the movie at all. As I said before, they always change something. Always. The ending of the film is wonderful, easily setting up a sequel with the Nemesis Project for later use. Again, those who are unfamiliar with the games, I'm sorry. Go buy the games and get to playing. Resident Evil: Nemesis is slated for theaters in 2003... you need to catch up. DVD Details: Digitally Mastered Audio and Anamorphic Video The DVD looks and sounds great with the moaning of monsters and the clicking of dog's toenails being wonderfully creepy. The reds of the film stand out well, given the hi-def transfer. There is some speculation about a Director's Cut DVD still to come... which is supported by the fact that on the commentary track director Paul Anderson mentions DVD Features that are not actually on the DVD. Further Information: |
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