Based on the popular videogame series of the same name, the movie takes us deep in to The Hive, a secret research establishment buried deep under Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation develop new chemicals and drugs. Alice (Jovovich) awakes to find herself in a strange, eerie mansion, and is pulled in to The Hive when a team of commandos arrive to deactivate the Red Queen – the Hive's supercomputer that has apparently gone mad and killed everyone inside.
I'm a big fan of the RE games. I love shooting zombies and there are few games that make me jump but they do. Paul Anderson clearly had this in mind when he wrote and directed the movie, because we get lots of very cool zombie shooting and enough things jumping out at you to keep you on edge for the duration. Stylishly shot it really captures the mood and tension of the games, and cleverly unfolds the back-story as a backdrop to the plight of our heroes.
The comely Jovovich is good as the amnesiac commando who gets to kick a fair amount of zombie ass whilst wearing a little red dress. The supporting characters, including Michelle Rodriguez, run and scream and shoot and die as they should do, but put in good performances nonetheless. Really the set design is the star here, providing scary corridors and laboratories straight out of the movie.
The film moves at a fair pace and has some excellent set pieces, and the ending, which leaves a few questions unanswered, sets it up for a sequel that I will certainly be going to see. A special mention should be made of the score, by Marco Beltrami and Marilyn Manson, which really is excellent – scary, atmospheric and very powerful, one of the best I have heard in recent years and certainly adds to the experience of watching this movie. All in all it's not a classic, there are lots of ideas that have been done before, but it is a good movie, mixing action with horror in to an enjoyable film that does justice to the game series.
The DVD is nicely presented with a booklet covering a few key production notes. The picture is absolutely pin-sharp throughout and really suits a movie set in laboratories, giving it a sterilised feel. Vivid colours are presented with no bleed and reflections and explosions presented in striking detail. The DD5.1 soundtrack is also excellent and delivers a powerful score coupled with many surround effects which had me looking behind to see if someone had come in to the room – all of which adds to the atmosphere. I would say that this movie is better being watched in your home on a decent set-up than at the cinema.
The extra features start with a 25 minute Making of, which has interviews with cast and crew, plus behind the scenes and post-production footage. Covering most of the main points, from the genesis of the movie through to the CGI work, covers a surprising amount of detail in its time and is one of the best-produced documentaries I have seen on DVD.
A ten-minute documentary examines the scoring of the movie and features interviews with Marco Beltrami, Marilyn Manson and Paul Anderson, and it is an insightful, entertaining piece that makes you go back and listen to the soundtrack again. You also get a short piece on costumes and make-up, which is really too short to be of much interest. The best extra however is the commentary, featuring Paul Anderson, Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez. It's mad, really bizarre. You have Anderson talking about the production, whilst Rodriguez and Jovovich talk about breasts, video games and violence, with the occasional discussion on the movie or production parties. It is fun but a bit confusing at times, but very entertaining. It also refers to stuff that didn't make the DVD – a separate SFX commentary and a completely different ending, which makes me wonder when we will see them.
So if you like the games, or zombie \ action movies, then you are probably going to want this on your shelf, as I do.