You’re all going to die down here.

• Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Horror
• Role: Alice Abernathy
• Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
• Selected Cast: Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, James Purefoy, Colin Salmon, Heike Makatsch
• Production Company: Sony Screen Gems
• U.S. Release Date: March 12 2002

Based on the wildly popular Biohazard video games, a viral leak prompts the high-intelligence super computer Red Queen to terminate all employees of a top secret, underground Umbrella facility called the “Hive”, and a team of special operatives, unaware of the of the true nature of the incident, is sent down into the underground laboratory to shut the down the computer, which is presumed to have malfunctioned. The team is accompanied by Umbrella special agents Alice (Milla Jovovich) and Spence (James Purefoy), who have no recollection of their past lives due to an emergency measure releasing a nerve gas into the immediate vicinity of the facility, as well as police detective Matt Addison (Eric Mabius), who is in search of his sister. Little do they know of the true results of the Umbrella-developed T-virus, turning both the living and the dead into undead creatures, driven by the most basic of needs - the need to feed.

Milla Jovovich portrays Alice, an Umbrella special agent who is forced to look upon the horrific results of the genetic and viral research sanctioned by the Umbrella Corporation with new eyes as a nerve gas induces a temporary amnesia in her. As flashbacks of her past continue to torment her, she begins to realize the extent of Umbrella’s inhumanity and understand that she needs all her knowledge and fighting skills if any of them are to survive the Hive and seek revenge from the corporation.

["That homicidal bitch killed my team."] “That homicidal bitch may be our only way out of here.”

“I’m not sure I want to remember what went on down here.”

“I’m missing you already.”

“I don’t know what we had, but it’s over.”

“I don’t remember the truth.”

“I could kiss you, you bitch!”

• Upon its opening weekend, Resident Evil debuted with roughly $17 million, which makes it the least successful debut of the franchise. Ironically, out of the three released films, it is also the best reviewed one.

• Although writer Paul W.S. Anderson is responsible for the screenplay of all three Resident Evil films, Resident Evil is the only one he directed. The film is Anderson’s second video game-based film - the first one was the 1995 Mortal Kombat.

• Milla met her fiancé, director Paul W.S. Anderson, for the first time during production of the film in 2001. The couple got engaged in March 2003.

• The name of Milla’s character, Alice, is never mentioned or expressed in any way onscreen until the end credits. Similarly, the word “zombie” is never used in the film.

• Legendary horror film director George A. Romero (e.g. Day of the Dead, 1985) was originally attached to the film. However, as Sony Screen Gems rejected Romero’s script, Romero left the project citing “creative differences”, after which the film was put to ice for over a year, until Paul W.S. Anderson signed on as his replacement.

• Milla did all her own stunts, except for the pipe jump in the sewer scene, in which a stunt double was used. Her agent forbade her from doing the scene in fear of the possibility she might be strangled by the wires. Her minor cuts and bruises were real, and thus there was no need for additional make-up.

• Although the character of Alice does not originate from the video games, something which has aggravated many game fans, the film nevertheless contains many references to the games themselves. For a list of references, please visit IMDb.com.

• Filming Alice’s dog fight scene proved to be a challenge when the dogs kept licking the blood and meat off themselves.

• In preparation for the film, Milla, co-star Eric Mabius and the special ops cast underwent a week of commando training. Their commando trainer, former Navy Seal Jaymes Butler, makes a brief cameo appearance in the film as the zombie guard attacking Alice in the dog fight scene.

• During production of the film, Milla accidentally right-hooked director Anderson, giving him a black eye. By the time the film reached post-production, Milla had in one way or another physically injured three cast and crew members.

• The dubbing in the German version of the film is infamously bad, indeed, to such an extent that some refer to it as “Pornosynchro”.

• Producer Jeremy Bolt as well as the presidents of Capcom America and Japan all make cameo appearances as zombies in the film. Capcom is the company behind the Biohazard video games, on which the film is based.

• The film contains several references to the story of Alice in Wonderland.

• The film was originally titled Resident Evil: Ground Zero, but was renamed to Resident Evil due to the September 11 terror attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, USA in 2001.

Upon its March 2002 release, Resident Evil received a largely mixed response, with some appreciating the film as being at times genuinely scary as well as an entertaining action flick with tough, sexy female leads, while others criticizing it for lacking in meaningful content and dialogue, for the scripts inescapable plot holes as well as for its cheap-looking CGI. Furthemore, game fans were not thrilled over Alice being the film’s lead protagonist as opposed to Jill Valentine, the original video game heroine.

Extracts from professional reviews:

“There is one neat effect when characters unwisely venture into a corridor and the door slams shut on them. Then a laser beam passes at head level, decapitating one. Another beam whizzes past at waist level, cutting the second in two while the others duck. A third laser pretends to be high but then switches to low, but the third character outsmarts it by jumping at the last minute. Then the fourth laser turns into a grid that dices its victim into pieces the size of a Big Mac. Since the grid is inescapable, what were the earlier lasers about? Does the corridor have a sense of humor? Alice/Janus Prospero/Marsha Thompson and her colleagues are highly trained scientists, which leads to the following exchange when they stare at a pool of zombie blood on the floor.” - Roger Ebert, Sun Times

“But while the Resident Evil games may have set new standards for thrills, suspense, and gore for video games, the movie really only succeeds in the third of these. Instead of creating real tension, it barrages you with false suspense and really loud, fast-paced techno metal (score by Marilyn Manson) to give the sense you should be scared. And when all else fails, gross the audience out. Worse, there’s not a drop of comic relief in sight.” - Annette Cardwell, Film Critic

“Writer/director/producer Paul W.S. Anderson takes pages from the likes of Alien, Deep Blue Sea, The Night of the Living Dead and 2001 and presents a thoroughly unoriginal, but fast-paced and entertaining genre B-flick. [...] Jovovich shows a lot of presence as the tough zombie warrior with a humanistic streak that may be a cover for prior crimes. Girlfight’s Michelle Rodriguez is typecasting herself into a corner with her pugilistic pout. The rest of the cast is comprised of somewhat familiar faces who do little to distinguish themselves, although Salmon’s calm recalls the lone, brave black hero of Romero’s touchstone zombie film. Resident Evil is a no-brainer that’s fast, flashy and fun.” - Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews

Personal Thoughts

Having seen all three Resident Evil films, I’m having difficulty deciding whether or not I prefer Resident Evil over Resident Evil: Extinction. Resident Evil is in many ways my favorite of the three films; it is frightening enough to keep me on the edge of my seat and yet, despite all its shameless borrowing from other classic horror films, not corny enough to make me want to turn away from the screen. It is also the most thought-provoking of the three (to the extent that any Resident Evil film can evoke thought), as it lacks the mindblowingly unbelievable action of the two sequels.

Furthemore, Resident Evil marks Milla’s strongest portrayal of Alice in the film trilogy. Her subtlety is crucial for the development of her character, and her portrayal of Alice’s amnesia-induced innocence is genuine. Moreover, even though the film lacks any meaningful dialogue (hey, what more can you expect of a zombie action flick?), Milla is able to convey Alice’s state of emotional confusion without a need to use words, which is a noteworthy feat.

Below are some Resident Evil related links that may be of interest to you.

• Resident Evil official site
• Resident Evil TFL-approved fanlisting
• Resident Evil TFL-approved Alice character fanlisting
• Resident Evil at IMDb.com
• Resident Evil at RottenTomatoes.com
• Resident Evil at Wikipedia.org

• Paul W.S. Anderson at IMDb.com
• Paul W.S. Anderson at Wikipedia.org

• Eric Mabius at Eric Mabius Online
• Michelle Rodriguez at Michelle Rodriguez Online