Zombies have grown in popularity over the past few years. I tend to think that "Resident Evil" had something to do with that. To the delight of some action-horror fans and to the chagrin of others the "Resident Evil" movies continue pumping out sequels. We're going to take a drive back out to Raccoon City to take a look at the first movie adaptation.

 

I’ve been moderately surprised at how many game fans hate this movie. It would be one thing if I was an outsider wondering why they hate it, but I’m a game fan, too. I bought a Playstation specifically so I could play the original game and have spent far more hours than I should admit with a controller in my hand. I've played enough to have unlocked virtually every weapon, costume, and bonus game in every major title and most of the spinoffs. So of course I was excited about the movie.

 

Being such a fan I don't like the deviations from the game, but unlike some I can still enjoy the movie for the fun horror-action zombie-fest that it is. Like a lot of zombie battle type movies this is all about gruesome, intense, bloody action. The story attempts to deliver enough plot along with some familiar game elements to keep viewers' attention, but how successful it is depends a lot on how you feel about the adaptation changes, balance of story and action, and the use of tension.

 

Umbrella is a major corporation with a secret, underground lab - the entrance to which is disguised and guarded by a mansion facade (setting up a practical use for the mansion we explore in the original game). Experiments include work on something called the T Virus which reanimates dead organisms and mutates living ones. Someone has released the virus into the ventilation system of the lab which has caused the sophisticated computer defense systems to contain it resulting in the lab being sealed up.

 

A strike force, thinking the computer systems have malfunctioned, infiltrates the lab to shut down the defenses and evaluate the situation. Upon entering the mansion they encounter Alice. She has awakened without any memory of who she is and without any knowledge of what's going on. Her husband Spencer is missing. Another man, Matt, whose background and purpose are in question, is taken prisoner by the strike force after breaking into the mansion (talk about bad timing). It’s man against machine, then it gets weirder and it’s man against zombie, then it gets weirder again and it’s man against monster.

 

During the fiasco Alice slowly begins to remember who she is, and Matt begins unveiling his connection to Umbrella. The result connects them in ways they would never have imagined, but it's not likely to matter much if they are just going to be devoured by monsters.

 

The pieces of the mysteries are slowly revealed with a few different moments intending make you wonder or catch you off guard. The ending is not what I had expected partially because it doesn't wrap up as much as it sets up the sequel. While I would have preferred a tighter continuity with the game story I came away satisfied with the plot and the exciting monster battles.

 

There's no subtlety in this series. It's all about getting up in your face with vicious creatures and the operatives who must blow their twitchy brains out before succumbing to being a tasty meal. It's a frantic fight for survival just about from start to finish, so if that doesn't get your blood pumping you might as well find something else to watch tonight.

 

If you're hoping for a movie that is faithfully adapted from the games or a good fit into the original story continuity you will be disappointed. I tried my best to rationalize it as them adding to rather than retelling the existing game story avoiding a lot of overlap that would create inconsistencies. With some imagination the starting point of the game with its puzzles and whatnot can almost be chalked up to the automated defenses from the movie kicking in requiring the player to undo them in the game. The monsters have had more time to roam around between the movie's story and the game's.

 

The involvement of other Umbrella officials could also explain it since the game tells about the STARS members being test subjects. However, the movie sequels have pretty much killed any such reconciliatory attempt by creating a movie continuity that is vastly different than that of the games. None of the characters are from the games. There are no STARS members at all though that will be rectified by the sequel.

 

Even the monsters are in limited supply. The zombies are the mainstay with dogs and a Licker sprinkled in. There is no Tyrant like the one in the game, no hunters, killer plants, or giant spiders. We don't spend much time in the mansion quickly moving instead to the lab where the majority of the story takes place. Not a single monster even ventures into the mansion. As you can tell from my plot description there is nothing about anyone escaping from an attack in the woods, running into the nearby mansion for safety, and having to fight for survival as they search for another way out eventually discovering the hidden lab beneath the compound. It's a group survival this time around rather than one person exploring the creepy, deserted place.

 

The basic idea of Umbrella is similar, though the T Virus outbreak is much more purposeful in the movie. Beyond that there are a few moments of familiarity, such as the train which looks a lot like the one from the game, but little else that transcends the two mediums.

 

While I may not have a lot of positive things to say about the game to movie adaptation, I did thoroughly enjoy the appearance of the Licker on the ceiling! It harkened back to the memorable introduction of them in the second game. A lot of the monster moments look good although some of them scream CGI. The acting is pretty solid.

 

I've always liked Milla Jovovich. She does well with tough but vulnerable Alice here. Eric Mabius does particularly well with Matt the outsider. Michelle Rodriguez seems to be the same tomboyish tough sexpot that she is every time I see her.

 

The score is a bit unusual this time around in that it involves a film composer, Marco Beltrami, working with rock star Marilyn Manson. They have come up with a sound that that is melodic yet uneasy. The opening theme song is one of my favorite horror movie themes of all time and is on par with some of my favorite music from the games. The industrial style sounds add the kind of layers to the soundtrack that many filmmakers try to accomplish with the addition of popular rock songs but actually sounds more sophisticated here by being a real score.