Resident Evil

In the past nine months, moviegoers have been treated to film adaptations of popular video games. First there was “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” that turned out to be an adventure falling apart. Then came the computer-animated “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within” that was anything but animating. Moviegoers know what to expect before “Resident Evil” bludgeons its way to theaters. Unlike the two films, “Resident Evil” does not attempt to craft its own plot around a video game. Instead, it brings the already existing plot within the video game to the screen, highlighting the very aspect that made the video game popular: excessive blood and gore.

There is little to the plotline: virus lets loose in multiplex facility, supercomputer commands and controls multiplex facility, supercomputer destroys all human life in multiplex facility, grotesque monsters comes to life in multiplex facility, rag tag group of living humans play life-and-death game against monstrosity in multiplex facility, supercomputer monitors game. Making up the human players are Milla Jovovich in a red dress, fake policeman Eric Mabius, hunky James Purefoy, and a military strike team carrying its only colorful personality – Michelle Rodriguez. Before the game begins, the supercomputer shows its morbidly creative side in exterminating all life within the facility. The fun starts when the human players enter the Queen’s chamber, aka the room where the supercomputer resides.

What is the difference between this movie and the video game that it adapts from? Well, moviegoers can only see the game being played as opposed to playing it in the movie version, while they can do both in the video game version. Nothing is lost in the translation from video to film. Unfortunately, nothing is developed to give the film version a life of its own other than putting a cast of flesh-and-blood actors in place of the CGI characters. Little to no explanation is provided for every event that takes place. The story, if any, is as dead as the zombie-like flesh-eaters that populate the facility, with several extremely short jolts of life at the anticipations of killing off another human character.

The only entertaining aspect is the sheer graphical violence designed to appeal to hardcore horror movie fans. Every gory action, human dismemberment, visual imagery is crafted solely to scare rather than to tell its own story. The acting is nothing more than just responses to them. None of the characters can be related to. Aside from their names, nothing is known about them. Nor are there any distinct personalities in any of them. Jovovich simply looks pretty. Her facial expressions are stone cold. Rodriguez is neither fast nor furious. But she gripes constantly, be it her colleagues’ manliness or her outlook on life. The rest of the cast are one-dimensional, in character, performance and dialogue.

The conclusion leaves an open ending, suggesting a possible sequel. It is doubtful anyone will remember “Resident Evil” if its sequel comes out. In the end, the lesson one can learn is that ultra-violent video games can make scary movies without telling a definite story. So when are they going to do a film version of “Doom”?

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