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Resident Evil (film)
Encyclopedia
Resident Evil is a British-German 2002 horror film
written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. The film stars Milla Jovovich
, Michelle Rodriguez
, Eric Mabius
, and James Purefoy
. It is the first installment in the Resident Evil film series
, which is based on the Capcom
survival horror series Resident Evil.
Borrowing elements from the video games Resident Evil
and Resident Evil 2
, the film follows amnesia
c heroine Alice
and a band of Umbrella Corporation commandos as they attempt to contain the outbreak of the T-Virus at a secret underground facility. The film received many negative reviews from critics but was commercially successful, grossing more than $102 million worldwide.
, the Red Queen, detects possible infection
. It seals the Hive, trapping and killing everyone inside.
Alice
(Milla Jovovich
) awakens in an empty mansion with amnesia
. She and a police officer, Matt (Eric Mabius
), are seized by a group of commando
s and taken to an underground train station that leads to The Hive. The group discovers Spence (James Purefoy
), also suffering from amnesia. The head of the commandos, "One" (Colin Salmon
), explains that everyone in the group except Matt is an employee of the Umbrella Corporation. The Red Queen released a nerve gas in the mansion that caused their amnesia. The group boards the train and travels to The Hive.
They find their way to The Queen's chamber, but it is protected by a laser defense system. Four of the commandos are killed including One. The only commandos left alive are Rain (Michelle Rodriguez
), Kaplan (Martin Crewes
), and J.D. They set up an EMP
device to disable The Queen. The AI manifests itself as the holographic of a young girl and pleads with them not to disable it, claiming that if they do then bad things will happen. The Queen's warnings are ignored; the system is disabled and the power fails, causing all of the doors to open, releasing the zombified staff into The Hive. During a running battle with the zombies, Rain becomes infected after being bitten and J.D is killed. Alice and Spence begin to regain their memories, but Matt and Alice are separated from Kaplan, Rain and Spence. Matt looks for information about his sister while Alice encounters several experimental dogs and surprises herself when she uses martial arts
to defend herself.
Matt finds his sister, Lisa (Heike Makatsch
), is already a zombie. As she attacks him Alice arrives in time to save him. Matt explains that he and Lisa attempted to smuggle out a sample of the blue vial, the T-Virus, to take down Umbrella. Matt believes that Lisa's contact is the one to blame for supposedly betraying her. Alice remembers she was Lisa's contact, but does not tell Matt. After being chased, the survivors reunite at The Queen's chamber. Alice turns The Queen back on in order to find an exit; the Red Queen agrees to help them. As they try escaping through the maintenance tunnels, they are ambushed by zombies. Kaplan is separated from the rest as pipes collapse while the group is crossing over them. Alice remembers that an anti-virus exists, a vial of green liquid.
At the lab they find the vials containing the T-Virus
and anti-virus are gone. Spence regains his memory and realizes he was the person who stole and released the virus. He stashed the vials on the train. Spence gets bitten then traps the survivors in the lab then heads toward the train. Before he can inject himself with the anti-virus he is killed by a mutated creature called a Licker. The Red Queen offers to spare Alice and Matt if they kill Rain, who has been infected for too long for the anti-virus to work. As the Licker attempts to bash through the lab window to get to them, Rain tells Alice to chop off her head. After Alice smashes the monitor which the Red Queen was using to talk to them, a power-outage occurs. The laboratory door opens to reveal Kaplan, who has disabled the Red Queen.
The four survivors start the train before The Hive is quarantined again. As they head back to the mansion, the Licker hurls Kaplan from the train. Alice battles the Licker as Matt kills a now zombified Rain. After being clawed by the Licker, Matt opens a door on the floor of the train, causing the Licker to be dragged along the track and burned to death. Matt and Alice arrive at the mansion, escaping before the doors close. Matt begins mutating due to his wounds. Before Alice can give him the anti-virus the mansion doors burst open and Umbrella scientists seize them. They subdue Alice and take Matt away, revealing he is to be put into the "Nemesis Program
" and they intend to re-open the Hive. Alice attempts to fight them off, but is overpowered and knocked unconscious.
Alice awakens at the Raccoon City Hospital strapped to an examination table. After escaping, she goes outside to find Raccoon City a chaotic abandoned mess. A newspaper clipping shows that the T-Virus spread to the surface
after Umbrella reopened the Hive, creating an army of undead which devastated the city within hours. Alice arms herself with a shotgun from a nearby police car as the film ends.
and Capcom
greenlit
a Resident Evil film with George A. Romero
signed on as the film's director
and screenplay
writer. Romero's association with Capcom, the Resident Evil video game series creators, had extended from 1998 when Romero directed an ad campaign
for Biohazard 2 (Resident Evil 2
) in Japan. Romero stated in an official appearance in Universal Studio's Talk City chatroom that he had his secretary play the entire game through and record the gameplay so he could study it as a resource. Romero's screenplay revolved around the plot of the Arklay incident and included characters from the Resident Evil video games. Chris Redfield
and Jill Valentine
were the lead characters, involved in a romantic relationship. Barry Burton, Rebecca Chambers
, Ada Wong
and Albert Wesker
were to also appear. The ending to the film would have been similar to that of the Resident Evil video game. Romero's script was disapproved of and production was placed into development hell
. Capcom producer Yoshiki Okamoto
explained to the editors of Electronic Gaming Monthly that "Romero's script wasn't good, so Romero was fired". In February 2000, Romero revealed in an interview with DGA magazine that "I don't think they were into the spirit of the video game and wanted to make it more of a war movie, something heavier than I thought it should be. So I think they just never liked my script." As Romero's script was a close, but not full, adaptation of the game, Capcom believed fans would feel that the film had been altered too much from the game and that newcomers would dislike the premise.
Hired by Sony, Paul W.S. Anderson wrote a screenplay
, which was ultimately favored over Romero's. In late 2000, Anderson was announced as director and writer, and Resident Evil re-entered pre-production stages. Anderson stated the film would not include any tie-ins with the video game series as "under-performing movie tie-ins are too common and Resident Evil, of all games, deserved a good celluloid representation".
, James Purefoy
and Milla Jovovich
were the first of the cast to be signed on the project. David Boreanaz
was intended to portray the male cop lead of Matt Addison; however, he turned down the role to continue work on the WB
series Angel
. Boreanaz suggested that he was in negotiations to have a smaller role in the film claiming "Resident Evil is still there, a possibility, So, yeah, I'll see what happens", he later declined the role. The role of Matt Addison then went to Eric Mabius
who was cast in March 2001, along with Heike Makatsch
, who was cast as Matt Addison's sister Lisa Addison, an employee working for Umbrella's Hive facility.
and its surroundings. On 5 March 2001 shooting began principal photography at numerous locations including the then unfinished station U-Bahnhof Bundestag
of the Berlin U-Bahn
, Landsberger Allee, Kaserne Krampnitz and the Schloss Linstedt. Locations included The Spencer Mansion and The Hive. The film's ending in Raccoon City was shot in Toronto
, Canada
. Filming concluded and post-production on the film began on 19 May 2001.
The film's score
and soundtrack
were composed by Clint Mansell
, Marco Beltrami
and Marilyn Manson
during mid 2001. Manson described the score and soundtrack as being more "electronic
" than any of his other previous work.
The film was originally subtitled as "Resident Evil: Ground Zero" when the movie was considered a prequel
to the games, however the subtitle was removed due to the 9/11 attacks
. The film's first plot as of March 16, 2001 revealed that Jovovich's Alice
and Rodriguez's Rain were the leaders of a commando team
sent in to prevent a viral outbreak from spreading to the rest of the world, however those details were later changed.
The film contains various references to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
; the obvious being the main character's name, another is the use of a white rabbit for testing the T-Virus. The wall that opens to the train station appears as a mirror (Through the Looking-Glass
), the Red Queen and her behavior, wanting to behead
/kill people, are references to the book; the Red Queen's first kill is actually a beheading. In addition, the Red Queen's character was added into the film's story as a homage
to 2001: A Space Odyssey
an allusion to HAL 9000
.
During production, professional dancers were hired to star as zombies as they had better control of their body movements. While computer effects were used on some zombies, much of the undead appearances were accomplished through make-up while their movements were a more laissez-faire
approach, as Anderson told the actors to move however they thought a zombie would, given their conditions. Whilst filming, there was a shortage of manpower where the available dancers were not enough to represent the required numbers of undead, however some of Capcom
's executives and several of the film producers including Jeremy Bolt
agreed to make appearances. The film's stunt coordinator
also made an appearance as the dog trainer while Bolt's girlfriend and sister both appeared as zombies.
In May 2001, it was announced that Sony Pictures Entertainment
would distribute the film in North America. It was suggested by Capcom executives, that the film wouldn't be released in 2001, but rather in 2002 which was later confirmed by Sony in August 2001. The film was set for release on 5 April 2002 before being pushed forward to a 15 March release.
In December 2001, Sony gave fans a chance to design the film's poster with a prize
of an undisclosed amount of cash, a free screening of the film, and with the final design being the film's poster. On February 16, 2002, Nick Des Barres, a 23-year-old aspiring actor and ex-video game magazine designer, was announced as the winner of the competition. The film's trailer
and clips were released in late January and early February 2002.
On June 29, 2004, over two years after the film's release, a novelization by Keith R. A. DeCandido
was published.
DeCandido also wrote novelizations for the second
film, which was published only two months later, and the third
film in 2007.
, based on 121
reviews.
Robert K. Elder
from the Chicago Tribune
stated that the film "updates the zombie genre with an anti-corporate message while still scaring its audience and providing heart-pounding action",
Owen Gleiberman from Entertainment Weekly
noted that the film is as "impersonal in its relentlessness as the videogame series that inspired it."
Both Resident Evil and the sequel appear on Roger Ebert
's most hated films list, published in 2005. In the review of Resident Evil, Ebert describes the film as a zombie movie set in the 21st century where "large metallic objects make crashing noises just by being looked at." He also explains that the film's "characters have no small talk. Their dialogue consists of commands, explanations, [and] exclamations."
After commercial success at the box office
, a sequel, Resident Evil: Apocalypse
, was released in 2004. This was followed in 2007 by Resident Evil: Extinction
and in 2010 by Resident Evil: Afterlife
. Anderson did not direct the second and third films due to filming commitments with Alien vs. Predator
and Death Race
but instead functioned as the scriptwriter and producer on both. These films were directed by Alexander Witt and Russell Mulcahy
respectively, while Anderson returned to direct the fourth film in the franchise.
and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
, where Alice's character awakes in Raccoon City Hospital with a viral outbreak occurring in the city. There are several references to characters and organizations such as the Umbrella Corporation, the Nemesis
program, the underground train bearing the moniker "Alexi-5000" a reference to Resident Evil Code: Veronica
s villain Alexia Ashford (the train is from Resident Evil 2, but in the game it reads "Galaxie-5000" instead of "Alexi-5000") and a police cruiser, from which Alice takes out a shotgun
, has a "S.T.A.R.S." logo on the hood. Jason Isaacs
appears in the film as an uncredited masked surgeon (which is a reference to William Birkin). The character of Dr. Isaacs (played by Iain Glen
) in the film's sequels is dedicated to or based on him.
Other references to the first game include Alice examining the mansion by going outside; crows are visible for a very short moment. These crows were all digitized. In the video game series, crows are minor enemies that the player encounters throughout each game. Alice finds a picture of her wedding day with Spence, which is the same style as the photos in the first version of the Resident Evil game: in black and white with the foreground image (in this case, Alice and Spencer) noticeably spliced onto the background (the room behind them). On the newspaper at the end of the movie, the words "Horror in Raccoon City! More Victims Dead!" are shown in the upper right corner. This is a reference to the same newspaper in the censored opening of the original Resident Evil
game and the prologue chapter for the Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy novel. Near the beginning of the film, Alice examines a statue after the wind blows its cover off. This statue is similar in design to one in the mansion of the first game, and which contains the map of the ground floor.
When going back to the Red Queen's chamber, Kaplan points out that the four bodies of the group's dead crew from the Glass Hallway Trap sequence are gone. This is a reference to a noticeable trait in the games, where when a character leaves the room where they have killed zombies and then comes back, the bodies that were once there have disappeared. The film also borrows a plot element from Resident Evil 2 in which Leon and Claire
have to escape the underground labs by taking the train and have a showdown with a large creature in the back of the car. When the survivors make their escape from the Hive with a countdown as they fight the final boss, this is a reference to the Resident Evil game which ends with a five minute countdown during which the boss must be defeated.
A faux newspaper created by Screen Gems
for Apocalypse, The Raccoon City Times, indicates hours after the initial outbreak, creatures began appearing in the Arklay Mountains feasting on victims. This is similar to the opening of the first video game.
Anderson has stated that the film's camera angle
s and several shots allude to the video game's camera angles, such as the fight between Alice and the security guard. These include a scene near the beginning where there is a close up of Alice's eye. This is a direct reference to the title screen of the first game
. In another scene, Alice awakes and hears a creepy sound which is also a reference to the plot of the first game.
Numerous elements from the film have been referenced in several of the Resident Evil video games after the film's original release. This includes the laser corridor sequence which appeared in both Resident Evil 4
(where Leon S. Kennedy
has to evade a security trap) and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (where Chris Redfield
and Jill Valentine
have to evade a trap in Umbrella's Russian facility). The film's font is used for the North American version of Resident Evil Outbreak. The character of Red Queen made an appearance in Umbrella Chronicles as a computer database
system.
The main 'boss' in the film, (the T-virus injected human tissue) is a "Licker" from Resident Evil 2.
Alice is introduced as a mysterious "woman in red", as does recurring Resident Evil character Ada Wong
. This is further motioned by the fact that even though Alice didn't know it, her combat training is that of a highly trained soldier. This mirrors Ada's role in Resident Evil 2, other than Ada intentionally keeping her true self a mystery to protagonist Leon Kennedy.
and DVD
on July 30, 2002 in the United States, April 14, 2003 in the United Kingdom and October 2002 in Australia. It was a special edition release, with a number of documentaries including five featurettes, one of which explained the making of Resident Evil, the film's score composition, costume design, set design, zombie make up tests, and the music video
for a remixed version of "My Plague
" by Slipknot
.
A Deluxe Edition of Resident Evil was released on September 7, 2004, which included new special features such as an alternate ending with director Anderson's video introduction, a clip compilation for Apocalypse
, From Game to Screen featurette, a Storyboarding Resident Evil featurette, and 6 other exclusive featurettes: The Creature, The Elevator, The Train, The Laser, Zombie Dogs and Zombies.
Screen Gems released Resident Evil: Resurrected Edition, a 2-disc package containing Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Apocalypse, on September 4, 2007.
On January 1, 2008, A Blu-ray
of the Resident Evil trilogy was released.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. The film stars Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
, Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle Rodriguez
Mayte Michelle Rodríguez , known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil,...
, Eric Mabius
Eric Mabius
Eric Harry Timothy Mabius is an American actor known for his work as Daniel Meade on the ABC television series Ugly Betty. He also worked on the Showtime series The L Word and in the films Resident Evil and Cruel Intentions....
, and James Purefoy
James Purefoy
James Brian Mark Purefoy is an English actor best known for portraying Mark Antony in the HBO series Rome.-Early life and work:...
. It is the first installment in the Resident Evil film series
Resident Evil (film series)
Resident Evil is a film series loosely based upon the Capcom video games of the same name. Constantin Film bought rights to the first film in January 1997 with Alan B. McElroy and George A. Romero as potential writers. In 2001, Sony acquired distribution rights to the film and hired Paul W.S....
, which is based on the Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
survival horror series Resident Evil.
Borrowing elements from the video games Resident Evil
Resident Evil (video game)
Resident Evil, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game by Capcom. The first installment in the Resident Evil series, it was originally released in 1996 for the PlayStation and was subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn and PC. In 2002, a remake of the game was released for the Nintendo...
and Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. Developed by Capcom as the second installment in the Resident Evil series, its story takes place two months after the events of the first game, Resident Evil...
, the film follows amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
c heroine Alice
Alice (Resident Evil)
Alice is a fictional character and the primary heroine of the Resident Evil film series, which is loosely based on the video game series of the same name. Though she is not a character in the game series, she does eventually interact with a number of characters from the games, including Jill...
and a band of Umbrella Corporation commandos as they attempt to contain the outbreak of the T-Virus at a secret underground facility. The film received many negative reviews from critics but was commercially successful, grossing more than $102 million worldwide.
Plot
Inside the Hive, a top-secret genetic research facility owned by the Umbrella Corporation located beneath Raccoon City, a thief throws a vial of the T-Virus into a lab causing it to escape into the air vents. The vial breaks and the facility's artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, the Red Queen, detects possible infection
Infection
An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...
. It seals the Hive, trapping and killing everyone inside.
Alice
Alice (Resident Evil)
Alice is a fictional character and the primary heroine of the Resident Evil film series, which is loosely based on the video game series of the same name. Though she is not a character in the game series, she does eventually interact with a number of characters from the games, including Jill...
(Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
) awakens in an empty mansion with amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
. She and a police officer, Matt (Eric Mabius
Eric Mabius
Eric Harry Timothy Mabius is an American actor known for his work as Daniel Meade on the ABC television series Ugly Betty. He also worked on the Showtime series The L Word and in the films Resident Evil and Cruel Intentions....
), are seized by a group of commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
s and taken to an underground train station that leads to The Hive. The group discovers Spence (James Purefoy
James Purefoy
James Brian Mark Purefoy is an English actor best known for portraying Mark Antony in the HBO series Rome.-Early life and work:...
), also suffering from amnesia. The head of the commandos, "One" (Colin Salmon
Colin Salmon
Colin Salmon is a British actor best known for playing the character Charles Robinson in three James Bond films.-Personal life:...
), explains that everyone in the group except Matt is an employee of the Umbrella Corporation. The Red Queen released a nerve gas in the mansion that caused their amnesia. The group boards the train and travels to The Hive.
They find their way to The Queen's chamber, but it is protected by a laser defense system. Four of the commandos are killed including One. The only commandos left alive are Rain (Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle Rodriguez
Mayte Michelle Rodríguez , known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil,...
), Kaplan (Martin Crewes
Martin Crewes
-Early life:Crewes was born in London. He moved to Australia when he was 10 years of age, and attended the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, in Perth. Other notable graduates of WAAPA include Hugh Jackman, Lisa McCune and Frances O'Connor...
), and J.D. They set up an EMP
Electromagnetic pulse
An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field...
device to disable The Queen. The AI manifests itself as the holographic of a young girl and pleads with them not to disable it, claiming that if they do then bad things will happen. The Queen's warnings are ignored; the system is disabled and the power fails, causing all of the doors to open, releasing the zombified staff into The Hive. During a running battle with the zombies, Rain becomes infected after being bitten and J.D is killed. Alice and Spence begin to regain their memories, but Matt and Alice are separated from Kaplan, Rain and Spence. Matt looks for information about his sister while Alice encounters several experimental dogs and surprises herself when she uses martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
to defend herself.
Matt finds his sister, Lisa (Heike Makatsch
Heike Makatsch
- Early life :Makatsch was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, the daughter of former German national ice hockey team goaltender Rainer Makatsch. She spent several months in New Mexico in 1988 in an effort to improve her English, and later studied politics and sociology at the University of Düsseldorf for...
), is already a zombie. As she attacks him Alice arrives in time to save him. Matt explains that he and Lisa attempted to smuggle out a sample of the blue vial, the T-Virus, to take down Umbrella. Matt believes that Lisa's contact is the one to blame for supposedly betraying her. Alice remembers she was Lisa's contact, but does not tell Matt. After being chased, the survivors reunite at The Queen's chamber. Alice turns The Queen back on in order to find an exit; the Red Queen agrees to help them. As they try escaping through the maintenance tunnels, they are ambushed by zombies. Kaplan is separated from the rest as pipes collapse while the group is crossing over them. Alice remembers that an anti-virus exists, a vial of green liquid.
At the lab they find the vials containing the T-Virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
and anti-virus are gone. Spence regains his memory and realizes he was the person who stole and released the virus. He stashed the vials on the train. Spence gets bitten then traps the survivors in the lab then heads toward the train. Before he can inject himself with the anti-virus he is killed by a mutated creature called a Licker. The Red Queen offers to spare Alice and Matt if they kill Rain, who has been infected for too long for the anti-virus to work. As the Licker attempts to bash through the lab window to get to them, Rain tells Alice to chop off her head. After Alice smashes the monitor which the Red Queen was using to talk to them, a power-outage occurs. The laboratory door opens to reveal Kaplan, who has disabled the Red Queen.
The four survivors start the train before The Hive is quarantined again. As they head back to the mansion, the Licker hurls Kaplan from the train. Alice battles the Licker as Matt kills a now zombified Rain. After being clawed by the Licker, Matt opens a door on the floor of the train, causing the Licker to be dragged along the track and burned to death. Matt and Alice arrive at the mansion, escaping before the doors close. Matt begins mutating due to his wounds. Before Alice can give him the anti-virus the mansion doors burst open and Umbrella scientists seize them. They subdue Alice and take Matt away, revealing he is to be put into the "Nemesis Program
Nemesis (Resident Evil)
Nemesis, also called the Pursuer or , is a fictional character in Capcom's Resident Evil franchise. It first appears in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, before later emerging in other titles and cameo roles. It is also featured on various merchandise and in the 2004 film Resident Evil: Apocalypse...
" and they intend to re-open the Hive. Alice attempts to fight them off, but is overpowered and knocked unconscious.
Alice awakens at the Raccoon City Hospital strapped to an examination table. After escaping, she goes outside to find Raccoon City a chaotic abandoned mess. A newspaper clipping shows that the T-Virus spread to the surface
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
after Umbrella reopened the Hive, creating an army of undead which devastated the city within hours. Alice arms herself with a shotgun from a nearby police car as the film ends.
Cast
- Milla JovovichMilla JovovichMilla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
as AliceAlice (Resident Evil)Alice is a fictional character and the primary heroine of the Resident Evil film series, which is loosely based on the video game series of the same name. Though she is not a character in the game series, she does eventually interact with a number of characters from the games, including Jill... - Michelle RodriguezMichelle RodriguezMayte Michelle Rodríguez , known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil,...
as Rain Ocampo - Eric MabiusEric MabiusEric Harry Timothy Mabius is an American actor known for his work as Daniel Meade on the ABC television series Ugly Betty. He also worked on the Showtime series The L Word and in the films Resident Evil and Cruel Intentions....
as Matt Addison - James PurefoyJames PurefoyJames Brian Mark Purefoy is an English actor best known for portraying Mark Antony in the HBO series Rome.-Early life and work:...
as Spence Parks - Martin CrewesMartin Crewes-Early life:Crewes was born in London. He moved to Australia when he was 10 years of age, and attended the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, in Perth. Other notable graduates of WAAPA include Hugh Jackman, Lisa McCune and Frances O'Connor...
as Chad Kaplan - Colin SalmonColin SalmonColin Salmon is a British actor best known for playing the character Charles Robinson in three James Bond films.-Personal life:...
as James "One" Shade - Ryan McCluskey as Mr. Grey
- Oscar Pearce as Mr. Green
- Indra OvéIndra Ové-Career:Her most notable appearance was in Interview with the Vampire, where she worked with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt portraying a New Orleans whore. She has also had a small role in The Fifth Element as a VIP Stewardess, Othello and had a small role in Resident Evil...
as Ms. Black - Anna Bolt as Dr. Green
- Joseph MayJoseph MayJoseph May is a British-born actor who has appeared in television and film on both sides of the Atlantic...
as Dr. Blue - Robert Tannion as Dr. Brown
- Heike MakatschHeike Makatsch- Early life :Makatsch was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, the daughter of former German national ice hockey team goaltender Rainer Makatsch. She spent several months in New Mexico in 1988 in an effort to improve her English, and later studied politics and sociology at the University of Düsseldorf for...
as Dr. Lisa Addison - Jaymes Butler as Clarence the Security Guard
- Stephen BillingtonStephen BillingtonStephen Billington is a British actor, best known for playing Greg Kelly in Coronation Street . He has worked with many leading film directors, including Peter Greenaway, Franco Zeffirelli, and Mel Gibson...
as Mr. White - Fiona GlascottFiona GlascottFiona Glascott is an Irish actress. She was nominated for an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in Film/TV for 2003's Goldfish Memory....
as Ms. Gold - Pasquale Aleardi as J.D. Salinas
- Liz May BriceLiz May BriceElizabeth May Brice is an English actress. She is known for roles such as the convicted murderer Pat Kerrigan on ITV1's Bad Girls. To international audiences she may be more familiar as a minor cast member of the horror films Resident Evil and AVP: Alien vs Predator.-Career:Brice was born in...
as Medic - Marc Logan-Black as Commando #2
- Michaela Dicker as Red Queen
- Jason IsaacsJason IsaacsJason Isaacs is an English actor born in Liverpool, who is best known for his performance as the villain Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, the brutal Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot and as lifelong criminal Michael Caffee in the internationally broadcast American television series...
as Dr. William Birkin/Narrator (uncredited)
Pre-production
In 1999, SonySony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
and Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
greenlit
Greenlight
To green-light a project is to give permission or a go ahead to move forward with a project. In the context of the movie and TV businesses, to green-light something is to formally approve its production finance, thereby allowing the project to move forward from the development phase to...
a Resident Evil film with George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
signed on as the film's director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
writer. Romero's association with Capcom, the Resident Evil video game series creators, had extended from 1998 when Romero directed an ad campaign
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
for Biohazard 2 (Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. Developed by Capcom as the second installment in the Resident Evil series, its story takes place two months after the events of the first game, Resident Evil...
) in Japan. Romero stated in an official appearance in Universal Studio's Talk City chatroom that he had his secretary play the entire game through and record the gameplay so he could study it as a resource. Romero's screenplay revolved around the plot of the Arklay incident and included characters from the Resident Evil video games. Chris Redfield
Chris Redfield
is a fictional character from Capcom's Resident Evil series.Chris is one of the two main protagonists in the first Resident Evil game, the other being Jill Valentine. Redfield returned as a playable character in Resident Evil Code: Veronica, where he must search for, and ultimately rescue, his...
and Jill Valentine
Jill Valentine
is a fictional character in the Resident Evil survival horror series by Capcom.Jill is one of the two protagonists of the original Resident Evil game, where she was introduced as a member of the Raccoon Police Department's Special Tactics And Rescue Service , trapped in a secret research complex of...
were the lead characters, involved in a romantic relationship. Barry Burton, Rebecca Chambers
Rebecca Chambers (character)
is a player character in the Resident Evil survival horror video games, first introduced in the first game in the series in 1996. She is also one of the main characters in the Resident Evil novels.-Character design:...
, Ada Wong
Ada Wong
is a game character in the Resident Evil series. The film version of Ada appears in Resident Evil: Retribution, where she is played by Li Bingbing.-Creation and development:...
and Albert Wesker
Albert Wesker
is a character in the Resident Evil franchise. Although portrayed as a supporting character in the first game, he was later established as the primary antagonist of the series; he usually manipulated story events behind-the-scenes and had a role in more games than the other main characters...
were to also appear. The ending to the film would have been similar to that of the Resident Evil video game. Romero's script was disapproved of and production was placed into development hell
Development hell
In the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...
. Capcom producer Yoshiki Okamoto
Yoshiki Okamoto
Yoshiki Okamoto , sometimes credited as Kihaji Okamoto, is a video game designer credited with producing many popular titles for Konami, including Gyruss and Time Pilot, and Capcom, including Final Fight and Street Fighter II...
explained to the editors of Electronic Gaming Monthly that "Romero's script wasn't good, so Romero was fired". In February 2000, Romero revealed in an interview with DGA magazine that "I don't think they were into the spirit of the video game and wanted to make it more of a war movie, something heavier than I thought it should be. So I think they just never liked my script." As Romero's script was a close, but not full, adaptation of the game, Capcom believed fans would feel that the film had been altered too much from the game and that newcomers would dislike the premise.
Hired by Sony, Paul W.S. Anderson wrote a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
, which was ultimately favored over Romero's. In late 2000, Anderson was announced as director and writer, and Resident Evil re-entered pre-production stages. Anderson stated the film would not include any tie-ins with the video game series as "under-performing movie tie-ins are too common and Resident Evil, of all games, deserved a good celluloid representation".
Casting
In early 2001, Michelle RodriguezMichelle Rodriguez
Mayte Michelle Rodríguez , known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil,...
, James Purefoy
James Purefoy
James Brian Mark Purefoy is an English actor best known for portraying Mark Antony in the HBO series Rome.-Early life and work:...
and Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
were the first of the cast to be signed on the project. David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz
David Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
was intended to portray the male cop lead of Matt Addison; however, he turned down the role to continue work on the WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
series Angel
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
. Boreanaz suggested that he was in negotiations to have a smaller role in the film claiming "Resident Evil is still there, a possibility, So, yeah, I'll see what happens", he later declined the role. The role of Matt Addison then went to Eric Mabius
Eric Mabius
Eric Harry Timothy Mabius is an American actor known for his work as Daniel Meade on the ABC television series Ugly Betty. He also worked on the Showtime series The L Word and in the films Resident Evil and Cruel Intentions....
who was cast in March 2001, along with Heike Makatsch
Heike Makatsch
- Early life :Makatsch was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, the daughter of former German national ice hockey team goaltender Rainer Makatsch. She spent several months in New Mexico in 1988 in an effort to improve her English, and later studied politics and sociology at the University of Düsseldorf for...
, who was cast as Matt Addison's sister Lisa Addison, an employee working for Umbrella's Hive facility.
Production and story development
In early March 2001, it was announced that half of the film would be shot in Adlershof Studios in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and its surroundings. On 5 March 2001 shooting began principal photography at numerous locations including the then unfinished station U-Bahnhof Bundestag
Bundestag (Berlin U-Bahn)
Bundestag is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the . The name of this station was changed in April 2006 from Reichstag to Bundestag after deputations from the Bundestag which sits in the Reichstag building.-History:...
of the Berlin U-Bahn
Berlin U-Bahn
The Berlin is a rapid transit railway in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, and is a major part of the public transport system of that city. Opened in 1902, the serves 173 stations spread across ten lines, with a total track length of , about 80% of which is underground...
, Landsberger Allee, Kaserne Krampnitz and the Schloss Linstedt. Locations included The Spencer Mansion and The Hive. The film's ending in Raccoon City was shot in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Filming concluded and post-production on the film began on 19 May 2001.
The film's score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
and soundtrack
Resident Evil (soundtrack)
-Resident Evil: Music from and Inspired by the Original Motion Picture:Resident Evil: Music from and Inspired by the Original Motion Picture is the soundtrack album to the 2002 horror film Resident Evil.-Resident Evil: Apocalypse:...
were composed by Clint Mansell
Clint Mansell
Clinton Darryl "Clint" Mansell, is an English musician, composer, and former lead singer and guitarist of the band Pop Will Eat Itself....
, Marco Beltrami
Marco Beltrami
Marco Beltrami is an American film composer.-Life and career:Beltrami was born in Long Island, New York of Italian and Greek descent...
and Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
during mid 2001. Manson described the score and soundtrack as being more "electronic
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
" than any of his other previous work.
The film was originally subtitled as "Resident Evil: Ground Zero" when the movie was considered a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to the games, however the subtitle was removed due to the 9/11 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. The film's first plot as of March 16, 2001 revealed that Jovovich's Alice
Alice (Resident Evil)
Alice is a fictional character and the primary heroine of the Resident Evil film series, which is loosely based on the video game series of the same name. Though she is not a character in the game series, she does eventually interact with a number of characters from the games, including Jill...
and Rodriguez's Rain were the leaders of a commando team
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
sent in to prevent a viral outbreak from spreading to the rest of the world, however those details were later changed.
The film contains various references to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
; the obvious being the main character's name, another is the use of a white rabbit for testing the T-Virus. The wall that opens to the train station appears as a mirror (Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a work of literature by Lewis Carroll . It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
), the Red Queen and her behavior, wanting to behead
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
/kill people, are references to the book; the Red Queen's first kill is actually a beheading. In addition, the Red Queen's character was added into the film's story as a homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
an allusion to HAL 9000
HAL 9000
HAL 9000 is the antagonist in Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction Space Odyssey saga. HAL is an artificial intelligence that interacts with the astronaut crew of the Discovery One spacecraft, usually represented as a red television-camera eye found throughout the ship...
.
During production, professional dancers were hired to star as zombies as they had better control of their body movements. While computer effects were used on some zombies, much of the undead appearances were accomplished through make-up while their movements were a more laissez-faire
Laissez-faire
In economics, laissez-faire describes an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies....
approach, as Anderson told the actors to move however they thought a zombie would, given their conditions. Whilst filming, there was a shortage of manpower where the available dancers were not enough to represent the required numbers of undead, however some of Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
's executives and several of the film producers including Jeremy Bolt
Jeremy Bolt
Jeremy Bolt is a British film producer who often works with Paul W. S. Anderson at Impact Pictures.Since creating Impact Pictures with Paul WS Anderson in 1992, producer Jeremy Bolt has produced the majority of Anderson’s movies...
agreed to make appearances. The film's stunt coordinator
Stunt coordinator
A stunt coordinator, usually an experienced stunt performer, is hired by a TV, film or theatre director or production company to arrange the casting and performance of stunts for a film, television programme or a live audience...
also made an appearance as the dog trainer while Bolt's girlfriend and sister both appeared as zombies.
Marketing and release
In March 2001, the official website was set up, which revealed the film's original October 26, 2001 release and a redirect to the film's distributor Constantin Films. The website was fully opened in July 2001, and composed of images, plot info, character biographies and downloads. The film was planned to have a R-rated classification, however was overruled by Anderson, claiming he wanted a PG-13 rating as it would best suit a younger audience. In January 2002, the film was officially announced to contain a R rating.In May 2001, it was announced that Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
would distribute the film in North America. It was suggested by Capcom executives, that the film wouldn't be released in 2001, but rather in 2002 which was later confirmed by Sony in August 2001. The film was set for release on 5 April 2002 before being pushed forward to a 15 March release.
In December 2001, Sony gave fans a chance to design the film's poster with a prize
Prize
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people to recognise and reward actions or achievements. Official prizes often involve monetary rewards as well as the fame that comes with them...
of an undisclosed amount of cash, a free screening of the film, and with the final design being the film's poster. On February 16, 2002, Nick Des Barres, a 23-year-old aspiring actor and ex-video game magazine designer, was announced as the winner of the competition. The film's trailer
Trailer (film)
A trailer or preview is an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the...
and clips were released in late January and early February 2002.
On June 29, 2004, over two years after the film's release, a novelization by Keith R. A. DeCandido
Keith R. A. DeCandido
Keith Robert Andreassi DeCandido is an American science fiction and fantasy writer and musician, who works on comic books, novels, role-playing games and video games, including numerous media tie-in books for properties such as Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, Supernatural,...
was published.
DeCandido also wrote novelizations for the second
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
film, which was published only two months later, and the third
Resident Evil: Extinction
Resident Evil: Extinction is a Canadian-British 2007 science fiction action horror film also categorized as a doomsday and zombie film, and is the third installment in the Resident Evil film series, which is based on the Capcom survival horror series Resident Evil...
film in 2007.
Critical reaction
Resident Evil received many negative reactions from the critics and received a 34% approval rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on 121
reviews.
Robert K. Elder
Robert K. Elder
Robert K. Elder is an American journalist, author and film columnist.- Early life and education :A Montana native, Elder interviewed Ken Kesey for his high school newspaper. The author encouraged Elder to attend his alma mater, the University of Oregon, which Elder did two years later...
from the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
stated that the film "updates the zombie genre with an anti-corporate message while still scaring its audience and providing heart-pounding action",
Owen Gleiberman from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
noted that the film is as "impersonal in its relentlessness as the videogame series that inspired it."
Both Resident Evil and the sequel appear on Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
's most hated films list, published in 2005. In the review of Resident Evil, Ebert describes the film as a zombie movie set in the 21st century where "large metallic objects make crashing noises just by being looked at." He also explains that the film's "characters have no small talk. Their dialogue consists of commands, explanations, [and] exclamations."
Box office
The film opened in 2,528 theaters and was commercially successful, grossing $17,707,106 on its opening weekend (March 15-17 2002). The film gained $40,119,709 domestically and $102,441,078 worldwide.After commercial success at the box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
, a sequel, Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
, was released in 2004. This was followed in 2007 by Resident Evil: Extinction
Resident Evil: Extinction
Resident Evil: Extinction is a Canadian-British 2007 science fiction action horror film also categorized as a doomsday and zombie film, and is the third installment in the Resident Evil film series, which is based on the Capcom survival horror series Resident Evil...
and in 2010 by Resident Evil: Afterlife
Resident Evil: Afterlife
Resident Evil: Afterlife is a 2010 Canadian-German 3D science-fiction horror action film written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. It stars Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts, Spencer Locke, Boris Kodjoe, and Wentworth Miller. The film marks Anderson's second time to direct in...
. Anderson did not direct the second and third films due to filming commitments with Alien vs. Predator
Alien vs. Predator (film)
Alien vs. Predator is a 2004 American science fiction film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson for 20th Century Fox and starring Sanaa Lathan and Lance Henriksen. The film adapts the Alien vs. Predator crossover imprint bringing together the eponymous creatures of the Alien and Predator series, a...
and Death Race
Death Race (film)
Death Race is a 2008 action film produced, written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and starring Jason Statham. Though referred to as a remake of the 1975 film Death Race 2000 in reviews and marketing materials, director Paul W.S. Anderson stated in an interview and the DVD commentary that he...
but instead functioned as the scriptwriter and producer on both. These films were directed by Alexander Witt and Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy is an Australian film director. His work is easily recognized by his use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights.- Music videos :...
respectively, while Anderson returned to direct the fourth film in the franchise.
Relationship to the games
Various elements are borrowed from numerous video games including Resident Evil 2Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. Developed by Capcom as the second installment in the Resident Evil series, its story takes place two months after the events of the first game, Resident Evil...
and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, released in Japan as is a survival horror video game and the sequel to Resident Evil 2, developed and published by Capcom. The game was released for the PlayStation, and was subsequently ported to the Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo GameCube...
, where Alice's character awakes in Raccoon City Hospital with a viral outbreak occurring in the city. There are several references to characters and organizations such as the Umbrella Corporation, the Nemesis
Nemesis (Resident Evil)
Nemesis, also called the Pursuer or , is a fictional character in Capcom's Resident Evil franchise. It first appears in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, before later emerging in other titles and cameo roles. It is also featured on various merchandise and in the 2004 film Resident Evil: Apocalypse...
program, the underground train bearing the moniker "Alexi-5000" a reference to Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Resident Evil Code: Veronica, released in Japan as , is the fourth installment in Capcom's Resident Evil survival horror series, originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000...
s villain Alexia Ashford (the train is from Resident Evil 2, but in the game it reads "Galaxie-5000" instead of "Alexi-5000") and a police cruiser, from which Alice takes out a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
, has a "S.T.A.R.S." logo on the hood. Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs is an English actor born in Liverpool, who is best known for his performance as the villain Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, the brutal Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot and as lifelong criminal Michael Caffee in the internationally broadcast American television series...
appears in the film as an uncredited masked surgeon (which is a reference to William Birkin). The character of Dr. Isaacs (played by Iain Glen
Iain Glen
Iain Glen is a Scottish film and stage actor.Iain Glen was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained at RADA where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. He was married to Susannah Harker from 1993 to 2004; they have one son, Finlay...
) in the film's sequels is dedicated to or based on him.
Other references to the first game include Alice examining the mansion by going outside; crows are visible for a very short moment. These crows were all digitized. In the video game series, crows are minor enemies that the player encounters throughout each game. Alice finds a picture of her wedding day with Spence, which is the same style as the photos in the first version of the Resident Evil game: in black and white with the foreground image (in this case, Alice and Spencer) noticeably spliced onto the background (the room behind them). On the newspaper at the end of the movie, the words "Horror in Raccoon City! More Victims Dead!" are shown in the upper right corner. This is a reference to the same newspaper in the censored opening of the original Resident Evil
Resident Evil (video game)
Resident Evil, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game by Capcom. The first installment in the Resident Evil series, it was originally released in 1996 for the PlayStation and was subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn and PC. In 2002, a remake of the game was released for the Nintendo...
game and the prologue chapter for the Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy novel. Near the beginning of the film, Alice examines a statue after the wind blows its cover off. This statue is similar in design to one in the mansion of the first game, and which contains the map of the ground floor.
When going back to the Red Queen's chamber, Kaplan points out that the four bodies of the group's dead crew from the Glass Hallway Trap sequence are gone. This is a reference to a noticeable trait in the games, where when a character leaves the room where they have killed zombies and then comes back, the bodies that were once there have disappeared. The film also borrows a plot element from Resident Evil 2 in which Leon and Claire
Claire Redfield
is a player character appearing in the Resident Evil series of survival horror video games.Claire is the younger sister of Chris Redfield, the protagonist of the first Resident Evil game...
have to escape the underground labs by taking the train and have a showdown with a large creature in the back of the car. When the survivors make their escape from the Hive with a countdown as they fight the final boss, this is a reference to the Resident Evil game which ends with a five minute countdown during which the boss must be defeated.
A faux newspaper created by Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
for Apocalypse, The Raccoon City Times, indicates hours after the initial outbreak, creatures began appearing in the Arklay Mountains feasting on victims. This is similar to the opening of the first video game.
Anderson has stated that the film's camera angle
Camera angle
The camera angle marks the specific location at which a camera is placed to take a shot. A scene may be shot from several camera angles. This will give different experience and sometimes emotion. the different camera angles will have different effects on the viewer and how they perceive the scene...
s and several shots allude to the video game's camera angles, such as the fight between Alice and the security guard. These include a scene near the beginning where there is a close up of Alice's eye. This is a direct reference to the title screen of the first game
Resident Evil (video game)
Resident Evil, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game by Capcom. The first installment in the Resident Evil series, it was originally released in 1996 for the PlayStation and was subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn and PC. In 2002, a remake of the game was released for the Nintendo...
. In another scene, Alice awakes and hears a creepy sound which is also a reference to the plot of the first game.
Numerous elements from the film have been referenced in several of the Resident Evil video games after the film's original release. This includes the laser corridor sequence which appeared in both Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
(where Leon S. Kennedy
Leon S. Kennedy
is a player character appearing in the Resident Evil series of survival horror video games. Leon is a protagonist in Resident Evil 2 and the main protagonist of Resident Evil 4. During the events of RE2, Leon is a new police officer who arrives in Raccoon City late for his first day on the job,...
has to evade a security trap) and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (where Chris Redfield
Chris Redfield
is a fictional character from Capcom's Resident Evil series.Chris is one of the two main protagonists in the first Resident Evil game, the other being Jill Valentine. Redfield returned as a playable character in Resident Evil Code: Veronica, where he must search for, and ultimately rescue, his...
and Jill Valentine
Jill Valentine
is a fictional character in the Resident Evil survival horror series by Capcom.Jill is one of the two protagonists of the original Resident Evil game, where she was introduced as a member of the Raccoon Police Department's Special Tactics And Rescue Service , trapped in a secret research complex of...
have to evade a trap in Umbrella's Russian facility). The film's font is used for the North American version of Resident Evil Outbreak. The character of Red Queen made an appearance in Umbrella Chronicles as a computer database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
system.
The main 'boss' in the film, (the T-virus injected human tissue) is a "Licker" from Resident Evil 2.
Alice is introduced as a mysterious "woman in red", as does recurring Resident Evil character Ada Wong
Ada Wong
is a game character in the Resident Evil series. The film version of Ada appears in Resident Evil: Retribution, where she is played by Li Bingbing.-Creation and development:...
. This is further motioned by the fact that even though Alice didn't know it, her combat training is that of a highly trained soldier. This mirrors Ada's role in Resident Evil 2, other than Ada intentionally keeping her true self a mystery to protagonist Leon Kennedy.
Home media
Resident Evil was released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on July 30, 2002 in the United States, April 14, 2003 in the United Kingdom and October 2002 in Australia. It was a special edition release, with a number of documentaries including five featurettes, one of which explained the making of Resident Evil, the film's score composition, costume design, set design, zombie make up tests, and the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for a remixed version of "My Plague
My Plague
"My Plague" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot, released as the third single from their second album Iowa on July 8, 2001. The song's "New Abuse Mix" was featured on the 2002 film Resident Evil....
" by Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
.
A Deluxe Edition of Resident Evil was released on September 7, 2004, which included new special features such as an alternate ending with director Anderson's video introduction, a clip compilation for Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
, From Game to Screen featurette, a Storyboarding Resident Evil featurette, and 6 other exclusive featurettes: The Creature, The Elevator, The Train, The Laser, Zombie Dogs and Zombies.
Screen Gems released Resident Evil: Resurrected Edition, a 2-disc package containing Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Apocalypse, on September 4, 2007.
On January 1, 2008, A Blu-ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
of the Resident Evil trilogy was released.