Resident Evil (Special Edition)
by Paul W.S. Anderson
List Price:
Our Price: $2.94
You Save: $17.01 (85%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Eric Mabius, James Purefoy, Martin Crewes, Michelle Rodriguez, Milla JovovichDirector: Paul W.S. Anderson
Writer: Paul W.S. Anderson
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-07-30
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Resident Evil (Special Edition)
Movie Review: Not enough of a good thing!!! Gimme a sequel!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first review written here, and perhaps some of you old timers might hear me out. Resident Evil is an amazing movie, brought together from the minds of gamers and psychological nit-pickers alike. The movie is meant to be left a bit confusing, only to add to the mystery the characters are themselves experiencing. As said in the commentary, the characters that have suffered from slight memory loss are very helpless and vulnerable, and the audience is made to feel all the same. "Hot" actresses make up the childish tang of the movie, which is meant to portray innocence and fresh-to-the-world mindsets. Of course the mini skirt complements this, as does Michelle Rodriguez's (Rain) baggy commando uniform. Shoulda used her knife more!Anyway, I must admit that I haven't liked a movie as I do this one for some time. Event Horizon is perhaps one of my favorite films, only because of its whole eerie feeling, and Resident Evil does about double of what I would have expected off of E.H. The director does the perfect job with this film - he makes the most important thing the "here" and "now". Of course the characters may seem to the critics as undefined and two dimensional, but then they wouldn't be critics if they didn't have something bad to say! The point of this background-less approach is to make the audience forget about everything else not happening at the current moment. The characters were not given the luxury of gathering their thoughts before they were plummeted into The Hive, and once they were in, they had no need to remember how they felt about last Christmas. This is called the mood.
Some people associate Marilyn Manson's presence in the credits with unthinkable ways of life, and though that may be true to whatever extent, he is only there for the music. He has put scoring into another category for me; I feel now that the difference between song writing and scoring is merely the artist. Manson does an absolutely amazing job placing lurking sounds and treading effects over menacing bass lines and intense melodies. Manson demanded much of himself on this job, and places into the Resident Evil world feelings and anticipations that would have otherwise not been present. He took a scene's feel and atmosphere personally, and spent time composing tracks that did not merely fit with the set and plot, but instead meshed into the landscape right before the viewers' eyes. If anyone wants to discuss this, download his track "Seizure of Power" that was written to, not for, the movie.
Now, as some say that it is not a creditable movie to the game, one must realize that it was not based on the game's actual play. The creators imaged the Resident Evil world, and its feelings and manners, and created something from the middle of this. Half of the characters had no idea what was going on for most of the time, and only wished to see the commando mission achieved and their own lives saved. More and more is explained as the movie goes on, as it should be. The game has its own succession of events, as does the movie. Resident Evil the game throws around different challenges and events, while the movie's producers have a line that follows the best of these. The game is meant to be interacted with, as the movie is meant to be experienced. Those who have played the games already know what will happen in order to succeed, anyway... Why just act that out?
The producers did slip in a few places, but they did their best with their budget. The most obvious mistake is the note reading something about "today all your dreams will come true". It's shown twice in the movie, though in different handwritings! During the commentary, they even admit to it! Ah well; no harm done. Again, they were given a very limited budget, and they did their best using what they had. A pretty funny point was in their admitting that most of the large doors in the movie were in fact the same one, just painted every time! Smart! Again, the characters were left short and thin because that was the entire point. We do not get enough to anticipate their actions, which leave even more to be expected. The character "Alice" even spends a few moments here and there remembering her own skills, which were taught to her as an inner company operative, though she doesn't realize it. The dog scene mainly brings these qualities to the surface, and I can't complain about watching her easily drop kick both zombie and un-dead poochie alike. The firearm usage right after reveals even more to her character, though perhaps it revealed more to her than the audience. Also, she definitely does not come out of the movie just as pristine as she had entered it; she did all of her own stunts, and all of the bruises and scratches that were on her at the end of the movie were real. In fact, they had to add a little make-up to improve her appearance for different scenes! Lastly on this note, why would any company reliant on an underground research lab construct the lab's controlling computer to be accessible from the outside of the complex. Matter of fact, it's the same reason why I have a firewall on my computer! How is this something wrong with the movie, as some say?
Overall, I can't see this movie enough. I think it amazing that the director and producer could have worked out a totally workable situation for the actors to be stuck in, and forced to find their way out of! The sequel will bring more of a story to the Umbrella Company, as well. "Alice" has already spent a good time slaying the un-dead, and next will look into just what went wrong, and what can be done to fix it. Of course, I anticipate a good amount of trouble to present itself, but then, what would a good movie be without a little difficulty? ...
Summary of Resident Evil (Special Edition)
Marilyn Manson worked on the soundtrack, so it's no surprise that Resident Evil is best enjoyed by headbangers, goth guys, and PlayStation junkies. Like the interactive game it's based on, this horror hybrid pits a small band of SWAT-like commandos (including Milla Jovovich and Girlfight's Michelle Rodriguez) against a ravenous hoard of zombies, resulting in a gorefest that only sociopaths could love. The tenacious heroes are trapped inside the Hive--an underground complex where an evil corporation conducts illegal research with a deadly virus--and the zombies (reanimated corpses of sacrificed employees) are fodder for endless rounds of gunfire. It's utter nonsense (not unlike director Paul W.S. Anderson's previous Event Horizon), so your best defense is to wallow in it or avoid this trash altogether. A few cool sequences are borrowed from better films (that slice-and-dice laser is cribbed from the 1998 Canadian shocker Cube), but if you're in the mood for heavy-metal carnage, this movie's for you. --Jeff ShannonSimilar DVD Movies
Silent Hill (Fullscreen Edition)Ff; Release date: 2006-08-22; DVD
Best price: $3.56
Price in other shops:
Underworld: Rise of the LycansSHEEN,MICHAEL; Release date: 2009-05-12; Published: 2009-05-01; DVD
Best price: $5.24
Price in other shops:
Ultraviolet (Unrated, Extended Cut)SONY PICTURES HOME ENT; Release date: 2006-06-27; Published: 2006-06-01; DVD
Best price: $2.58
Price in other shops:
Underworld (Widescreen Special Edition)Sony; Release date: 2004-01-06; DVD
Best price: $3.98
Price in other shops:
Underworld: Evolution (Widescreen Edition)SONY PICTURES HOME ENT; Release date: 2006-06-06; DVD
Best price: $4.28
Price in other shops:
Resident Evil Extinction Exclusive 2-disc Limited EditionWarner Home Video; DVD
Best price: $3.42
Resident Evil: DegenerationSONY PICTURES HOME ENT; Release date: 2008-12-27; Published: 2008-12-01; DVD
Best price: $2.95
Price in other shops:
Resident Evil - Apocalypse (Special Edition)SONY PICTURES HOME ENT; Release date: 2004-12-28; DVD
Best price: $4.75
Price in other shops:
Resident Evil - Extinction (Widescreen Special Edition)SONY PICTURES HOME ENT; Release date: 2008-01-01; Published: 2008-01-01; DVD
Best price: $3.25
Price in other shops:
Resident Evil: AfterlifeSON; Release date: 2010-12-28; DVD
Best price: $8.61
Price in other shops: