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Resident Evil
The latest in a line of video game adaptations, Resident Evil was released over the weekend. While past conversions such as Super Mario Brothers and Street Fighter were box-office flops, Resident Evil has the chance to break the game-to-movie-flop habit. While the movie is not a straight port of the game, it can still offer a good viewing experience.
The movie takes place in Raccoon City, USA, within a secret underground research lab called The Hive. The lab's work on a cell regeneration medicine ("the T-Cell serum:) for the Umbrella Corporation has a very negative side effect: it reverts the donor into a creature with basic instinctive needs. A lab experiment causes the virus to be released in the air circulation system and, after a logic snafu from the Red Queen (The Hive's AI), this AI quarantines the lab and kills everyone who may have been exposed to the virus.
A SWAT team (not STARS, for the Resident faithful), is sent to find out what's going on. After finding Alice (Milla Jovovich), they break into the HIVE. The Red Queen's traps have fun with the troops, and one they figure things are going their way, the dead scientists of the HIVE are released. On top of that, they're all thirsty for blood.
From here, it goes into a Night of the Living Dead shoot-and-scream-a-thon. There are some genuine scares, but most of them are peppered with shouting and running. There wasn't enough time to get to know the characters before they start getting killed off. The movie tries to be like Aliens in some respects, and sometimes it works.
Plot notwithstanding, the movie still offers a good viewing. It is a shame that George Romero didn't take the project, as was the original plan. Instead, it was taken by Paul Anderson (Soldier, Event Horizon, Mortal Kombat), whose influences show with strobe lights, dark passageways, and a loud soundtrack. Go and see it during the matinee, or wait for it on video. AfterThought: For those who are also fans of anime, here is a video you may wish to download: Resident Eva . It uses the trailer's audio track and makes good use of Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Human Combustion Industries has announced the completion of their latest home entertainment robot, OBIT. OBIT manifests as a human skull 3.1 meters in height, equipped with two stubby robot legs and an extensible fanged proboscis described by surviving journalists as "indescribable", "ravenous", and "obscene".
OBIT is powered by a 500 hp diesel-electric fuel cell located in the area of the cranium traditionally reserved for the medulla oblongata. This configuration allows for extended operation in low-oxygen environments as well as the "silent stalking" behavior demonstrated to such dramatic effect at Tuesday's eventful press conference.
OBIT is also equipped with sophisticated magnetic resonance imaging equipment enabling 98% accurate detection of the presence of an advanced central nervous system in organisms variously defined as "visitor", "prey", "family member", "clergy", or "passer-by". Complex neural-net technology allows all detected instances of CNS regardless of category to be recategorized as "prey". "Prey" instances are greeted with prompt action when target acquisition phase is complete! Graceful proboscis extends rapidly, providing spectator great joy as jaws open wide and gleaming fang extend. Studies show most immediate immobilization benefit in prompt attack to legs; hence OBIT prefer leg-first approach. Quaint antics of disabled prey may be observed by all as limbs are removed, followed by educational vivisection of torso and head accompanied by instructional lecture. Excellent consistency in results is obtained.
Remains of owner and guests to be disposed of at all times in accordance with applicable statutes of local municipality.
As long as they stick to Milla in a short skirt we should have a pretty good movie. If they insist on a plot or a storyline then all is lost. Also, if they are so foolish as to have other people in it then likewise all is lost. I would go see 2+ hours of scantily clad Milla kicking the crap out of CG anything...
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Most importantly, I'm wondering if the characters (players?) in the movie can step side-to-side or if they've stayed true to the RE series and made them all move like tanks (turning on their axes). So which is it?
Easy does it!
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This movie rules, but I must say, I really miss the emotional-sociological take on the zombie genre that George Romero has. His Night, Dawn, Day series is just a classic, the movies being more about the people breaking down under duress than the zombies and gore (but OH! those Zombies and Gore!).
And I love the first Return of the Living Dead (produced by John Russo, who co-authored Night of the Living Dead w/ Romero). The sequels to that film sucked, but the first one was a very effective horror comedy with some nice twists on the zombie theme (intelligent zombies, no sure-kill tactic)
While Resident Evil is a great rush, it just doesn't have the substance that the Romero films do. If you wanna REALLY be scared of zombies, get the DVD of Day of the Dead, lock yourself in a basement, and turn off all the lights. FRREEEAAAAKKKYYYY!
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While past conversions such as Super mario Brothers and Street Fighter were box office flops
Tomb Raider grossed about $131 million. Not a superhit but definitely not a flop.
Angelina Jolie probably helped that one out.
Ship twirls around and fires. Misses. Fires again. Hits a large asteroid. Fires again and hits a flying saucer. Keeps firing. Hits a small asteroid. Fires four times in rapid succession. Oh-oh, tiny fast-moving rock: hyperspace. Re-enters close to the screen. Oh oh oh, dangerous, moves closer to the middle. Tiny spaceship comes out. Ship fires and hits it. 1000 points. Fires. Misses. Fires again. Another tiny spaceship fires back and hits him.
Even if you've never played an RE game, the movie turns out to be a decent horror flick. Producers finally figured out that you don't just have to retell a game - you just have to get the feel of the game - the RE movie does this well. Even without the Resident Evil name, it's a decent movie.
In terms of production, the special effects were so-so (and erred on the side of cheese a couple times), and the audio was a bit badly mixed (might have been the theatre). The acting was great, as were the costumes. It doesn't go for cheap scares like most horror flicks, which is a welcome change.
Worth going to, if you don't mind gore, or just want to see a lot of zombie killing
BBK
The first Resident Evil game was ground-breaking. It was one of the first really scary video games to come out after the advent of decent 3D graphics.
Previous "horror" video games tended to be more of a shoot-fest. Resident Evil was genuinely creepy. I literally jumped at a few points when playing it. Part of making a good thriller is pacing things appropriately. You have to let the tension build up for a while before you release it.
It's ironic that the movie (by all the reviews I've read) seems to be a regression to more of an action movie/"shooter" game style, rather than being true to the original. This may be the first instance where the movie adaptation of a video game is less cinematic than the video game that inspired it.
-Mark
"It is a shame that George Romero didn't take the project..."
It's even more of a shame that John Romero didn't take the project.
What with his obsession of story lines in video games, Resident Evil would have been nothing less than a smash hit.
Just ask him. I'm sure he'll agree.
Knunov
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Now, in the spirit of modern-day marketing and product tie-ins, we will soon see a crappy game based off of this movie..
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In the past game-to-movie conversions have been _______(negative adjective.) But ________ (newest game-to-movie) has the chance to break the habit. Since the game has sold over _____ (big number) copies, and the movie has a budget of _____ (big number), it will probably be very ______(positive adjective.)
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Ugh, I don't think so. That movie was awful on just about every level. Okay, maybe fifteen years ago it would have been worth it for Angelina Jolie, but why subject yourself to two hours of hellish agony when you can just go home and download Angelina Jolie pictures off the internet? :P
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I'm not quite sure where all the bad reviews of this movie are coming from. I planned to see this movie last Saturday, but before hand, I looked up a few reviews. They were about 80% negative, so I decided to not go see it. The next day, a friend of mine pressured me into seeing it anyway, and it was awesome. The atmosphere was exactly like the games...sure there is some filler/fluff, and most of the characters die 20 minuets into the movie, but again, that is just like the game. If you haven't seen it, for sure don't post opinions, and at least give it a chance. To put this movie in the ranks of Street Fighter, or Super Mario Bros. is just silly.
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If you go over to Coming Attractions, you'll discover that George Romero wanted the project quite a bit, and had alot of cool ideas.
Capcom apparently didn't like being shown how to make a Zombie franchise.
Here's to hoping that RE starts a resurgance of Zombie movies so we can see George in action again.
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Resident Evil, starring Milla Jovovich (yummy), is based on the video game of the same name. I've never played the game, but I assume it's pretty much the same general idea..
The plot is mind-numbingly simple: The Umbrella Corporation is the biggest company in the US. It makes all sorts of consumer products, and is involved in military tech, and viral and genetic research.
Deep underground beneath Raccoon City (yep, that's what it's called) is The Hive, Umbrella Corp's secret research facility..
The movie opens with someone stealing what turns out to be a mutagenic virus from one of the labs, and leaving a broken vial of the nasty stuff to cover their tracks. In response to the contamination, the facility AI brain seals all exits and kills all occupants.
There's really not much more to it than that.. We get to see Yummy Milla passed out naked in a shower stall, in a nice mansion, due to having been gassed by the Red Queen (the AI code name) defense system. We get a gratuitous nipple shot, and then the action picks up as an Alien's-style special forces team arrives to figure out what hapenned in The Hive.
What follows is a joy-ride of mindless violence, cool special effects and lots and lots of zombies.
There's a few plot-related explanations that strangely hold together pretty well, but 'plot' is not what this movie is about.. It's about action, suspense, effects, soundtrack, and of course, Yummy Milla in a short evening dress doing acrobatic fight scenes.
It's been said that "Every Breath You Take" is the perfect Pop Song.. It's devoid of content, but it has everything a great pop song needs to succeed. A good beat and melody, plenty of rhyming and easy to recall lyrics, and a simple structure that doesn't test even the most mundane of brains.
This movie is the perfect Popcorn Movie. It's got a non stop mix of suspense and shock, which alternates with loud gunfire, growling monsters, and the occasional computer-screen overlay.. It's a study in brilliant, yet vapid, entertainment.
It's Night of the Living Dead, on Methamphetamine.
And best of all, it's more than just a movie about the game "Resident Evil". All you need to do is replace Yummy Milla with a male, and the openning "virus theft" sequence with an experiment in trans-dimensional travel, and suddenly, it's also a movie about the game "Doom".. Seriously, right down to the final scene, except there isn't a bunny-head on a stick anywhere in sight..
If you've got $8.50 burning a hole in your pocket, this is a fun, albeit mindless 2 hours on which to spend it.
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You had to ask female friends to find out that real breasts aren't anything like that? I'm sorry, my friend.
ok- so I went to the SF metreon last night to see RE...
Milla is a cutie and all but my lord that was THE WORST sound I have ever heard in a movie. I sat there the *entire* movie with my ears plugged.
the sharp very very loud stabbing sounds to add some dramatic effect to _every_ turn of milla's head was just making me wince through the whole thing.
I think that the only reason that milla was in there was to over deliver on her signature surprised look.
and the other girl - michelle rodriguez. WORST ACRTESS in recent memory. I wanted to punch her by the end of the flick.
ALL in all - RE SUCKED MAJOR ASS. dont waste a dime.
There was one scene in this movie that was a typical kind of horror scene, where you know where you know what is about to happen. My roommate and i were sitting there in a row by ourselves in this dark cold theatre and we had a short dialogue that went like this:
Him: Oh god, it's going to happen.
Me: What?
Him: She's going to open her eyes.
Me: What?
Him: Look, it's going to happen, oh god oh god.
(At this point he was more or less drooling on himself with fright)
3 seconds later, what he was drooling in fear about, which we both knew was going to happen, happened, and we and everyone else in the theatre jumped.
The acting was not overly great or in anyway different from what I was expecting, but we made sure we checked our brains at the door. Doing that allowed us to have a great time and really enjoy a strong Zombie flick.
-- You don't shoot to kill, you shoot to stay alive.
Real breasts don't move that way.
The movie was just being true to the video game. They made Angelina Jolie's chest move just like Lara Croft's does in the video game. I think the film's faithful adaptation of breasts was the best thing about it.
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