When a virus leaks from a top-secret facility, turning all resident researchers into ravenous zombies and their lab animals into mutated hounds from hell, the government sends in an elite military task force to contain the outbreak. Alice and Rain are charged with leading the mission. But they only have three hours before the pathogen becomes airborne and infects the world.
An already thin story boils down to surviving invaders seeking an existent anti-virus. If only there were one for this kind of movie.
– Mike Clark,
USA Today,
16 Mar 2002
rotten:
It's completely pointless.
– Richard Roeper,
Ebert & Roeper,
19 Mar 2002
fresh:
On its own terms, Resident Evil updates the zombie genre with an anti-corporate message while still scaring its audience and providing heart-pounding action.
– Robert K. Elder,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jul 2002
rotten:
Hats off, however, to the production team for the set designs and one very imaginative death-by-laser sequence. The rest is a derivative, tedious mess.
– Derek Adams,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
rotten:
Despite a promising setup, pic never really goes anywhere, instead immersing viewers in a kinetic onslaught of flesh (namely, that of Milla Jovovich) and flesh-eaters (most of the rest of the cast).