Resident Evil is a
2002 British
science fiction horror film based on the
same titled series of
Survival horror games
developed by
Capcom. Borrowing elements from the
Resident Evil 1 and
2 video games, the film follows an
amnesiac heroine
Alice, and a band of
Umbrella Corporation commandos. As they attempt to escape a secret underground facility that at one time was filled with people is now overrun with
zombies. The film was directed by
Paul W. S. Anderson, and was released in the United States on 15 March 2002, and in Japan on 31 August 2002. The film was commercially successful, grossing
$102,441,078 worldwide;
however, it received many negative reviews from critics such as
Roger Ebert and fans of the video game series.
Although
Resident Evil received some negative reviews, financially it has been successful enough to have two sequels made and the possibility of a fourth installment. Resident Evil was followed by two
sequels:
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and
Resident Evil: Extinction (2007). Anderson continued his involvement in the series, writing and producing the sequels, however, leaving directing to
Alexander Witt and
Russell Mulcahy. It stars
Milla Jovovich,
Michelle Rodriguez,
Eric Mabius, and
James Purefoy.
