Common Sense Media Review
Milla Jovovich's violent 1st Resident Evil movie falls flat.
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Resident Evil
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 15 parent reviews
Based on 34 kid reviews
Kids say this is a highly gory and intense zombie movie that receives mixed reviews, with many praising the violence, special effects, and engaging female lead, while others criticize it for excessive action and an unfocused plot. It's deemed entertaining for mature audiences, particularly fans of the genre, but the strong language, graphic content, and jumpscares make it unsuitable for younger viewers.
- gory violence
- mixed reviews
- entertaining for mature
- strong language
- unsuitable for children
- engaging lead
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In the sci-fi thriller RESIDENT EVIL, a huge corporate conglomerate operates a mysterious underground research facility called The Hive. When something goes wrong with a devastating virus experiment, the governing AI system, Red Queen (Michaela Dicker), shuts everything down, including killing off all the people. Two amnesiac security officers, whom viewers eventually learn are named Alice (Milla Jovovich) and Spence (James Purefoy), are brought down into The Hive by a team of commandos. Beset by booby traps, mutants, and bloodthirsty zombies, the group struggles to get out. All the while, Alice and group infiltrator Matt (Eric Mabius), whose goals are unclear, form an uneasy alliance to figure out who exactly is behind it all—and how they might be taken down.
Is It Any Good?
The definitive comment about this rote movie was made by someone who walked out of the theater saying, "The computer game is more realistic than the movie." OK, no one was going into Resident Evil expecting insights about the human condition or Oscar-worthy performances in a movie based on a 1996 game about killing zombies. All we could hope for was cool special effects and fight scenes, maybe with a little humor or a clever plot twist.
But even on that level, Resident Evil is a disappointment. The undead humans look like rejects from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video, mutant Dobermans look about as impressive as the ones in the game (which were cobbled together with a handful of polygons), and laser beams slice into people in gross but fake-looking ways. At best, Michelle Rodriguez gives a great supporting performance as an ultra-competent security agent, but even she can't save this film from being yet another title tossed on the heap of lackluster game-based movies.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how corruption is shown in Resident Evil. How should people respond if they believe that their organization is doing something wrong? Does society have any guardrails to keep private organizations from getting out of hand? What works, and what's less effective?
If you've played it, how does Resident Evil the movie compare to the video game it was based on? What's similar, and what's different? Does the violence have the same impact in the movie as it does in the game?
What are some other movies based on video games? What makes an adaptation work? Do you consider Resident Evil a successful one?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 22, 2002
- On DVD or streaming : December 17, 2002
- Cast : Eric Mabius , Michelle Rodriguez , Milla Jovovich
- Director : Paul W.S. Anderson
- Studio : Columbia Tristar
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : STEM ( AI ) , Fantasy ( Monsters )
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : gross violence, language, and brief nudity
- Last updated : September 28, 2026
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