The Mosley Review: Resident Evil
Lets be clear. We are never getting a true adaptation of the beloved video game that we gamers have enjoyed for decades now. I have accepted that fact and so should my fellow fans. With that in mind, I went into this film with fresh eyes and was hoping for a halfway decent sci fi horror film. What I got was something unexpected and truly relentless in its wonderfully suspenseful tone. The film truly throws you in and I loved the pacing once the horror begins. Most will say that it has the essence of the titular video game and they'd be correct as it captures certain elements of the horror, survival and speed of the games. The story of the film doesn't try to be more than it promises and I applaud it for not being afraid to be ridiculous at times. This film felt more in line with John Carpenter's classic The Thing in terms of gore and insane creature designs and behaviour. I did have questions when it came to the rules of the infected as some of it wasn't completely clear, but that was also part of its charm as we discover stuff at the same time as the lead character.
Austin Abrams was great in the film as the lead and our eyes into this world, Bryan. I loved that he was just an average guy that is just living life with a decent job. Most of the time, you get some people with a hero complex or some sort of training, but not Bryan. He was pretty much on the brink of being a loser. Once the first encounter happens on the road, that’s when his character comes to life and delivers some surprisingly hilarious reactions to the situation. His progression from being terrified and useless to being a bit braver and throwing caution to the wind was great. The bus sequence was by far my favorite as he tries to rationalize what just happened. Paul Walter Hauser is like a good luck charm for any film and as an Umbrella Corporation scientist aptly named Paul, he was funny and informative. He delivers the necessary plot and exposition and I loved that it was urgent and not over explained. There was a moment where Bryan and Paul were truly the Abbott and Costello of the film and how their scenes play out was darkly hilarious.
Composers Hays and Ryan Holladay did a fantastic job in delivering an eerie and intense score that elevated the terror and suspense. The theme of the film was very John Carpenter inspired with the expert use of synth. The cinematography was fantastic as it would use the different points of Bryan’s view to focus on things in the distance that approach and I loved the shadow work as the infected would often appear from every corner. Like I said before, the tunnel / bus sequence was my favorite and perhaps the most terrifying scene of the film. The make-up and sound design was amazing throughout. The many Easter eggs from the games are sprinkled through out, but were not used as a "Hey, remember this from Resident Evil 2?!" type of gag which was appreciated. So was this the best direct Resident Evil film adaptation? No. This film was its own beast and it stands tall as a great sci fi horror thriller with the right amount of comedy to ease the tension and the perfect pacing to get you in and out of the nightmare. You'll definitely have a good time with it either way. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
