Resident Evil (2002)
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An amnesiac woman and a group of commandos must navigate a high-security underground facility to contain a deadly viral outbreak.
The story
Underneath Raccoon City, a genetic research facility called the Hive is owned by the Umbrella Corporation. After a thief steals and releases the genetically engineered T-virus, the facility's artificial intelligence, the Red Queen, seals the Hive to prevent the virus from leaking. Alice, an amnesiac woman, wakes up in a deserted mansion and is joined by a group of commandos led by James "One" Shade. They are forced to descend into the Hive to contain the outbreak. However, the situation turns dire when the Red Queen's systems are compromised, causing the facility's doors to open and releasing a horde of zombified staff and dangerous creatures.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a thief steals the T-virus and triggers a lockdown in the underground Hive facility, Alice, an amnesiac woman, is joined by a team of Umbrella commandos. They enter the Hive to contain the outbreak, but the Red Queen's systems are sabotaged, releasing zombified humans and Lickers. During the escape, the group is separated, and Alice discovers that her partner, Spence, was the thief who released the virus. After a series of deadly encounters, the survivors reach the train and use an anti-virus, which fails to cure the infected Rain. At the mansion, Matt is captured by Umbrella scientists to be put into the Nemesis Program. Later, Alice wakes up in a ruined Raccoon City, where she finds a shotgun and prepares to face the aftermath of the catastrophe.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- Germany; United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Paul W. S. Anderson
- Writers
- Paul W. S. Anderson · writer
- Cast and characters
- Milla Jovovich · Alice; Michelle Rodriguez · Rain; Eric Mabius · Matt Addison; James Purefoy · One; Martin Crewes · J.D.; Colin Salmon · Kaplan
- Genres
- horror; action; science fiction
- Themes
- survival; corporate conspiracy
- Tone and mood
- tense; violent
- Setting
- A secret underground facility (the Hive) beneath a mansion near Raccoon City.
- Premise and plot tags
- zombie apocalypse; viral outbreak; survival horror
- Source material / true-story basis
- video game series
- Franchise connections
- Resident Evil
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics but was noted for its style and action.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 36% · review count: 162; Metacritic · score: 35 · scale: 100 · review count: 24
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled Resident Evil: Ground Zero.; The character of the Red Queen was added as an homage to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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