Resident Evil
An amnesiac fighter joins a trapped military team in a sealed laboratory where a corporate virus has turned scientific research into a zombie siege.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- tense
- kinetic
- paranoid
- late night horror marathon
- action movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly viewed the film as loud, violent, formulaic, and cheesy, though some acknowledged its heart-pounding action and anti-corporate angle.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Alice begins with amnesia after exposure to nerve gas, while returning memories reshape her understanding of the Hive and its conspiracy.
The Umbrella Corporation's secret biological research, quarantine protocols, and weaponized virus drive the conflict.
The military team must cross the Hive, a locked-down underground facility filled with zombies, mutants, and lethal security mechanisms.
Alice and Rain are foregrounded as physically capable fighters during the team's armed resistance against infected creatures and corporate control.
Films like Resident Evil, and why
Doom
shares claustrophobic survival horror, biological experimentation, undead threats, and militarized action
Aliens
shares corporate conspiracy, underground facility danger, science fiction horror, and relentless creature attacks
28 Days Later
shares zombie outbreak horror, quarantine pressure, ensemble survival, and escalating bodily threat
Underworld
shares stylish girls with guns action, amnesia, conspiratorial science fiction, and heightened violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Paul W. S. Anderson
- Release Date
- 2002-03-15
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (7197)
Cast
- Milla Jovovich
- Michelle Rodriguez
- Eric Mabius
- James Purefoy
- Martin Crewes
- Colin Salmon
- Pasquale Aleardi
- Heike Makatsch
- Ryan McCluskey
- Oscar Pearce
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Resident Evil about?
- An amnesiac fighter joins a trapped military team in a sealed laboratory where a corporate virus has turned scientific research into a zombie siege.
- What is Resident Evil like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Resident Evil as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Resident Evil violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Resident Evil as graphic.
- What did critics think of Resident Evil?
- Critics broadly viewed the film as loud, violent, formulaic, and cheesy, though some acknowledged its heart-pounding action and anti-corporate angle.
- Which films are like Resident Evil?
- Films with a similar feel include Doom, Aliens, 28 Days Later, and Underworld.
- How long is Resident Evil?
- Resident Evil runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch Resident Evil?
- In United States, Resident Evil is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex.
