1h 40m
Director: Paul WS Anderson

A weaponized zombie virus is accidentally released in a secret underground research facility triggering a murderous chain reaction as the employees are infected. The umbrella corporation have been conducting secret bioweapon research including creating Alice, a super soldier, femme fatale whose as beautiful as she is lethal.

Alice doesn't remember anything about her inception. She does however, seem to recognise the weaponry she discovers whilst exploring her environment and also how to write. So Alice has a very convenient memory which handily remembers everything the plot needs her to! In writing, this is known as, 'willing suspension of disbelief' (which you probably remember from English class) and is where the viewer willingly accepts some contrivances in exchange for enjoyment of the plot.

There is a balance however and if the creator oversteps the mark then they lose the audience, who is taken out of the illusion and the artwork is spoiled, the illusion ruined. In film, the factors that can affect the 'suspension of disbelief' are numerous, it's not just the writing but the entire production - the effects, continuity etc.

A good director will almost never be happy with the finished product because they always know where the weaknesses are, just watch a few interviews - this means that to direct then you must learn to be happy with imperfection, worth remembering that if you're thinking about getting into the industry.

This film sometimes teeters on the edge of that absurdity and you occasionally have to force yourself to re-engage with it after it surprises you.

It's worth mentioning that Milla Jovovich (Alice in this film) eventually got married to the director Paul WS Anderson in 2009. I wonder if their relationship was kindled on the set of this movie? So there's an added layer of voyeurism here if you are aware that the director is creating scenes for someone who he might be considering marrying later.

Milla is pretty though and they probably chose her for this role after seeing her portray Leeloo in The Fifth Element (1997) where she wore a somewhat more risque outfit.

This film franchise has her wear some slightly silly fantasy attire but her character is lethal and very capable so it doesn't really feel exploitative. You get the the impression that her character would probably kick you in the face if you said as much!

Essentially, a team of Umbrella mercenaries must escort Alice (the asset) out of the facility (The Hive) and that is our set up. The Hive has a computer controlled AI called The Red Queen that's gone homicidal post accident so they want to try and shut it down.

There are several very memorable scenes in this movie. I don't expect you'll be forgetting the laser tunnel in a hurry! If you don't know what I mean, I'll let you discover it for yourself - let's just say that laser beams have no feelings and neither do defensive AI systems and that makes for some very cold, mechanical kills.

It isn't long before our heroes discover that it was a zombie virus that was released, the whole facility is swarming with the undead and Alice finds out that she has some very handy latent combat abilities.

The Red Queen eventually explains its reasons for killing everyone in the facility and they seem quite reasonable. The T-virus must not be allowed to escape from The Hive into the outside world under any circumstances, it's too dangerous! The later twist is that Alice's husband stole and released the T-virus and antidote. So it's all Spence's fault - what a git!

All of this of course sets up the entire franchise and puts some meat on the bone for future entries which is why I'm explaining it so much.

You remember I mentioned that a number of factors can spoil your immersion in a film a bit? The CGI, although enabling the writers to present some cool ideas here isn't really very good and looks borderline silly. Practical effects definitely would have looked better and probably been a bit cheaper. I don't think it'll spoil your enjoyment though, it's mostly a good looking movie.

As you can see, it's imaginative horror sci-fi with a Zombie flavour!



Trailer: