Zombie Canines, Martial Arts Mayhem: Resident Evil’s Latest is a Must-See Spectacle!

In 2009, Milla Jovovich and director Paul WS Anderson tied the knot. The couple first met during the production of the 2002 film Resident Evil, a cinematic adaptation of the popular Japanese video game series that had been a staple on the PlayStation since the 90s. The film, featuring Jovovich as the lead and directed by Anderson, marked the beginning of a highly successful franchise comprising six films that collectively grossed over a billion dollars. However, the journey wasn’t always smooth.

It is said that Jovovich was dissatisfied with changes to the script that shifted many of her character’s action scenes to her co-stars. Rather than walking away, she chose to work with Anderson for hours on script revisions. This collaboration not only salvaged her key action scenes but also set the stage for both a professional and personal relationship. One notable scene restored to Jovovich’s character, Alice—who suffers from amnesia—involves a spectacular maneuver where she runs up a wall, spins around, leaps, and delivers a powerful kick to a zombie dog.

The original video games were known for their minimal action but intense atmosphere, creating the foundation for the survival horror genre in the gaming industry. The film adaptation, however, opted for a different approach, infused with the early 2000s nu-metal vibe characteristic of films like The One and xXx. This era was marked by its raw, visceral appeal, often blending hard rock with martial arts elements.

In the film, the iconic scene of Alice’s combat with the zombie dog is presented in a dramatic slow motion that emphasizes her agility and combat skills, accompanied by an electrifying guitar riff. This moment is crucial as it signifies Alice beginning to reclaim her memory and physical prowess, establishing her as the central character of the narrative from that point onward.

Set against the backdrop of a world dominated by the Umbrella Corporation, a giant conglomerate with interests in sectors ranging from healthcare to military technology, the movie kicks off with a disastrous leak of a viral agent in one of their covert underground labs, The Hive. Predictably, this leads to the facility being locked down, and soon, its staff starts turning into zombies.

Initially, Alice’s connection to the unfolding events is ambiguous. She wakes up confused in an empty mansion and is quickly collected by a military team sent to investigate the outbreak. The setting of the film is more of an oppressive underground bunker than a vast wasteland, creating a claustrophobic and intense atmosphere filled with narrow corridors shrouded in smoke.

As the team delves deeper into the lab, Alice pieces together more of her memories. Through flashbacks, it’s revealed that she was secretly providing information to environmental activists aimed at exposing Umbrella’s unlawful activities. Echoing classic sci-fi themes, Resident Evil critiques corporate greed with a strong anti-capitalist undertone. The zombies in the film are portrayed not just as mindless beings but as reanimated employees, doomed to wander the facility where they once worked.

Echoing the spirit of films like Aliens, the Resident Evil series places capable women at the forefront of the action. Alice is portrayed as skilled and resourceful, fighting alongside tough special ops agent Rain (played by Michelle Rodriguez), who manages to fend off the infection while delivering memorable lines.

This film laid the foundation for what would become not only a lucrative film series but also a long and harmonious marriage between Jovovich and Anderson. Within fan communities, Anderson is often celebrated as a devoted “wife guy,” consistently casting Jovovich in lead roles that showcase her in powerful, slow-motion action sequences—a true delight for action movie aficionados.

• Resident Evil is available for streaming on Stan in Australia and can be rented in the UK and US. For more streaming recommendations in Australia, click here.