Sometimes a subculture of fandom exists so widely one might have trouble believing from within that there is anyone who hasn’t been… ahem, infected. My best example was finding out well into my forties that a friend I’d known for 20 years had never seen Star Wars. Outlandish! I use that example specifically for its much wider range. It almost seems like an impossibility. Since then, I’ve been proactive in actually asking the question, and to my surprise it’s not as uncommon as I thought. Therein I have laid the groundwork to explain before you read this, that until today, I have never seen a single Resident Evil movie, nor have I played any of the games. Boy, have I been missing out! I call this the Led Zeppelin Effect.
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Zeppelin released albums through the first several years of my life, yet I didn’t bother to listen until I was in my twenties. Before then I was caught up in whatever music I was caught up in (*snort* hair bands), but then when I was of an age where I could really appreciate music, I found the rabbit hole that gave me Led Zeppelin. A lifetime later, while being caught up in whatever movies I’ve been caught up in, I missed out on this (new to me) franchise. I never got around to seeing Resident Evil (2002), and I’m the lucky recipient of a string of sequels all at once. I knew at the time that it was “based on a video game”, and I wasn’t really interested. Guilty of prejudging, I skipped the next five, and was oblivious to the animated films.
If you’ve gotten this far, I appreciate you. My first person experience with this movie is about to open a can of worms for me, and I could use the support. Movie retros are not typically written in first person, but since Resident Evil got around to doing a first-person shooter by Resident Evil 7, I felt like it’s almost appropriate. Is now a good time to admit that I don’t even play video games? It happens to be a personal, conscious decision because I am a completist with a penchant for addiction. Yes, I’ve been there with you, playing “just this next level” for over 24 hours. I got my fix through several games over the course of the 90s, and eventually gave it up. I’m almost glad to see that games have become so much more complex since then. I’m not in any danger of relapsing because I’m too intimidated to get involved. Your takeaway should be that I’m a completist. I had to buy the entire Resident Evil Collection on digital after seeing Milla Jovovich kick infected ass in the 2002 film…a mere 20 years later.
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It was the Led Zeppelin Effect. When I “discovered” them I had ten albums to catch up on, and it was an adventure worth having. I knew the second Indra Ové’s face hit elevator frame that I’d be in for a longer haul of movie watching than I’d expected. It wasn’t the creativity of the kill itself that told me this was for me. We’ve all imagined half-in/half-out elevator deaths. It was the plotting of the scene. She was a goner on the way down, but the elevator stopped. She’s too pretty to die. Then, as she turns to be pulled back into the elevator the vantage point of the camera changes to her view. The perspective of the partially closed doors pointing to the ceiling was the moment that told me this isn’t just going to be a forgettable zombie shoot-em-up. Director Paul W.S. Anderson knew what he was doing. He’s a master of how horror works. It’s not only about the fake-outs. It’s not only about the payoffs. It’s about the moment in-between where the viewer is tipped off through story-boarding in which there’s no turning back. Marco Beltrami’s driving score was another tool in the box that made the movement between scenes so impressive. And if you think the opening scene of Ghost Ship couldn’t be topped, it was topped seven months prior to its release. In my best Chris Farley impersonation, “Remember that scene, and you guys were in the hallway with the lasers? Yeah, that was friggin’ cool. Remember that scene?” If Anderson hadn’t already sold me with the elevator scene, the death by crosshatch laser scene put me in the backers’ seat. I’m invested.
With five more films to watch (I may pass on the animated films), I refuse to watch the reboot, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) until I’ve first watched all six films from the original series. I’ll lament the loss of Rain, mostly. Michelle Rodriguez exhibited her trademark flirtatious and threatening look through her brow one-too few times before she bit it. Resident Evil was so chock full of eye candy. Beautiful men and women abound, a polished final girl, and Milla Jovovich was a joy to watch (she is in Monster Hunter (2020) too!). As Alice, I expect she’ll pull Sigourney Weaver level character importance over the course of this franchise. As a kid who grew up watching Ray Harryhausen movies I am adept at looking past Resident Evil‘s clunky digital creatures. I know they’ll get better. I know it’s been 20 years, but no spoilers, please. I’ll make the popcorn.
