George A. Romero’s Resident Evil (2024): review

The film that never happened

For a fan of the games, this documentary’s appeal lies in a missed possibility. What would Resident Evil have looked like under George A. Romero? Brandon Salisbury reconstructs the unrealised project through interviews, archival material and documents. That offers a route towards a different possible adaptation from Paul W. S. Anderson’s later films, which Eddy finds difficult to embrace as a fan of the games.

The creative ideas and tensions between different expectations of an adaptation are particularly interesting. Romero’s work around the games and the surviving traces of the film project make this history tangible.

Atmosphere and digressions

A setting reminiscent of the game and Pablo Kuntz’s narration provide an appropriate frame. His connection to the original Wesker adds recognition for those familiar with the game. Interviews and development material offer interesting insights into a production that never came together.

However, a substantial portion concerns Romero’s career more generally. This supplies context but repeatedly moves away from the most compelling subject. Some statements and ideas recur. The documentary consequently lacks consistent focus, and parts feel like the beginning of an investigation rather than a fully developed account.

Verdict

George A. Romero’s Resident Evil is worthwhile for fans of the games and the director who want to explore a cinematic what-if. Its atmosphere and surviving material sustain curiosity. Extended biography and repetition limit the depth of its examination of the particular project. Interesting, but not quite the fully rounded documentary its subject promises.