George A. Romero's Resident Evil

No pun intended - anyone who was lucky enough to have met the man, can and will tell you (like me), that he was the sweetest human being out there. And so humble - I don't think he ever really was able to grasp how many lives he changed! Directly or through his movies - which I reckon is also kind of directly.

So I knew most of the stuff already that is being rolled up and off at the beginning, but you have to get to a point where everyone is on the same level of information. And that starts with background on the game Resident Evil - with enough players (actually producers) to give us insights.

Yes Romero was a major influence ... if there is a disc version of this documentary, I do hope they include the ads (trailers) he did for Biohazard 2 (the Japanese name of the Resident Evil games) ... generally speaking I hope there is more on an disc version.

A lot of players are missing (Tom Savini to name just one of his greatest collaborators). So while this is mainly focused (or supposed to) on Resident Evil ... there are personal touches on his life too. And the foundation his wife brought to ... well life after his death.

One documentary is not enough to do the man justice of course - and the reading of the script (or the scenes within) that never was made ... but probably would have been at least as good as the one they eventually did ... well it is heartbreaking ... but it is what it is ... the German production company decided to go the commercial route ... I reckon you can't blame them - but you can still hate them ... a nice little documentary with some insights and new information I reckon for those interested.

As a fan of Resident Evil, zombies and Romero, this documentary took me by surprise. I didn't know of its making, so faced with the news it had just been released piqued my curiosity. It proves to be moderately interesting, but diluted by uninspired structure and is ultimately unsure as to what it really is about.

Just to prove my Resident Evil chops, I was well aware of the near mythological tales of what-could-have-been Romero's Resident Evil and even read his script for it back in the day. I'm also in the camp of those who think Paul W. S. Anderson's take on the franchise is an abomination that should never have had any tangent to the Resident Evil universe. This means that I've often ruefully wondered about why Romero wasn't allowed to bring his considerably more faithful version to life.

Brandon Salisbury's take on the matter is a scattered one, diluted with narration and script read outs, but not without moments of charm and intrigue. It definitely tells a story, covering a lot of ground on both the RE franchise and Romero's legacy. After briefly introducing Romero as a creator, it goes on to the origin of the Resident Evil series. For about twenty minutes it then delves into what I thought the main topic would be about, how Romero's Resident Evil came to (not) be, before becoming a full-on ode to Romero himself.

The homage to Romero is the best part of the film and, to its merit, it does also answer the question of why his version of Resident Evil didn't come about.

Part of the reason why the tribute works best, is because of the colour brought by many of the people who were interviewed, obviously touched by Romero not only as an artist, but also as a person. This works well, even if there's very little from Romero himself in this film. It also delves into some interesting curiosities about the latter part of his career and his legacy, which leaves the distinct feeling that a movie focused on Romero would have had more to say.

Like the Resident Evil franchise, this documentary is torn between finding a commercial niche and telling something worth watching and listening to. It's going to be kind of interesting for fans of Resident Evil, but anyone who cares about this particular intersection of history, will probably know most of the things GA Romero's Resident Evil has to say.

The first half of this documentary is mostly setup for the main subject. You get an overview of Romero's career, an overview of the creation of Biohazard/ Resident Evil, and then a segment on where the two intersect with the Biohazard commercial that Romero directed. This half is fine, has some interesting tidbits, but it is long (nearly an hour) and has some tedium as well. It's a little "in 1968 George Romero made Night of the Living Dead, and then he did ___, and then he made ____, and then he went on to make ____. In the 1990's Capcom did ____, and then they did ____." I'm oversimplifying but outside of some interview clips and visuals to go along with the info that's the short of it. The best part was the section on the Biohazard 2 commercial, it had interesting bits on Brad Renfro's contract stipulations and I do think it accomplished showing the viewer how Romero's involvement evolved into Romero working on an RE film proper. It wasn't the most surefooted journey but it got us there.

The second half focused on Romero's scripts and ended with a tribute of sorts to the man. The doc really picked up speed here, maybe a little too much speed. There's someone briskly reading through the main beats of Romero's RE scripts and, while fascinating, it comes at you fast enough to make what you're hearing/reading hard to process and appreciate. I'll have to rewatch this part. I feel like there's a missed opportunity here as well. Throughout the doc you're treated with some pretty decent reenactment type of footage that was shot at a mansion that looks pretty close to the Spencer mansion. There's actors resembling STARS characters and some Zombie makeup as well. When Romero's script is being read off, it would have enhanced the viewing experience greatly to get some representations of what you're hearing other than game footage. Even just one or two moments from the script given a little more time and examination would've deepened the experience greatly.

Overall, I think this is worth checking out if you're a fan of both Romero and the classic RE games. If you're not invested in both of those things, I don't think this documentary has enough generally interesting stories or information to carry you through for 1hr 50min. I've read reviews saying that most of what this doc says is already out there in the public, that doesn't bother me though. This is a very niche subject and there is no way that this is common knowledge for casual fans so it's nice to have it all compiled and given a narrative. It has a cool presentation, and if it is a little tedious or rushed at times I think it basically accomplished what was promised. The director clearly cares about the subject which comes across well enough. I'll give it a 7.

Truth be told I have never played a Resident Evil game, but have seen bits and pieces along with watching others play. However, I feel like this documentary isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. In my personal opinion the title should of at least been a bit closer to tell people that this film is about George A. Romero's legacy and not only about Capcom and their videogames. A lot of care was put into the documentary with references to the Resident Evil franchise. I felt like it was very informative and well structured. Again I have not known the Resident Evil franchise long enough as most die-hard fans so possibly if you are already well informed on the information regarding the Resident Evil films then possibly you might not enjoy it as much because it would be a rehash of the same information. Again I enjoyed it because I didn't know much about the Resident Evil films that were in production.

Also I do not understand where people are getting the idea that this film was made for profit when it is obviously stated the film is clearly for George A. Romero's legacy and his foundation to promote new filmmakers.

If you were a fan of the games in the mid 90s like myself and wanted that movie adaptation we never got this is for you. Brandon Salisbury's documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at what happened and why the movie didn't turn out the way many fans expected. The storytelling helps fill in the gaps and explains the decisions and challenges that led to that 2002 film. It's also exciting to see how creators like Salisbury are digging deeper into gaming history and giving fans the stories they've been waiting for. Hopefully, his next project will be just as intriguing! What other game-to-film adaptations do you think deserve a similar deep dive?