Gabe Sigler
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2001
- Messages
- 51
Since I got my hands on this early, and I haven't read any reviews on this board yet, I figured I would post a quick review. Here it goes:
“Resident Evil”
Ratio: 1:85:1
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 (English & French)
Subtitles: English & French
Studio: Columbia Tri-Star Home Entertainment
The Feature:
A group of soldiers must defeat an underground army of zombies in this film, based on the blockbuster video game series.
Video:
Presented in it’s 1:85:1 theatrical ratio, this anamorphic transfer is a bit hit and miss. Colors are great, black levels are near perfect, and there are hardly any artifacts to be found. What keeps this from being a pristine transfer are the many scenes featuring an overwhelming amount of film grain. Perhaps this was visible during the theatrical run as well, and is actually not a fault of the transfer itself, but either way these scenes are quite distracting.
Audio:
If the video quality might have been a slight letdown, have no worries about the audio portion of this disk. Put simply, the 5.1 track on here rocks. Some may complain about the lack of a DTS track, but those concerns will evaporate as soon as the film kicks in. This is a great disk to give your sub a workout with, and also serves as a near-reference quality audio disk.
Extras:
Continuing on with the trend Columbia seems to be favoring lately, a new version of “Resident Evil” has already been confirmed for a future release. Whether or not you will actually feel a need to upgrade is entirely up to you, as this disk is still by no means bare bones. After being greeted by a rather extensive animated opening sequence, we are brought to the Special Features screen.
First up is a Cast & Filmmaker’s Commentary featuring director Paul W.S Anderson, Producer Jeremy Bolt, and stars Milla Jovovich & Michelle Rodriguez.
Next are a serious of 5 Featurettes. The first of these, “The Making Of Resident Evil”, (27:21 minutes) is basically what we have come to expect from this kind of feature-interviews with the cast & crew, coupled with an abundance of clips from the film. The producers reveal what attracted them to the project, and the cast reflect on their characters, and on their experiences making the film. Interview clips with the special effects & makeup teams are also included. This was pretty comprehensive for a featurette of this type.
“Scoring Resident Evil” (11:06) focuses on the film’s strange pairing of composers, traditional score composer Marco Beltrami, and goth-rocker Marilyn Manson. Interviews are provided with each composer, and watching each of them relate to the other’s style & methods was actually pretty interesting.
“Costumes” (3:26) as one might expect, features an interview with production designer Richard Bridgland, as well as interviews with Jovovich & Rodriguez on their outfits used during the film. A few design sketches are quickly shown as well.
“Set Design” (4:09) is made up of another interview with production designer Richard Bridgland, on the look he was aiming to achieve with this film. A small number of design sketches are shown as well.
Finally, “Zombie Make Up Tests” (1:10) is a short reel of numerous different zombie head shots, each shown so close up, that’s it’s actually quite creepy. As these makeup effects speed by so quickly in the film, it’s interesting to be able to study them a little closer.
The “My Plague” Music Video by Slipknot, the film’s Theatrical Trailer, 5 Bonus Trailers, and a set of Filmographies round off the extra features department.
The Final Say:
The audio on this alone makes “Resident Evil” a worthwhile purchase. The video
quality is a little weak at times however, and the extras (totaling just over 45 minutes) are
not terribly extensive. Hopefully the new DVD being prepared will include some of the
rumored uncut gore scenes the director was forced to remove. Until then, this version
should tide fans over nicely.
“Resident Evil”
Ratio: 1:85:1
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 (English & French)
Subtitles: English & French
Studio: Columbia Tri-Star Home Entertainment
The Feature:
A group of soldiers must defeat an underground army of zombies in this film, based on the blockbuster video game series.
Video:
Presented in it’s 1:85:1 theatrical ratio, this anamorphic transfer is a bit hit and miss. Colors are great, black levels are near perfect, and there are hardly any artifacts to be found. What keeps this from being a pristine transfer are the many scenes featuring an overwhelming amount of film grain. Perhaps this was visible during the theatrical run as well, and is actually not a fault of the transfer itself, but either way these scenes are quite distracting.
Audio:
If the video quality might have been a slight letdown, have no worries about the audio portion of this disk. Put simply, the 5.1 track on here rocks. Some may complain about the lack of a DTS track, but those concerns will evaporate as soon as the film kicks in. This is a great disk to give your sub a workout with, and also serves as a near-reference quality audio disk.
Extras:
Continuing on with the trend Columbia seems to be favoring lately, a new version of “Resident Evil” has already been confirmed for a future release. Whether or not you will actually feel a need to upgrade is entirely up to you, as this disk is still by no means bare bones. After being greeted by a rather extensive animated opening sequence, we are brought to the Special Features screen.
First up is a Cast & Filmmaker’s Commentary featuring director Paul W.S Anderson, Producer Jeremy Bolt, and stars Milla Jovovich & Michelle Rodriguez.
Next are a serious of 5 Featurettes. The first of these, “The Making Of Resident Evil”, (27:21 minutes) is basically what we have come to expect from this kind of feature-interviews with the cast & crew, coupled with an abundance of clips from the film. The producers reveal what attracted them to the project, and the cast reflect on their characters, and on their experiences making the film. Interview clips with the special effects & makeup teams are also included. This was pretty comprehensive for a featurette of this type.
“Scoring Resident Evil” (11:06) focuses on the film’s strange pairing of composers, traditional score composer Marco Beltrami, and goth-rocker Marilyn Manson. Interviews are provided with each composer, and watching each of them relate to the other’s style & methods was actually pretty interesting.
“Costumes” (3:26) as one might expect, features an interview with production designer Richard Bridgland, as well as interviews with Jovovich & Rodriguez on their outfits used during the film. A few design sketches are quickly shown as well.
“Set Design” (4:09) is made up of another interview with production designer Richard Bridgland, on the look he was aiming to achieve with this film. A small number of design sketches are shown as well.
Finally, “Zombie Make Up Tests” (1:10) is a short reel of numerous different zombie head shots, each shown so close up, that’s it’s actually quite creepy. As these makeup effects speed by so quickly in the film, it’s interesting to be able to study them a little closer.
The “My Plague” Music Video by Slipknot, the film’s Theatrical Trailer, 5 Bonus Trailers, and a set of Filmographies round off the extra features department.
The Final Say:
The audio on this alone makes “Resident Evil” a worthwhile purchase. The video
quality is a little weak at times however, and the extras (totaling just over 45 minutes) are
not terribly extensive. Hopefully the new DVD being prepared will include some of the
rumored uncut gore scenes the director was forced to remove. Until then, this version
should tide fans over nicely.
