Resident Evil: Deluxe Edition

Zombies, mutant dogs and Milla Jovovich. What a great combination for an action movie, even though videogame purists would argue that the facts and/or events aren't true to the game. Here's a tip: it's a film adaptation of the game, not the game itself. Its revamped plot is as follows: a top secret virus is stolen from an underground facility (codenamed the Hive) and all its workers are subsequently killed by an insane computer (codenamed the Red Queen) to stop its spread. With the death of everyone in the Hive, the rogue Red Queen and a deadly zombie-making virus on the loose, the Umbrella Corporation (the evil corporation responsible for all this) sends in a "crack" assault team to shut down the Red Queen, find out what went wrong and save the day. Along the way they pick up Alice (Milla), a kick-ass undercover operative who has lost her memory, and a few other survivors. Of course, all of this can only end badly. The deluxe DVD comes with a movie ticket to the sequel, Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Hurrah, right? Well, there's a catch: you can only use it if you live in the States. Apart from that, the special features included are interesting. One favourite is the alternate ending, as it's always neat to see what the other ending would have been had there been enough money/time/interest to film it. Hearing why they ultimately went the way they did from Anderson gives a bit more perspective and a different feel to the movie. In this case, the ending they chose was reminiscent of the '70s, when all movies ended bleakly (i.e., the original The Planet of the Apes). Anderson firmly believes that the choice they made for the ending is a good one. In the alternate, Alice (Milla Jovovich) enters the offices of Umbrella to find Max. Five Umbrella employees attempt to detain her and fighting ensues. The problem with this ending was that it was too much action at the end. Although much more upbeat, and featuring Milla in leather, the original was used, and a much better one it is. Plus: commentary; featurettes, more. (Columbia TriStar)