‘George A. Romero’s Resident Evil’ Review: An Informative but Imperfect Documentary
George A. Romero’s failed attempt to adapt Resident Evil for the screen is an infamous ordeal. Even after all these years, people are still riveted by what might have been if the godfather of modern zombie cinema had successfully helmed an adaptation of a game that was inspired by his own handiwork. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. But what a perfect subject to revisit in a feature-length documentary, no?
Enter director Brandon Salisbury. Salisbury’s doc, George A. Romero’s Resident Evil, chronicles the Dawn of the Dead director’s infamous attempt to bring the Resident Evil franchise to the screen. Is the documentary essential viewing? Well, I have some issues with the presentation as a whole. But the proceedings are informative and surely worth a look for anyone seeking a better understanding of where this infamous adaptation went sideways.
George A. Romero’s Resident Evil is often rough around the edges.
My issues with the presentation as a whole pertain to the film’s rough edges and the concern that there almost isn’t enough to the story to support a full-length feature. There are about 45 minutes of essential information on Romero’s failed attempt to adapt the game for the screen. But the rest of the picture’s roughly 105-minute runtime is focused on Romero’s output as a filmmaker and other tertiary details.
Throughout its runtime, the picture discusses the impact of Night of the Living Dead, establishes Romero as the godfather of the modern zombie genre, touches on the commercial Romero directed for the release of the Resident Evil 2 game, and eventually speaks regarding Paul W.S. Anderson’s adaptation of the property. Each is discussed at length. But that doesn’t really take into account that the audience for this doc already has a good understanding of everything outside the failed adaptation Romero worked on. I don’t mean to suggest that the filmmakers should have skipped Romero’s legacy or Anderson’s adaptation entirely. But those themes might have been better as footnotes, rather than 50% of the discussion. 15 minutes would have been plenty of time to dedicate to the aforementioned topics. People are here to learn about the Resident Evil adaptation that never came to be.
Some of the commentary doesn’t land quite right.
Another issue can be found in some of the soundbites used. One commentator discusses Romero’s early years as an aspiring filmmaker and why he and his cohorts decided to make a horror movie. In doing so, the commentator says, “They didn’t really need a lot of skills.” I wish director Brandon Salisbury had asked the commentator to rephrase that or provide context. I don’t suspect the commentator meant that as it sounds. Making a horror movie surely requires skill just like tackling any genre. What I suspect he meant is that horror is a more accessible place to break into the industry. However, the way it’s framed seems to denigrate the genre the documentary is celebrating. That might seem like a small qualm. But the sound bite in question comes early on in the doc and sets the proceedings off on the wrong foot. Horror has long fought for legitimacy in the eyes of the mainstream. So, to see people from the horror space seemingly taking a critical stance is a bit of a bummer.
Director Brandon Salisbury made the most of what he had available.
When the film eventually shifts the focus to Romero’s vision for Resident Evil, we get excerpts from the script, along with rumors and context on what went wrong. Much of the content is delivered by a narrator, pulling excerpts from archived interviews and statements made by Romero and company. It would have been nice to get access to more people from the creative team behind the project. However, I understand. It sounds like Romero had a somewhat contentious relationship with the developer and production company. And many of those involved may not have wanted to talk on camera. There’s not a lot Salisbury could do to get around that.
Despite the relative absence of commentators with firsthand knowledge of the proceedings, Salisbury manages to deliver enough detail to make the film fairly entertaining and informative. I can only imagine the hours of research that went into bringing this project to life. And I must commend him for making it happen Though it’s not perfect, George A. Romero’s Resident Evil is worth a watch. I came away more knowledgeable about the failed adaptation than I was when I went in.
All things considered:
George A. Romero’s Resident Evil shines a light on an infamous project worthy of deeper examination. If you’re curious to experience it for yourself, the flick is now available on Digital and On Demand from Uncork’d Entertainment.
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‘George A. Romero’s Resident Evil'
Summary
This documentary will likely appeal to die-hard Romero fans. Anyone else can safely take a pass.
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