Resident Evil Vs. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (Ep. 0041)
The video game movie genre is experiencing a renaissance. Traditionally, cinema has heavily influenced the production of video games. Games like Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid are evidence of this. As video games have become more cinematic on their own, the sentiment around video game-influenced movies has increased. Shows like The Last Of Us and the upcoming Super Mario Brothers movie are garnering more interest from the masses than any game-inspired IP before them. Today, the guys are covering two female-led video game films: Resident Evil and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Kyle, Drew, and Phile had a mighty fine time drawing from their love of video games for this matchup.
FILM SUMMARIES
Resident Evil
Based on the popular video game, Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez star as the leaders of a commando team who must break into "the hive," a vast underground genetics laboratory operated by the powerful Umbrella Corporation. There, a deadly virus has been unleashed, killing the lab's personnel and resurrecting them as the evil Un-dead. The team has just three hours to shut down the lab's supercomputer and close the facility before the virus threatens to overrun the Earth.
Genre: Horror, Action
Original Language: English
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Producer: Jeremy Bolt, Bernd Eichinger, Samuel Hadida, Paul W.S. Anderson
Writer: Alan B. McElroy
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 2002 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 7, 2004
Box Office (Gross USA): $39.5M
Runtime: 1h 40m
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
This live action feature is inspired by the most successful interactive video-game character in history -- Lara Croft. Beautiful and brainy, Lara (Angelina Jolie) is the heroine of Eidos Interactive's phenomenally successful "Tomb Raider" game series. It is one woman's fearless quest criss-crossing the globe, in an amazing attempt to save the world.
Rating: PG-13 (Some Sensuality|Action/Violence)
Genre: Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Director: Simon West
Producer: Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Colin Wilson
Writer: Patrick Massett, John Zinman, Simon West, Sara B. Cooper, Mike Werb, Michael Colleary
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 15, 2001 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 13, 2001
Box Office (Gross USA): $131.1M
Runtime: 1h 40m
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround, Dolby Stereo
Info courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes!