Resident Evil was actually made from a video game from CAPCOM called “Biohazard”. With its debut to PlayStation II, the game brought a huge success to the company selling more than 40 million copies. Ever since then, the game came out with more series, comic book, novel, and various merchandizes which still intrigue gamers around the world.
(Cover of Biohazard which started the zombie syndrome.)
The first movie of the saga was released to the public on 2002. Director Paul Anderson starred Milla Jovovich as the protagonist, who he later married to on 2009. Playing as Alice, Milla was able to show people the exact reenactment and excitement of the game by demolishing zombie hoardes. Although the movie wins the “thoughtfulness-award” for starring a female as the main character, it still holds few stereotypes and male-gaze components.
(Cover of Resident Evil 1)
(That is definately too much body-showing for a zombie action movie.)
If I was Alice I would wear marine-like clothes to get the maximum capability of killing zombies (unless, tights and dresses are source of her power that is...).
(Picture of Milla Jovovich, Paul Anderson, and their daughter, Ever)
Above the criticisms however, the movie is a master piece. It was able to quench the Zombie maniacs’ thirst for a great zombie action movie. Today, Biohazard (also known as Resident Evil) game series and the movie saga still bring chills to audiences. The fifth Resident Evil movie is scheduled to be released on September, 2012.
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ReplyDeleteDo you guys want me to write more about the film or my opinions on male-gaze & stereotype components of the film?
ReplyDelete1. I think that you should mention other parts of the movie where you can see the male gaze and stereotypes. Like, if some people doubt her abilities to kill zombies, or something like that.
ReplyDelete2. You are writing about the Resident Evil movie series.
3. The main idea is that the main character, Alice, is very stereotyped and created with the male gaze in mind.
4. Yes, you offer support by mentioning the clothing she wears, but could offer more support with scenes from the movie.
5. You did include visual elements, which were very helpful because they jogged my memory and reminded me what Resident Evil and Bio Hazard are. You could also include photos of her fighting zombies in the tight clothing to really drive home the point of how ineffective, that clothing choice would be.
I think you should write more about the male gaze and stereotypes in the movie. Are there any examples or scenes in the movie that are written to satisfy the presumably mostly male audience?
ReplyDelete