George A. Romero's Resident Evil

No pun intended - anyone who was lucky enough to have met the man, can and will tell you (like me), that he was the sweetest human being out there. And so humble - I don't think he ever really was able to grasp how many lives he changed! Directly or through his movies - which I reckon is also kind of directly.

So I knew most of the stuff already that is being rolled up and off at the beginning, but you have to get to a point where everyone is on the same level of information. And that starts with background on the game Resident Evil - with enough players (actually producers) to give us insights.

Yes Romero was a major influence ... if there is a disc version of this documentary, I do hope they include the ads (trailers) he did for Biohazard 2 (the Japanese name of the Resident Evil games) ... generally speaking I hope there is more on an disc version.

A lot of players are missing (Tom Savini to name just one of his greatest collaborators). So while this is mainly focused (or supposed to) on Resident Evil ... there are personal touches on his life too. And the foundation his wife brought to ... well life after his death.

One documentary is not enough to do the man justice of course - and the reading of the script (or the scenes within) that never was made ... but probably would have been at least as good as the one they eventually did ... well it is heartbreaking ... but it is what it is ... the German production company decided to go the commercial route ... I reckon you can't blame them - but you can still hate them ... a nice little documentary with some insights and new information I reckon for those interested.

Of course I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch this 2025 documentary. And this was actually the first time I heard about how close we had legendary zombie film maker George A. Romero directing a movie adaptation of Capcom's major hit "Resident Evil".

Sure, having had Romero put his unique touch on the "Resident Evil" franchise in a movie was a match made in heaven. And it is definitely something I would have enjoyed watching, no doubt about that. Not that I don't enjoy the 2012 movie "Resident Evil" from writer and director Paul W. S. Anderson, and let's be honest, it was a steep downhill slide with each movie released in that series of movies from Paul W. S. Anderson, but the first movie was a nice enough action movie and loose adaptation of Capcom's game series. Would Romero's movie have fared better? Well, we never get to know, but this 2025 documentary does shed some light on a lot of what-could-have-been and what-ifs.

While this 2025 documentary is watchable, it tends to become a bit tedious and beating around the bush. There were certainly times throughout the 110 minutes that I was thinking 'sure, let's just move along to the next topic already'.

Is it a documentary that warrants more than a single viewing? No. But it did leave me with some interesting bits of information about how Romero came to write a script for "Resident Evil" which unfortunately was scrapped. And yeah, I would certainly have enjoyed watching Romero tackle the "Resident Evil" game and bring the essence of the iconic horror game to the big screen in a way that merged his traditional zombie movie making with the aestetics of the "Resident Evil" games.

Granted, I didn't know the man himself, heck I never even met him, but he most certainly had a profound influence on my love of all things horror and especially all things zombie. So yeah, it was nice to see his legacy being honored and have this piece of cinematic history opened up and shared widely with the world at large.

My rating of director Brandon Salisbury's 2025 documentary "George A. Romero's Resident Evil" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Missed opportunity from an inexperienced director. Narration seems AI created, talking head interviews have no name Kyron's to identify. Long meandering voiceover scenes, explaining story ideas with game footage, make for an uninteresting experience. Disappointing.

Missed opportunity from an inexperienced director. Narration seems AI created, talking head interviews have no name Kyron's to identify. Long meandering voiceover scenes, explaining story ideas with game footage, make for an uninteresting experience. Disappointing.

Missed opportunity from an inexperienced director. Narration seems AI created, talking head interviews have no name Kyron's to identify. Long meandering voiceover scenes, explaining story ideas with game footage, make for an uninteresting experience. Disappointing.

It was a beautiful humane story of George Romero's stance; his core values outweighs what could've been. A fun directorate role from Brandon Salisbury, takes a re-watchable trip through not only memory lanes but unexplored areas. This is absolutely a much watch. As a fan of the original Biohazard/Resident Evil, it's insanely nice to see something relevant about the movie ideas from that 1996 masterpiece.

For those who don't know, this movie stars Norman England (author of Behind the Kaiju Curtain) and James Rolfe makes a cameo as well. I appreciate the modern day influences taking place on this movie.

.::. English is not my native language, please take this into consideration when reading the following review .::.

As a zombie fan and content creator for zombie themes, the "George A. Romero's Resident Evil" documentary was an absolute must-have. I pre-ordered the DVD and, of course, watched it immediately upon receipt, publishing a review on my channel.

.::. Content Focus .::.

• Romero's life's work and his influence on the zombie genre.

• His dark vision for the "Resident Evil" film and the reasons for his departure.

• The role of Konstantin Film and their rejection of Romero's approach.

• The work of the "George A. Romero Foundation" and the living legacy of Romero.

.::. Strengths .::.

• Detailed portrayal of Romero's creative vision.

• Atmospheric implementation: The documentary transports the viewer directly into the world of the first "Resident Evil" games with elements such as the DVD menu and the quote overlays. I often felt transported back to the first minutes of playing Resident Evil, with those doors in mind.

• It's simply grandiose that they managed to get Pablo Kuntz - the voice of Albert Wesker - to guide us through a documentary about a possible Resident Evil film by Romero that unfortunately never happened. (Yes, I'm serious, it's truly grandiose.) How ironic is it that none other than the voice of Albert Wesker leads us through this unrealized story?

• Interesting insights into the genesis of the project.

.::. Weaknesses .::.

• Avoids a critical examination of Romero. I would have liked more of that.

• One-sided portrayal of Konstantin Film and Paul W. S. Anderson.

• Critical comments about Romero's screenplay are interpreted as attacks, or rather, it comes across that way.

!! - Little new information for Romero and "Resident Evil" experts. !!

.::. Conclusion .::.

The documentary is still a must-see for fans who want to learn more about the lost project. It offers exciting insights but avoids a comprehensive critical analysis. Romero's passion for the project is evident. And whoever gets the physical version does not have a dust catcher but a documentary that definitely gets a place in the collection.