George A. Romero's Resident Evil

The first half of this documentary is mostly setup for the main subject. You get an overview of Romero's career, an overview of the creation of Biohazard/ Resident Evil, and then a segment on where the two intersect with the Biohazard commercial that Romero directed. This half is fine, has some interesting tidbits, but it is long (nearly an hour) and has some tedium as well. It's a little "in 1968 George Romero made Night of the Living Dead, and then he did ___, and then he made ____, and then he went on to make ____. In the 1990's Capcom did ____, and then they did ____." I'm oversimplifying but outside of some interview clips and visuals to go along with the info that's the short of it. The best part was the section on the Biohazard 2 commercial, it had interesting bits on Brad Renfro's contract stipulations and I do think it accomplished showing the viewer how Romero's involvement evolved into Romero working on an RE film proper. It wasn't the most surefooted journey but it got us there.

The second half focused on Romero's scripts and ended with a tribute of sorts to the man. The doc really picked up speed here, maybe a little too much speed. There's someone briskly reading through the main beats of Romero's RE scripts and, while fascinating, it comes at you fast enough to make what you're hearing/reading hard to process and appreciate. I'll have to rewatch this part. I feel like there's a missed opportunity here as well. Throughout the doc you're treated with some pretty decent reenactment type of footage that was shot at a mansion that looks pretty close to the Spencer mansion. There's actors resembling STARS characters and some Zombie makeup as well. When Romero's script is being read off, it would have enhanced the viewing experience greatly to get some representations of what you're hearing other than game footage. Even just one or two moments from the script given a little more time and examination would've deepened the experience greatly.

Overall, I think this is worth checking out if you're a fan of both Romero and the classic RE games. If you're not invested in both of those things, I don't think this documentary has enough generally interesting stories or information to carry you through for 1hr 50min. I've read reviews saying that most of what this doc says is already out there in the public, that doesn't bother me though. This is a very niche subject and there is no way that this is common knowledge for casual fans so it's nice to have it all compiled and given a narrative. It has a cool presentation, and if it is a little tedious or rushed at times I think it basically accomplished what was promised. The director clearly cares about the subject which comes across well enough. I'll give it a 7.

.::. 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.

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.

This doccumentary is not only great for George Romero's and Resident Evil's fans, it's also a great incentive for those who haven't seen all of George Romero's films, it revisits Romero's most iconic films like Dawn of the dead and Day of the dead, while giving interesting facts you may not know about the making of his most-known movies and of course, of his canceled adaptation of Resident Evil. The ending makes you reflect on how much impact Romero has in the zombie genre.

It also portrays the audience's reaction during that time toward the constant problems Romero's Resident Evil adaptation had, and how it all led to the badly adapted Resident Evil movie saga we all know.