Resident Evil (2002)

Paul W. S. Anderson takes a video game about creeping through a spooky mansion and leaves the mansion almost right away. The rest happens in a gray underground lab full of identical hallways, so the whole thing feels like a very tense tour of a hospital basement. The commando squad is basically name tags with helmets, and the plot is a checklist of doors to open. Then there’s the laser hallway, the one scene everyone remembers, and it earns that spot. Milla Jovovich is the right kind of strange for this: blank-eyed, quick and believable kicking her way out of trouble. Michelle Rodriguez scowls through the whole thing like it’s in her contract. The Red Queen, a hologram of a calm little girl running the lab’s security, is creepier than any monster. It made $103 million worldwide on a reported $33M. A 4.6 because it’s a decent video game level that forgets to be scary. $2.77 says you see a red laser pointer dot on a wall this week and duck before you even think about it.

What works: The laser hallway and the creepy Red Queen hologram are genuinely memorable, and Milla Jovovich commits to every kick.

What doesn’t: The underground lab all looks the same, and the commando squad is too thin to care about when things go wrong.

Who it’s for: Fans of the games and anyone who wants a quick, loud monster movie on a weeknight.