The Resident Evil Auteur in His Own Words
Paul W.S. Anderson talks about making the earliest hit video game movies and what comes next
Today’s guest is Paul W.S. Anderson. The veteran film director began his work in the UK with the action crime drama Shopping. But Anderson was always a Hollywood director at heart. After Shoppings’ warmer reception at Sundance, Anderson moved to Los Angeles and shortly after directed Mortal Kombat, the first hit video game-to-movie adaptation.
Anderon would return to video games for inspiration years later with Resident Evil, which would metastasize into a grimy, gory, and gloriously profitable 6-film series. Anderson has revived many other beloved IPs from Alien vs. Predator to The Three Musketeers and even an adaptation of another beloved gaming series: Monster Hunter.
We chat about his recipe for a hit video game movie, his flight out of NYC on 9/11 to film what was then titled Resident Evil: Ground Zero, and his love for Tár — a film with a very different response to an artist adapting video games into other media.
This week on Post Games:
Act 1: Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, and the Birth of the Video Game Movie
Act 2: Life of a Video Game Movie Auteur
Patreon Bonus: How to Make a Hit Video Game Movie
Act 3: The News of the Week
Guests:
Paul W.S. Anderson: Director of Mortal Kombat, the Resident Evil film series, and more
Kazuma Hashimoto: Video game critic, analyst, and consultant
Closing Song: “Altar” by Jorge Flores (Desktop Explorer)
This week’s sponsor is Incogni. To get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan, go to incogni.com/postgames.
On the Patreon for $5
Early access to ad-free episodes
Weekly bonus segments
This week, Edmund joined me for a second interview to talk about the “sunnier side” of his life, from pinball to musicals to long walks on the beach.
New monthly bonus episode: The History of Animal Crossing
Extended show notes, including the free game of the week
An archive of Patreon-exclusive bonus episodes, segments, and posts
Act 1: Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, and the Birth of the Video Game Movie
Ram-raiding (Wiki)
Shopping (JustWatch)
How the Mastermind Behind ‘Resident Evil’ Kept the Franchise Going for 15 Years (Thrillist)
Resident Evil - Milla Jovovich and Paul W. S. Anderson Play the Game And Talk About the Movie (NeoGamer)
List of zombie films (Wiki)
Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich: A Marriage Built on Monsters (NYTimes)
Interview: Paul W.S. Anderson and Jeremy Bolt Reflect on the RESIDENT EVIL Film Franchise and EVENT HORIZON (Daily Dead)
Jason and the Argonauts (JustWatch)
Colonial House (West Hollywood, California) (Wiki)
War & Peace (Goodreads)
Proscenium (Wiki)
Top 10 Resident Evil Doors (Ink Ribbon)
Act 2: Life of a Video Game Movie Auteur
AVP: Alien vs. Predator (JustWatch)
D&D Basic Rules (Wizards of the Coast)
Does Anybody know Where this Jacket is now from 1995 Mortal Kombat movie? (Reddit)
Honestly, Shang Tsung’s movie outfit is my favorite Shang Tsung design. (Reddit)
Monster Hunter (JustWatch)
TÁR (JustWatch)
Patreon Bonus: How to Make a Hit Video Game Movie
Segments and links available at Patreon.com/PostGames
Act 3: News of the week
Kazuma Hashimoto (Bluesky)
Resident Evil’s most unsettling theme isn’t zombies — it’s eugenics (Polygon)
Political Monsters (Bullet Points Monthly)
Review: Resident Evil 4 Remake Abandons Horror for Action (Siliconera)
Thought/Process: More on Resident Evil 5 and Uncomfortable Echoes (Time via Archive.org)
Resident Evil 2 Remake (Steam)
Resident Evil Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica (Wiki)
RE Survivor 2 arcade cabinet (Fandom)
Uncomfortable Echoes: A Conversation With Resident Evil 5 Director Jun Takeuchi (Time via Archive.org)
Resident Evil: Gaiden (Fandom )
A Free Patreon Preview:
Every week in the Patreon version of the show notes, I include my favorite links from video game sites, videos, podcasts, and beyond. Here’s this week’s section!
This Week in Video Game Links
Mario Tennis Fever Is the Best Mario Sports Game Ever Made (Jake Should Be Writing)
Fishbowl’s developers created the game as a ‘ray of hope’ in the pandemic (Polygon)
A Time-Traveling Love Story to Make Kafka and Lynch Proud (NYTimes)
The new game from Disco Elysium’s studio feels like the first Christmas after your parents’ divorce (PCGamer)
Video games are losing the “attention war” to gambling, porn, and crypto, according to industry report (Eurogamer)
Street Fighter Pros Beg For Help After ICE Snatches Their Teammate (Kotaku)
A love letter to the rhythm game communities that helped me find myself (Mothership)
The Left Doesn’t Hate Technology, We Hate Being Exploited (Aftermath)
6 Years To Build BIG HOPS - Dev Dive Documentary (Dev Dive and Chris Wade | Luckshot Games)
Great interview Chris, really enjoyed this one. I say this having never seen a Resident Evil movie or played one of the games beyond trying it once and getting annoyed by the tank controls.
Wow, thanks for the feature here!