Not being a fan of video games, gore, or jolts administered by the sudden appearance of reanimated corpses, I did not particularly wish to review the new movie Resident Evil, but since I had already written about the other movies occupying the top five at the box office last weekend, when the video game adaptation premiered at No. 1, I felt I had no choice.

Having spilt ink on Practical Magic 2, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey, and my beloved Coyote vs. Acme, I reckoned that I was obliged to see the movie on which members of the public had collectively shelled out more than $60 million that opening weekend.