Milla Jovovich: The most successful, consistent and enduring female action star of her generation
Milla Jovovich turned 44 today. Back in the day, she was at the forefront as one of the leading women action stars. In 'Resident Evil', which spanned 15 years, Jovovich turned heads as a zombie-slayer.
The 2002-video game adaptation spawned six films and each of them was a blockbuster raking in the moolah at the BO.
Call her an underrated star, but back in the day, Jovovich, who had played notable small roles vaulted to the big league as Leeloo, an orange-haired humanoid in Luc Besson's 'The Fifth Element'.
'Resident Evil' (2002) was a trend-setter putting the zombies back on screen. While it may have heavily borrowed its storyline from a video game, it boasted of being unique and definitely aimed at overthrowing other horror flicks at the time.
To add to the unique element, it had a female lead. The plot was simple. Jovovich's Alice has to escape from a dangerous genetic research facility run by the nefarious Umbrella Corporation and also try to figure out how she landed there in the first place.
And what follows is a woman lead fending off zombies who are basically virus-infected mutants. The sequels that came after that see her search for more answers.
The five films that followed were a commercial success. The 'Resident Evil film series is the highest-grossing film series based on a video game, having grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide.
While these films usually see new actors playing the roles over time, Jovovich was a constant presence who as a female lead protagonist became synonymous with the horror game franchise.
When 'The Final Chapter' released, Jovovich was 41 — proof that she was irreplaceable and that this was a sign of longevity. Both these traits are a rarity in Hollywood, yet Jovovich was out there slaying mutated creatures with absolute ease.
The action sequences that she sizzles in are a testament to this fact. Take, for instance, Alice's fight against the zombies in 'Resident Evil: The Final Chapter' (2016).
In addition to keeping up with a damn tank, trying to not get eaten by the multitude of zombies behind her, and maintain an arrogant, cocky swagger, she effortlessly turns the tables on the baddies trying to torture her. It’s an absolute killer of a scene.
'The Resident Evil' series cemented her profile as an action star and was a female equivalent heavyweight of the male stars. Call her as an equal to the mono-syllable dudes like Stallone and Schwarzenegger.
The heartening fact is she's not defined by the zombie-shooting series. Add 'Ultraviolet', 'Survivor', and the new 'Hellboy' and you know that she's carved a niche for herself as one of the best female action stars of the decade.
Call it consistent, but this was an actor who has managed to an enduring star known for making commercially successful flicks.
These movies may not be critic-pleasing and aren't Oscar material, but that's the way it's meant to be and it is proof of what she's achieved in a 20+ year career. And she can do all of this while loading that gun in slo-mo.
