Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)

Director: Johannes Roberts

Notable Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Robbie Amell, Hannah John-Kamen, Neal McDonough, Tom Hopper, Avan Jogia, Donal Logue, Nathan Dales, Josh Cruddas, Lily Gao

 

After grossing an insane amount of money and making it one of the biggest box office horror franchises of all time, Sony wasn’t going to take long to reboot the Resident Evil franchise. It’s not like Sony has a lot of load-bearing franchises to begin with under their belt and letting this one stay dormant for too long would be asinine. 

 

To their benefit, this reboot of the long-running video game series does go back to the source material roots and away from the Matrix-knock-off action meets the inescapable silliness of Paul WS Anderson throwing random shit at his audience. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, while still sporting one of the worst titles I can think of in recent history, is a fantastic idea on paper. Go back to the horror. Go back to the much-loved characters. Go back to the fear that the Resident Evil game series used to launch an entire subgenre of gaming.

 

It’s a shame that Resident Evil - I refuse to use its full title from this point on - is a middling effort. 

 

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

Notable Cast: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Shawn Roberts, Ruby Rose, Eoin Macken, William Levy, Iain Glen, Lee Joon-gi, Rola, Ever Gabo Anderson, Fraser James

For the record, I have never been a huge Resident Evil fan. The video games, yes, but the movie franchise has always left me feeling a bit perplexed and often underwhelmed (to put it mildly.) By the time that the fourth and fifth entries had rolled around, I was feeling almost irritated by Paul W.S. Anderson’s nonsensical writing and overzealous Matrix inspired bullshit action set pieces. Needless to say, going into Resident Evil: The Final Chapter I was feeling a bit down on the whole thing.

Perhaps this why I didn’t think it was all that terrible.

Don’t mistake this surprise enjoyment of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter as a statement that this film is good. It’s not. It’s just better than the last few entries into this series. It fixes some of the issues I had with the series previously, but it also adds some new problems into the mix that cannot be overlooked. However, in the end, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is at least a fun and energetic action film ride that’s worth the watch for fans…even if it’s still kind of an overarching mess.

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

Why is her name as big as the title?

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Notable Cast: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Kevin Durand, Li Bingbing, Sienna Guillory, Johann Urb

I seriously didn't think it was possible. I mean, bottom of the barrel is supposed to be the bottom right? My disgust at the mockery that "Resident Evil: Afterlife" was towards the brilliant game series essentially knew no end, but being the franchise whore that I am I simply had to see the fifth entry of Anderson's popular series. I didn't think it was possible, but I am willing to lay my money down that "Resident Evil: Retribution" is one of Paul W.S. Anderson's worst films to date and considering some of the atrocities that grace this franchise, that says something.

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

Director: Paul WS Anderson
Notable Cast: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Shawn Roberts, Boris Kodjoe

Wherever you are, I want you to stand up and start clapping. That's right, just stand up from your computer and give Mr. Anderson a hand. Why, might you ask? Well, Mr. Paul "I Can't Write A Fucking Solid Script" Anderson has decided to push new boundaries.

Not fooling you? All right, I confess. That's not true. The only boundaries he is pushing are the ones in the wrong direction, making a film that is just as bad (or dare I say worse?) than Resident Evil: Apocalypse with the fourth installment of the franchise. That's right. One of my most hated films may have met its match. It's called Resident Evil: Afterlife.

Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

 Director: Russell Mulcahy

Notable Cast: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Oded Fehr, Iain Glen, Ashanti, Mike Epps, Spencer Locke

With the, let's say it nicely, poor execution with Apocalypse, the second film in the Resident Evil film franchise, low expectations were abound for the third and supposedly final (which we all know now to be bullshit) entry. Resident Evil: Extinction actually surpasses these expectations in many fun and odd ways creating a film that, I won't pull the wool over your eyes, is still bad, but far more enjoyable than the last film. Enough so, that even years later it holds its own as a unique and rather enjoyable experience that blends old school approaches with a modern spin.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

Director: Alexander Witt
Notable Cast: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Thomas Kretschmann, Sophie Vavasseur, Jared Harris, Mike Epps, Raz Adoti, Sandrine Holt, Zack Ward

One of the few things that kept the original Resident Evil film afloat was its sleek and charming directing from Paul W.S. Anderson. What Resident Evil: Apocalypse is definitely missing is that charm. So what we have is a far worse film burdened by a poor script that neither has the pizazz nor the balls to actually do what needed to be done for this film to work.

Alice was taken by the Umbrella Corporation at the end of the first film. She wakes up only to find that the wonderfully quaint Raccoon City has now been overrun with the virus spreading its undead legions upon the world. Umbrella has quarantined the city in an attempt to contain the zombie horde and creations of their doing. With the help of some new friends (like Jill Valentine from the game), a couple of mercenaries, and a wheelchair bound scientist looking for his lost daughter. Working together they have to survive their predicament and get out of Raccoon City.

Resident Evil (2002)

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Notable Cast: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, James Purefoy, Martin Crewes, Colin Salmon

This review may come off as biased. Since I, for one, am a HUGE fan of the Resident Evil game franchise. Been playing it since the first one hit on the original Playstation. That being said, the first Resident Evil film is a whole bag of hit or miss. Despite being stylish without some charm along the way, this film is bogged down by poor storytelling, some poor acting moments, and a rather 'tries to hard' attitude. It does the occasional smart maneuver, but still falters too much to truly rise above its silly and poorly executed ideas.