Movies based on video games tend to not get the warmest reception. Some are considered awful, some don't pay homage to the source material, and even the best ones still often get mixed reviews. The biggest game franchise turned into a film series has to be Resident Evil.
The gaming series itself is one of the most popular in history and revolutionized the survival horror genre. It was loved enough to be turned into three animated films and six live-action movies. Those live-action ones even grossed more than $1 billion at the box office. They didn't always get strong reviews but fans appreciated them.
Updated on October 30th, 2022, by Kevin Pantoja: Despite not always receiving the highest praise from critics, the Resident Evil movie franchise remains as prominent as ever. The films span just about two decades and a new release arrived at the end of 2021. Although there is no word on whether another installment will be coming at some point in the near future, he latest entry adapted a truer version of the story from the games, so the future could handle that as well. Letterboxd s have given their thoughts on the films as well.
Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City (2021) - 2.23
Stream On Starz
The latest entry into the franchise is Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City and the first trailer had a few fans excited. While not everything looked great, there were clear homages to the game and the story seemed to follow the beloved original game.
It indeed did those things but reviews weren't strong, with most Letterboxd s giving it two stars (22%). They found that the CGI looked goofy and some of the writing was a mixed bag, though some loyal game players appreciated the nods to the franchise.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) - 2.33
Stream On Tubi
When Resident Evil first became a live-action film in 2002, not many could've predicted it would still be putting out entries in the series over a decade later. The Final Chapter arrived in 2016 and was meant to wrap up the story penned by Paul W.S. Anderson in each installment.
Anderson was also in the director's chair, getting to bring his vision to life. In it, Alice (Milla Jovovich) and the last remaining survivors of the apocalypse returned to Raccoon City for a final showdown with the Umbrella Corporation. Letterboxd ratings are all over the place, with three (18%) and two stars (18%) being the most common.
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) - 2.50
Rent On Apple TV
After helming the first film, Paul W.S. Anderson didn't direct another entry until Afterlife. That came in 2010 and put a lot of the focus on the 3D effects that were all the rage in the era. Unfortunately, most audiences felt that the rest of the movie lacked outside of those moments.
Alice continued to find survivors and fight the Umbrella Corporation in this movie. Audiences had high hopes for the debut of Chris Redfield (Wentworth Miller), brother to Claire (Ali Larter) and a game favorite. Alas, he didn't get a ton to do and never showed up again. Three stars (21%) is the rating seen most often.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) - 2.57
Stream On Netflix
In 2004, an anticipated sequel to the original film arrived with Apocalypse. Again, this was a case where longtime fans of the gaming series had high hopes, especially given the inclusion of Nemesis, one of the franchise's most iconic and terrifying villains.
Alexander Witt took over as director in a film that introduced some characters who stuck around for a while like LJ Wade (Mike Epps) and Alexander Isaacs (Iain Glen). This expanded the universe more than the first but not as much as later entries. Again, three stars (23%) is the typical score.
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) - 2.48
Stream On Netflix
On paper, this should've been the high point in the series. 2012's Retribution called back to the origins of the series by bringing back actors from those movies. That included Michelle Rodriguez (Rain Ocampo), Sienna Guillory (Jill Valentine), and Colin Salmon (James Shade).
Parts of the plot were viewed as being relatively incoherent but also a bit redundant in of Alice trying to help survivors against the Umbrella Corporation. However, the action was solid. Two stars (19%) is the rating most frequently given out by the s at Letterboxd.
Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) - 2.60
Rent On Vudu
Russell Mulcahy took over as director for the third live-action movie, which was 2007's Extinction. This one immediately stood out in trailers because it felt different from what had been seen on the big screen to that point. It took things to a larger scale as Alice traveled to the Nevada desert.
While there, Alice came across some of the series' most memorable characters and this marked the first appearance of Albert Wesker (Jason O'Mara). With a chance to escape the apocalypse, this entry was quite interesting and it has the highest percentage of three-star reviews (26%) of the live-action sequels.
Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008) - 2.75
Rent On Vudu
A lot of audience have felt that the animated section of Resident Evil movies is the superior one. The inaugural entry came with 2008's Degeneration, though it seems like the animation style of this particular film doesn't hold up as well as others from the era.
Still, there are fans who appreciate that the story revolved around Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy, pairing them up for the first time since Resident Evil 2. It was also unique to focus on the G-Virus instead of the T-Virus. 29% of the reviewers gave this three stars.
Resident Evil: Damnation (2012) - 2.88
Rent On Apple TV
Four years after Degeneration, 2012 saw the debut of Damnation, the second animated flick. Again, Leon Kennedy was at the center but this also featured Ada Wong, another beloved character from the games. The story focused on Leon investigating biological weapons in a European war zone.
Damnation may not be a classic but it has several strong aspects. It also has an animation style that still looks pretty good nearly a decade later. An overwhelming amount of the reviews have it at three stars (33%), proving that it was, at the very least, a solid film.
Resident Evil (2002) - 2.88
Strema On Netflix
In some cases, it can be difficult to top the original. Paul W.S. Anderson started the live-action franchise with this 2002 film that remains one of the better video game movies in history. This was the most contained story of any of the entries as it took place almost entirely in The Hive.
That claustrophobic atmosphere of sorts allowed for this to be a more traditional zombie movie. There's something pretty wacky about this whole thing that works to make it some good, cheesy fun. At 29%, it has an impressive amount of three star ratings.
Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017) - 2.94
Rent On Apple TV
The final entry in the animated Resident Evil film series arrived in 2017 with Vendetta. Once again, the level of CG improved with the times and remains impressive. Leon Kennedy was the main character again but he was ed by Chris Redfield and Rebecca Chambers.
The storyline saw these heroes come together to stop a deadly virus from getting out in New York. Three stars (29%) was the most common rating, though the score on Rotten Tomatoes was the lowest of the animated films. While it's the last movie like this, a CG series came Netflix in July 2021 titled Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness and it holds a 2.48 average on Letterboxd.
