When it comes to video-game-to-screen adaptations, no other movie universe holds a candle to Resident Evil. Since 2002, the franchise has spawned seven live-action movies starring Milla Jovovich as the zombie-slaying, multiple-gun-wielding, close-combat femme fatale Alice. Created by Paul W.S. Anderson, Resident Evil has become the most successful and longest-running franchise in its genre.
Keeping this high-grossing universe alive, the latest installment in the series, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, veers off sharply to the left with an entirely new cast and director. Featuring characters and themes rooted in the original video game, fans get to see more of Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine, and the dynamic sibling duo Chris and Claire Redfield.
As for the O.G. Resident Evil films, each one brings something to the table for faithful audiences.
Updated by Mona Bassil on April 26, 2023.
7 Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
The first live-action installment without Milla Jovovich as Alice, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City was written and directed by Johannes Roberts, and released in 2021. The plot is set in 1998 and centers around a group evading and killing zombies in the titular city. Nothing strikingly exceptional here, not to mention that Jovovich’s combat scenes and charisma were clearly missed. It’s no wonder this particular chapter was met with mixed reviews from audiences and critics alike.
Ferdosa Abdi from ScreenRant, for instance, recognized it as a “fun and faithful adaptation of the games,” yet criticized its lack of “character substance.” The film stars Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield, Robbie Amell as Chris, Tom Hopper (Luther in The Umbrella Academy) as Albert Wesker, Hannah John-Kamen as Jill Valentine, and Avan Jogia as Leon Kennedy.
6 Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
While Resident Evil: The Final Chapter does tie up many loose ends, the discovery that Alice has been a clone all along isn't exactly the kind of conclusion long-time fans wanted to see. From a narrative standpoint, it doesn't make much sense, considering the third installment Resident Evil: Extinction had an unsuccessful plot centered around the Alice clones. The movie also brought back to life cloned versions of other characters, including the supervillain Dr. Isaacs. This time around, he is a religious fanatic who believes himself to be the original. It's a very bizarre approach that has left many long-invested fans very disappointed.
5 Resident Evil: Afterlife
Set exactly one year after the Extinction, Resident Evil: Afterlife brings back one critical character, Claire Redfield. While she is a welcome sight to video game fans, the most exciting element may just be the introduction of other interesting people, such as Luther West and Claire's estranged brother, Chris.
The imagery and special effects in Afterlife were stunning, but the characters' goal to make it to Arcadia was too good to be true. Without Dr. Isaacs as the main villain, Albert Wesker had to step up his game by infecting himself with the T-virus. His one-off with Alice was a bit anti-climactic, and the happy ending, which consisted in freeing all of his captives, seemed a little off for the genre.
4 Resident Evil: Retribution
The fifth installment in the franchise was unlike any other before. Featuring more of a video game set up with different levels of difficulty, Resident Evil: Retribution gave fans more zombies and heart-pounding scenes. It also brought back many beloved characters — such as Rain, Carlos, and Jill — but this time around, they were far from being allies.
The introduction of Ada Wong (Li Bingbing) as an agent for the villainous Wesker was a tad confusing, and Leon Kennedy was severely underrepresented in the film. Another issue with the plot was the inclusion of a child, Becky. Although she was technically a clone, this little girl brought out unexpected maternal instincts in Alice as she attempted to save her. While it was a heart-warming angle, this storyline seemed out of place in the overall arc of Alice's story.
3 Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Although Resident Evil: Apocalpyse gets a bad rep among video-game fans, it isn't as bad as some viewers think. As the second film in the franchise, Alice was still in the early stages of learning about her abilities and power during this phase of her life. This is also the movie that introduces key characters like Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira.
Thanks to a bigger budget, Alice gets to flex her skills against much tougher mutants. As she cuts her way through hordes of zombies and tag-teams of Lickers, she eventually makes her way to a one-on-one battle against Nemesis. The climax here is arguably one of the best in the entire series, as Alice discovers that Nemesis is actually none other than her old friend and ally — Matt.
2 Resident Evil: Extinction
Featuring zombie crows and several new characters, Resident Evil: Extinction ranks very high on the list for its out-of-the-box elements. Set in a desert environment, which is unusual in this franchise, it takes fans outside the claustrophobic Hive and through an open space.
This is also where the video-game fans finally get to meet Claire Redfield, who ends up making several appearances in other films later on.
Exercising her newly discovered power of telekinesis, Alice is on a mission — which she completes — to kill Dr. Isaacs. Along the way, she finds out about the cloning and begins using her own clones to take down the Umbrella Corporation, one stronghold at a time.
Overall, it is a well-rounded story that sets up the next film in the series perfectly.
1 Resident Evil
No other installment in the franchise can quite outdo the original Resident Evil. Set inside the Hive, which is the headquarters for the Umbrella Corporation, it is where the infectious outbreak begins. As a true action-horror film, the movie introduced audience members to bio-weaponry and genetic experimentation on a level that had never been seen before.
It also played on scare tactics that were both physical and psychological, like the scene where a woman gets decapitated in the elevator within the first few minutes. This is a horrifyingly filmed death that has since been mimicked multiple times in other high-ranking horror films, such as Final Destination 2. Plus, viewers had no idea what to expect by the end of the movie. This allowed the plot to unfold in a more suspenseful manner and excited fans were eager for more.
So, what is next for the franchise? Another computer-animated installment, Resident Evil: Death Island is releasing in July 2023. Take a look at the trailer:
Directed by Eiichiro Hasumi and distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, it is set in 2015 between San Francisco and Alcatraz Island and features the voices of Kevin Dorman as Chris Redfield, Matthew Mercer as Leon S. Kennedy, Nicole Tompkins as Jill Valentine, Erin Cahill as Rebecca Chambers, and Stephanie Panisello as Claire Redfield.
Will there be another live-action movie to follow The Final Chapter in the near future, though? As far as Jovovich herself is concerned, she told ComicBook in a 2020 interview, "I was such a big fan of the game. That's what made me want to be in the movie to begin with. So, I would always love to go back to the Resident Evil universe. I think it's such a fun place to be in, and it's such a great reality. I spent half of my career in that world. I would love to be a part of it again. I know whoever is doing it is going to have an amazing time on it, because it's a really fun world to be a part of."
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but given the continuing success of survivalist zombie series and films, producers might be tempted to capitalize on an additional title.