Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a 2021 survival horror film written and directed by Johannes Roberts, the man who brought us 47 Meters Down, and The Other Side of the Door. Adapted from the stories of the first and second games by Capcom, it serves as a reboot of the Resident Evil film series and will be the seventh film overall, which was loosely based on the video game series of the same name.

Once the booming home of pharmaceutical giant Umbrella Corporation, Raccoon City is now a dying Midwestern town. The company's exodus left the city a wasteland... with great evil brewing below the surface. When that evil is unleashed, the townspeople are forever... changed... and a small group of survivors must work together to uncover the truth behind Umbrella and make it through the night.

The film stars Kaya Scodelario, Hannah John-Kamen, Robbie Amell, Tom Hopper, Avan Jogia, Donal Logue, and Neal McDonough.

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City released in theaters on November 24th, courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing.

THE GOOD

I grew up playing the video games, so Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is more than just a movie to me. During my formidable years way back in 1996, Capcom released the first game on the original PlayStation, and it was glorious. This was true survival horror, and seemed to jumpstart our fascination with anything and everything zombies. It scared the crap out of me at every turn, and I loved every minute of it. Soon my younger brother would share my appreciation for the franchise as he would sit and watch me play the original game for hours. I was 12 years old, and he was just 5 at the time. I still remember the look on his face during that pivotal scene in the original game where you encounter a zombie going to town on some flesh. He was equally horrified and amazed. Needless to say, parental supervision was a loose term in our household. I have been anxiously awaiting this movie for months, so did it live up to my expectations?

First and foremost, I genuinely enjoyed Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. With that being said, I do feel like a disclaimer is necessary. This movie is fan service from start to finish, and I am more than okay with that. This is just under two-hours of zombie survival horror, complete with some great CGI and special effects to ensure that everything stays fast paced and never boring. Die-hard fans of the games, like my brother who I did see it with, will find the urge to whisper to each other each time you see something cool that you remember from the games. Go ahead and check out the very thorough trailer breakdown he did prior to seeing the movie on his YouTube channel here. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you will appreciate his dedication to the small details.

They also packed the film with little Easter eggs that have me wanting to watch it again sooner than later. It wasn’t easy combining the events of the first two games and they definitely had to get creative with that at times, but overall you can watch Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City and easily follow along as it related to the events that took place in the games. Admittedly I have enjoyed the other Resident Evil movies from Paul W.S. Anderson, who is credited here as an executive producer, but they were much more action-packed and less horror. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City gets us back to the roots of the franchise, offering up some solid jump scares and much more of a horror movie feel.

As I talked about briefly, the film is structured as a sort of reboot that combines the first two original games in the franchise, and we are treated to most of the pivotal defining moments that fans of the game will never forget. Whether it be the zombie scene I referenced earlier, the truck or helicopter crash, or just the overall look of the Raccoon City Police Department or the Spencer Mansion, everything came together to create the world that is Resident Evil. The abandoned city felt claustrophobic as it should, and the feel of dread was present throughout. You are made to feel a bit uneasy and confused at times, just like you did in the games, and everything is pretty creepy for a good majority of the film. It also provides plenty of blood and gore as well, but never seems to push the envelope too much. You also have an opportunity to try and get to know the characters, and I felt like they all shared decent chemistry.

As far as the acting is concerned, I don’t think they will be rolling out the red carpet at this years Academy Awards, but thats okay. What the fans cared most about was making sure they put the right people in the right roles as it relates to the games, and I thought they did a pretty good job with that. Kaya Scodelario, who some will recognize from the Maze Runner movies or the recent horror thriller crawl, did a great job in the role of Claire Redfield. She had that intimidating no BS presence to her just like the character in the games. Her counterpart, brother Chris Redfield, is played by Upload and The DUFF actor Robbie Amell, and I thought he did a nice job as well. The two of them felt like siblings which was crucial to the story. Tom Hopper was impressive as the brooding and difficult to trust Wesker, and helps to give some fans a bit more insight into this important character. Hannah John-Kamen handles her duties as the shoot first and ask questions later Jill Valentine. I really liked the decision to cast veteran actor Neal McDonough as William Berkin, as he played the role perfectly. Avan Jogia was great as Leon S. Kennedy, the poor sap who gets thrown into a zombie apocalypse after just a few days on the job. We’ve all been there. Another veteran actor, Donal Logue, is solid as the scandalous Chief Brian Irons.

On the technical side of things I was impressed with Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in terms of what they were able to accomplish. The CGI and special effects felt true to the games, and to be honest they were better than I expected. The CGI element is much more prevalent towards the end of the film as the characters engage in the iconic “boss battle”, which involves a rocket launcher as yet another nod to the videogames. The cinematography was actually pretty good as well, offering some cool scenic views of Raccoon City. I really enjoyed the soundtrack which was a nice trek back to the 90’s. I mean, if you aren’t jamming out to the hit 1998 tune Crush by Jennifer Paige during Leon’s slacking at the front desk scene, what are you even doing with your life?! Go ahead and have Alexa put it on for you, you can thank me later. The score also helped to ensure some of the creepier scenes hit hard, and helped to keep the tension going as well.

THE BAD

If you go ahead and critique Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City like you would any other movie, you can easily pick it apart until the sun comes up. I mean where do I start; the corny acting and cheesy one-liners that rears its head more often than you would like, the writing that might make viewers feel like idiots, or just the over-the-top and sometimes ridiculous storyline and special effects. I get why critics are shredding this movie, but they also lack the ability to judge a film based on its overall identity. I mean listen, this is a videogame adaptation that cares about one thing, and one thing only, and that is satisfying its fanbase. And as part of the aforementioned fanbase, they accomplish that goal, and then some.

The ultimate goal here is to generate enough excitement and box office revenue to reboot this franchise, and I can’t blame them for doing everything in their power to make that happen. If you focus on turning this into a great movie, you risk alienating fans. Am I saying this isn’t a “great movie?”, no I’m not. Its about expectations, and knowing your audience. I mean, how good do you think the writing and voice acting was for a zombie horror videogame that came out in 1996? We get the characters we know and love, the memorable cut-scenes in beautiful cinematic form on the big screen, and enough nostalgia to last us weeks. That’s more than enough for me.

THE VERDICT

Bringing to life the characters we know and love while treating fans to some of the most memorable scenes from the earlier games, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is unapologetic fan service from start to finish. As a longtime fan of the videogames I may be a biased, but for my money Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City reboots an iconic franchise while giving fans plenty to get excited about. The film is certainly not without its flaws as is the case with most videogame adaptations, but it creates an identity and sticks with it. If you enjoyed the games you will have a ton of fun with this movie, and more than likely as soon as you get home from the theater, you will be itching to start playing the games again. Be sure to stick around for the great post-credit scene as well.