If there is a franchise that has captivated millions of people around the world, it is the creation of Capcom, resident evil. First released to the market as a video game for SegaSaturn and PlayStation in 1996, barely six years later he saw it jump into theaters starring one of the best-known actresses of the time. Neither more nor less than the always intrepid Milla Jovovich.
although always the movies of resident evil have been treated as B-series products focused on a very specific audience, a fan of videogames and connoisseur of the lore of the franchise, the truth is that despite this ballast it has always managed to stay alive. And proof of this is that this year we have seen the arrival of an original series on Netflix. Of course, following the general trend of the film saga, the result has not been the best and, as a sign of that disappointment, the platform has chosen to cancel it permanently.
The key characters: cast
It must be remembered that since 2002 a chronology has predominated that opted at the time not to take as absolute protagonists those we had been seeing since 1996 in video games. That is why of the seven films that have been released, six have Alice, played by Milla Jovovich, as the main character.
That yes, what they did not dare to change was the name of the organization behind the T virus and that will cause the zombie apocalypse throughout the planet. Obviously, we are talking about the Umbrella Corporation, also known by the same name in video games.
Hand in hand with the Umbrella Corporation we have Albert Wesker, a villain who also appeared in video games and that in the movies we will begin to see it from Resident Evil 3 Extinction. From that moment on, he will opt for an indefinite role that will sometimes be able to get close to Alice and other times fight against her to life or death.
Now where are the Claire Redfield, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy and Barry Burton of video games? Well, while the saga starring Alice chooses to introduce them separately and sporadically in different installments, the last of the adaptations of the video game, Resident Evil Welcome to Raccoon City, he prefers to be faithful to Capcom's original work by putting them on screen from the beginning (except Burton).
It is in this cinematic reboot already out of the hands of the couple (also in reality) Paul WS Anderson and Milla Jovovich that we can expect a landing of the story until el lore seen in video games. Which could always be good news.
What story do they tell us?
It is important to remember, for the peace of mind of fans of the Capcom video game saga, that what films directed, produced or written by Paul WS Anderson tell is not canon, so when you see them, do not think that you are witnessing events that in the future could be dealt with in video games or that have been visited over the last 26 years.
It is true that some moments in the movies are inspired by stories that are distantly contemplated in a video game Proof of this is that they take the opportunity to introduce Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Ada Wong and Barry Burton at those moments. For their part, no one yet believes that in something called resident evil a main character like Alice ends up gaining supernatural powers.
Only in the case of Resident Evil Welcome to Raccoon City The story does drink directly from the events of the video games, but having only one installment, it remains to be seen the path that the plot will take, which must include whether Capcom considers it canon or not.
There is only one link between all films and videogames: that the Umbrella Corporation developed the T-Virus from its facilities in Raccoon City and from there it spread to the rest of the world, causing a group of heroes to fight against it to get a definitive antidote.
All franchise movies
The point is that we have dared to dive into this universe of movies and then we will tell you about all the ones that have been released in theaters and that are already part of that immense universe of a saga that, at least as far as video games are concerned, remains as alive as ever. Despite being full of dead (easy joke).
These are all movies of resident evil, ordered by year of theatrical release:
Resident Evil (2002)
The first of all begins by inventing characters. Alice (Milla Jovovich) works as a member of private security from the famous Umbrella Corporation which, as you know, is responsible for the creation of the T virus, which is the one that causes chaos and allows the dead to become zombies. Well, in this film we will learn how the apocalypse that the world is experiencing was caused and the security failures that allowed the infectious agent to begin to spread: Raccon City, the Red Queen, the Hive. Of course, the search for an antivirus will center a good part of the plot. You can watch it right now on HBO Max.
Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse (2004)
With the virus already rampant in Raccoon City, Alice will have to escape the city before a nuclear missile sent by the government to contain the crisis explodes. By the way, our protagonist will cross paths with an old acquaintance from videogames, such as Nemesis, who will make an appearance as if she were Resident Evil 3 (We are referring to the video game, of course). In addition, Alice will cross paths with other old acquaintances such as Jill Valentine and Carlos Olivera, in addition to visiting some settings and starring in certain scenes taken directly from video games of the time.
Resident Evil 3: Extinction (2007)
In this film we will meet Claire Redfield and Albert Wesker, although the plot is already beginning to get tangled up and is not limited to what happened in Racoon City since The T virus is reaching all corners of the planet and things are getting complicated to contain it. Now, Alice has to fight against that threat and, obviously, against the Umbrella Corporation, who wants to hunt her down to clone her and thus get new humans with her same powers while looking for a way to find a way to Alaska, the only place where it seems that things continue as usual. At least without zombies. You can see it on HBO Max.
Resident Evil 4: Afterlife (2010)
The film narrates the events that occurred one year after Resident Evil 3: Extinction and puts Alice in the role of taking the initiative, since she will create a small group to try to assault the very facilities of the Umbrella Corporation to eliminate Albert Wesker. Along the way we will meet the legendary Chris Redfield of video games.
Resident Evil: Vengeance (2012)
The old artificial intelligence (the Red Queen) who was involved in the spread of the T-Virus within the first movie of resident evil returns to the scene, which will lead Alice to have to ally with some unexpected characters in his eagerness to put an end to the apocalypse that is plaguing the planet. In this installment, new video game characters such as Leon S. Kennedy, Ada Wong or Barry Burton will join.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)
This is the film that closes the circle of the part of the franchise starring Milla Jovovich (and mostly directed by her husband Paul WS Anderson) and that tells us that in the mystery of the creation and subsequent spread of the T virus, things happened that we don't know about. So Alice has to put an end to it by returning to Racoon City to end all traces of the Umbrella Corporation, Albert Wesker, the Red Queen and the famous Hive. What do you think will happen? You can watch it on HBO Max and Netflix.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
As the movies starring Milla Jovovich are a story spirit within the universe of resident evil, We can situate this installment as a continuation or a chapter that we have to see between two previous films. On the contrary, it is a new restart for the franchise that wants to reproduce with greater fidelity what we already enjoy in video games. In this case, Resident Evil Welcome to Raccoon City focuses on many of the events seen in the first two titles of the Capcom saga, showing what the first moments of that expansion of the T-Virus were like.
It is so close to video games that characters directly from the Japanese franchise appear on the screen: Claire and Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Ada Wong, Albert Wesker or Leon Kennedy among others.
In what order to watch the Resident Evil movies?
Unlike other endless sagas like Marvel's UCM, or Fast & Furious that has some comings and goings due to its chronology, in the case of films by resident evil we will not have losses because the viewing order is the same as the chronological arrival at theaters. But just in case you still have doubts, this is how it goes:
- Resident Evil (2002)
- Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse (2004)
- Resident Evil 3: Extinction (2007)
- Resident Evil 4: Afterlife (2010)
- Resident Evil: Vengeance (2012)
- Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)
- Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
Where to see the movies
Not all films in the saga are available to watch. on demand on the streaming platforms that we all know, but a good part of them can be enjoyed on these services.
Regardless of this, they can also be accessed under rent or buy in different services, of course.
- resident evil (2002): you have it available on Movistar Plus+
- Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse (2004): Movistar Plus+ has it
- Resident Evil 3: Extinction (2007): in Movistar Plus+ you have it for your enjoyment
- Resident Evil 4: Afterlife (2010): Netflix is the service where you will find it
- Resident Evil: Revenge (2012): you can only watch it by rental on Prime Video and Apple TV+
- Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017): Netflix has it in its catalog
- Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021): you have it on Netflix
The universe series
In addition to the aforementioned films, the franchise has also given birth to two series that you can also enjoy streaming.
Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (2021)
This animated series for adults is available on Netflix and consists of 4 episodes. The events of this fiction happen years after Raccoon City, when we will see how its protagonists, Claire and Leon, become involved in a sinister conspiracy after a viral attack on the White House.
Resident Evil (2022)
Jade Wesker has set out to put an end to those responsible who years ago unleashed a virus that caused the global apocalypse and that has meant that, day after day, he has to fight to survive.
This is the most recent series in the franchise, also available on Netflix and with 8 episodes.