Every Movie from the Resident Evil Franchise
Image Credit: NEO-Musume on Deviant Art.
Based on the popular video game franchise from Japan, the Resident Evil film adaptations follow an elite team of soldiers while they contend with a zombifying biological virus. Resident Evil is as recognizable as the Friday the 13th or Halloween franchise.
The animated movies run on a separate timeline, slotted in between the events of the video games. Meanwhile, the live-action films portray Alice in her fight against the Umbrella Corporation.
Although the plots never reach too much depth, they are entertaining—and a ton of fun for both casual fans of the franchise, and diehard Resident Evil gamers who’ve been there since the beginning.
- Resident Evil (2002)
- Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
- Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
- Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
- Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
- Resident Evil: Damnation (2012)
- Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
- Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
- Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017)
Resident Evil (2002)
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez
Rotten Tomatoes: 35%
Where To Watch: Fandango, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
The nefarious Umbrella Corporation’s underground lab is now ground zero for a horrific biological infection.
After the scientists mutate into strange, deadly creatures, a team of super-soldiers must shut down the facility before the virus spreads to the rest of humankind.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
strong>Director: Alexander Witt
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory
Rotten Tomatoes: 20%
Where To Watch: Fandango, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Raccoon City is exposed to the Umbrella Corporation’s deadly bio-weapon. As a result, the city is sealed off, hoping to contain the virus before it spreads.
After surviving the expedition into the lab from the previous film, Alice meets new allies as she looks for a way to escape the overrun city.
Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr
Rotten Tomatoes: 24%
Where To Watch: Fandango, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Following capture by the Umbrella Corporation, Alice is forcefully given genetic mutations that make her into the ultimate super-soldier.
While in hiding, old friends persuade her to use her new abilities to keep fighting the biological agent infecting more and more of the general population.
Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
Director: Makoto Kamiya
Starring: Alyson Court (Voice), Laura Bailey (Voice)
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Where To Watch: Fandango, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
This animated movie follows Claire Redfield, who’s trapped in an airport when a plane crash exposes the people inside to the deadly T-virus.
Everyone is on-edge following the events of Raccoon City, trying to decide how to handle this new outbreak. Claire works together with Leon Kennedy, a federal agent, to escape from the building without becoming infected herself.
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter
Rotten Tomatoes: 22%
Where To Watch: Fandango, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
By now, the T-Virus has rampaged through the human population, thus plunging the world into a zombie apocalypse. Alice roams the land in search of survivors, and does all she can to help them.
After hearing a rumor about a sanctuary in Los Angeles, she and the other survivors chart a course for the City of Angels.
Resident Evil: Damnation (2012)
Director: Makoto Kamiya
Starring: Matthew Mercer (Voice), Courtenay Taylor (Voice)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Where To Watch: Fandango, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Following the events of Degeneration, Damnation sees Leon Kennedy sneaking into Eastern Europe to investigate the biological weapon they’re developing for war.
Despite the US government’s orders to retreat, Kennedy presses on, determined to learn everything he can about the dangerous weapon and put an end to its use.
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez
Rotten Tomatoes: 28%
Where To Watch: Fandango, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
After the deception of the last possible sanctuary on Earth, Alice decides to bring the fight to the Umbrella Corporation.
She fights her way through each level of their labyrinthine headquarters, learning more about the T-Virus that has destroyed the human race…and more about her own mysterious past, as well.
Her previous allies join her, as she fights to save those who still remain.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Iain Glenn
Rotten Tomatoes: 37%
Where To Watch: Fandango, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
The T-Virus has now spread, unchecked, throughout the entire world. Nearly all of humanity is infected, transformed into mutant zombies hell-bent on attacking anything still alive.
Alice teams up with her remaining friends to storm the Umbrella Corporation’s base underneath Raccoon City, where everything began. Together, they hope to finally put an end to the destruction of mankind.
Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017)
Director: Takanori Tsujimoto
Starring: Matthew Mercer (Voice), Erin Cahill (Voice)
Rotten Tomatoes: 43%
Where To Watch: Fandango, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
A former CIA agent reveals he can use the T-virus to control the zombies, thus forcing them to do his bidding.
Two soldiers discover that the virus is similar to the one Leon Kennedy encountered in Europe. They then enlist his help to stop it from being released…right in the middle of New York City.
via GIPHY
Currently, a reboot of the Resident Evil franchise is in development, with an expected release date of November 24, 2021.
Old and new fans alike will get to see the entire series taken back to 1998, and an all-new cast depicting favorite characters like Chris and Claire Redfield, as well as Leon S. Kennedy.
The Resident Evil films are a relatively good jumping off point for all things horror. But those looking to dive deeper and are longing for another franchise to binge would love the Alien franchise films, if they haven’t seen them yet, of course. If you have seen both franchise films, the next best option would be to binge the best horror TV shows now streaming on Netflix while we wait for the next latest and greatest franchise to develop.
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