An Average Movie-Goer’s Review
No spoilers! If you would like spoilers – check out the Spoiler post
I love horror movies and if I’m going to watch them anyway, why not write an entertaining/funny review from the point of view of an average movie-goer and not a professional critic?
Today we’re looking at 2021’s Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
Written and directed by Johannes Roberts, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a reboot of the live action Resident Evil film franchise and an adaptation of the 1st and 2nd mainline video games of the Resident Evil series.
You can read our review of the first Resident Evil live-action film, here.
A special police unit investigate a mansion on the outskirts of Raccoon City while the sister of one of the unit teams up with a rookie police officer to survive a zombie outbreak.
Is it Scary?
Like most of the Resident Evil video games, Welcome to Raccoon City, starts with the scares and then leans into the action. You won’t have any nightmares from the movie but there is definitely a much bigger focus on trying to scare you compared to the original live action version.
Unlike that movie, Welcome to Raccoon City tries to scare you for most of the movie. Though, most of the scares are more about suspense than jump scares.
Review:
As an average movie-goer Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is okay, leaning into the good range. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and has some funny character moments which is good as most of the suspense comes from caring about the characters. The acting is passable (though Donal Logue steals every scene he’s in), the chemistry between the actors work, and the dialogue does it’s job.
Is it the best horror or zombie movie of all time? No but you’ll have fun and you’ll be entertained. It’s also definitely better than the previous live action Resident Evil films.
Now as a fan of the Resident Evil video games:
The problem video game adaptations face is there will be some people that hate the movie solely because it changes a lot of the source material lore. But, changes to lore and cutting out specific parts of the games story is necessary for movies since video games can take hours upon hours to complete and a film is only a couple of hours, if that.
So it’s not a surprise that many people dislike this movie as it not only changes some of the lore but condenses two video games into one movie.
As someone who comes in with an open mind, considering the above, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is freaking great, it’s the best Resident Evil live action adaptation so far. Johannes Roberts is clearly a fan of the games and you can really tell how much he wanted to add into the movie but couldn’t, having to rely on Easter egg after Easter egg.
There are some character changes that you might be put-off a bit by but the changes fit within this version of Resident Evil that Roberts created. If you’re a fan of the games, specifically the remakes, you’ll like this movie.
Cast IMBD