It's no secret that most movies based on video games are met with a lackluster response from audience members. Either casual theatergoers come away unimpressed with the film or the hardcore gamers who are fans of the series feel like the adaptation misses the mark and doesn't live up to the game they love.
It's rare that a video game movie does well enough to spawn a film franchise. However, Resident Evil isn't the typical adaptation. The original live-action film boasted a talented cast and was successful enough to lead to several sequels. Even if the entire series hasn't been met with high praise from critics, audiences have liked them enough that they have grossed over $1 billion combined at the box office. Along with the live-action films, there are also a few Resident Evil animated features. Which are the bestResident Evil movies according to IMDb?
Updated November 25, 2021 by Mark Sammut: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is out in theatres, but is the new film worthy of carrying the name of the iconic horror franchise? Resident Evil's movies have largely existed in their own universe separate from the games, but Welcome to Raccoon City aims to be more faithful to Capcom's releases. Does this prove to be a strength or a weakness? While still early days for the 2021 movie, Welcome to Raccoon City's current IMDb rating gives an idea of the general consensus regarding the film's quality. Is it better than the other live-action films?
10 Resident Evil: Retribution (5.4)
The one constant about the Resident Evil franchise has been Milla Jovovich, who has played Alice in every installment. Another constant, though not as consistent, is Paul W.S. Anderson. He has written and directed a handful of these, including 2012's Resident Evil: Retribution, which is the fifth entry into the franchise.
Released in 2012, this iteration sees Alice get captured by the Umbrella Corporation. With the help of a resistance group, she must escape the underwater facility that she's held at. One of the highlights of Retribution was the return of characters from the first film, including the beloved Michelle Rodriguez. Even with mixed reviews (28% on Rotten Tomatoes and 51% from audiences), it was commercially successful, grossing $240.2 million on a $65 million budget.
9 Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (5.5)
It took four years for a sequel to Retribution to arrive. In 2016, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter hit theaters and was once again written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Obvious by its title, this was planned to mark the end of the series before the 2021 version was announced.
By this point, the series had been getting some lackluster reviews but that didn't stop the fans from being excited. Still, the 37% on Rotten Tomatoes was one of the better scores in the series. This installment grossed $312.2 million on a $40 budget, which was the highest total in franchise history. The Final Chapter follows Alice as she returns to The Hive in Raccoon City where it all started as the remaining survivors battle the Umbrella Corporation in one last fight.
8 Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City (5.7)
Released on November 24, 2021, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City's IMDb score could rise in the coming weeks; conversely, 5.7 might prove to be its peak. The 2021 movie is a reboot of the franchise and tries to stick closer to the source material, especially compared to the action extravaganzas that the live-action series had devolved into by The Final Chapter.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a competently made movie that respects Capcom's horror franchise. It is reasonably well-acted and mildly entertaining, but it plays it too safe to stand out from the crowd as either a horror or action film. However, fans of the games will probably find something to enjoy in this movie. Presently, Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City has a Rotten tomato score of 27% and an audience score of 61%.
7 Resident Evil: Afterlife (5.8)
2010 saw the release of the fourth installment into the series. After helming the initial one, Paul W.S. Anderson returned to the franchise in this iteration. Resident Evil: Afterlife sees Alice join forces with a group of survivors from a prison who all set out to reach a possible safe haven known as Arcadia.
This sequel marked the first appearance of Chris Redfield, one of the key characters from the game franchise. Arriving during the 3D craze of the era, Resident Evil: Afterlife racked up $300.2 million on a $60 million budget. While critics didn't appreciate it (22% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences seemed to have better feelings (48%).
6 Resident Evil: Apocalypse (6.2)
Although Paul W.S. Anderson didn't direct this entry, he was the writer. Resident Evil: Apocalypse is the second film in the series and a direct follow-up to the original. Hitting theaters in 2004, it wasn't a huge hit but did gross $129.3 million on a $45 million budget.
Picking up where the original left off, this installment sees Alice wake up in a Raccoon City hospital surrounded by zombies. She must get out of the city before the drop of a nuclear bomb. This entry was the first appearance of popular game characters Jill Valentine and Carlos Olivera, and brought in the villainous Nemesis. Although the 20% Rotten Tomatoes rating is rough, the audience score of 60% is one of the highest in the series.
5 Resident Evil: Vendetta (6.3)
Released in 2017, Vendetta is a CG film set within the universe of the games. Taking place between Resident Evil 6 and 7, Vendetta very much adheres to the former's action-driven blueprint rather than the latter's claustrophobic horror.
Vendetta features Leon Kennedy as its protagonist, and he is on the hunt for a former CIA operative by the name of Glenn Arias. Vendetta's script is all over the place and, at times, struggles to build up momentum. However, the film offers a serviceable side-adventure for fans of the games. On Rotten Tomatoes, Vendetta has critic and audience scores of 43% and 46% respectively.
4 Resident Evil: Extinction (6.3)
Again written by Anderson but not directed by him, Resident Evil: Extinction is the third entry in the series. It hit theaters in 2007 and made $150 million on a budget of $45 million. More major game characters debuted here including Claire Redfield (Ali Larter) and Albert Wesker (Jason O'Mara), who stuck around for most of the series.
After the dreadful events that took place in Raccoon City, this movie focuses on survivors from it as they travel across the Nevada desert. Their hope is to make it to Alaska and Alice ultimately joins them. Critics didn't seem to love the plot (24% on Rotten Tomatoes) but they did think that the action sequences were relatively strong.
3 Resident Evil: Degeneration (6.5)
The first CG film released for the franchise, Resident Evil: Degeneration struggles to shake its inspiration. A common criticism of the 2008 movie is that it looks and feels like a video game, with the animation resembling cutscenes. It makes for a stilted watch, and the story isn't engaging enough to make up for the lackluster visuals.
Degeneration's selling point is that the film reunites Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, and the two iconic characters are fine together. Outside of that, this is a distinctly average experience. Degeneration has a decent Rotten Tomatoes score of 67%, but audiences rated the movie at a lower 57%.
2 Resident Evil: Damnation (6.5)
Degeneration's sequel, Damnation is also a prequel to Resident Evil 6; consequently, this is really not a film for newcomers to the franchise. Complicated plot aside, Damnation is at its best when it goes all out, allowing Leon and Ada Wong to take center stage as the action stars they have proven they can be.
This is a movie for the fans, those who will not be too put off by the uneven animation, stiff movement, or clunky dialogue. The story, which sees Leon infiltrating an Eastern European country housing BOWs, is better than average for the movies, but it is too stretched out for its own good. On Rotten Tomatoes, Damnation is highly regarded, earning a 100% critic score along with a 70% audience rating.
1 Resident Evil (6.7)
When it was announced that the Resident Evil gaming franchise would be adapted into a movie, fans were excited. Even with the disappointments of past video game films, this survival horror series was one that seemed to be made for something like this. Of course, the 2002 release is only loosely based on the games, which set the tone for the rest of the series. Reviews were mixed at 35% on Rotten Tomatoes but it did manage a 67% from audiences.
Marking the debut of Jovovich's Alice and the likes of Rodriguez, this had enough elements from the game to stand out. It follows amnesiac Alice and an Umbrella Corporation military unit who attempt to contain the release of the T-virus inside of The Hive, a research facility owned by the Umbrella Corporation. As they do this, the facility's A.I. locks them in and tries to kill them. Grossing $103 million on a $33 million budget, it did well enough to spark a franchise.