The Resident Evil series infamously lost its way after Resident Evil 4, which many still regard as the franchise’s highest point. After two much-maligned follow-ups in Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, the series had to return to its horror roots and a new first-person view to win back fans and critics with Resident Evil 7.
One aspect of the fifth Resident Evil game that was particularly poorly received was its depiction of supervillain Albert Wesker, who made his debut in the franchise's very first game, and has long been regarded by many fans as a cheesy and one-note antagonist. However, although the new movie Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City is heavily based upon the stories of the first two Resident Evil games, it also makes some important changes - including an effective reimagining of Wesker.
How Resident Evil 5 Got Albert Wesker Wrong
Albert Wesker appears in the first Resident Evil as the commanding officer of the STARS unit, which is dispatched to investigate the mysterious goings-on at the infamous Spencer mansion. In the game’s denouement, Wesker is revealed to be a double agent secretly working for Umbrella, who has tricked his highly-trained subordinates into acting as test subjects for the sinister corporation’s bioweapon. He is then seemingly killed by the Tyrant monster that the player must battle in the game’s final boss fight.
However, it was subsequently revealed that Wesker was actually working as a triple agent, attempting to steal Umbrella’s virus on behalf of a rival company. He returns in Resident Evil – Code: Veronica with superhuman powers, where the disturbingly orange eyes lurking beneath his trademark sunglasses are revealed.
By Resident Evil 5, Wesker’s backstory had become highly convoluted, and the character had deteriorated into a ludicrous caricature of a camp villain. He utilized Matrix-style “bullet time” moves to dodge the protagonists’ bullets, and adopted a muddled accent that was possibly intended to be British, another hackneyed villain trope. The game reveals that Wesker was in fact created by a project known as “the Wesker project” (casting doubt over whether Wesker is even his real name) and has the evil mastermind plotting to convert the entire human race into superhuman beings like himself.
Why Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City Got Albert Wesker Right
Although there is a high likelihood that future sequels will once again transform Wesker into an over-the-top supervillain, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City succeeded by rebooting the character in a much more understated fashion. Although Tom Hopper, the actor who portrays Wesker, is clearly an impressive physical specimen, the character does not possess any special powers or far-fetched superhuman capabilities.
Furthermore, Hopper’s performance grounds Wesker as a relatable and, to some extent, even a likeable character, rather than a one-dimensional bad guy. Although he is working as a double agent from the start, he displays real remorse when he shoots scientist William Birkin and his wife, and engages in some amusing banter with his colleagues earlier in the movie. It is made clear Wesker did not intend things to work out in the way they did; rather than a master manipulator, he is more of a pawn in Umbrella’s scheme, having accepted the corporation’s financial incentives to recover its precious virus.
Thankfully, the movie also resists the urge to bestow Wesker with a cheesy British accent. Although Hopper himself is an English actor, he adopts an American accent throughout, and the Game Of Thrones veteran delivers a strong and charismatic performance. By the time Wesker is slain in the finale, some Resident Evil fans might have even been sad to see the end of the character. Thankfully, a post-credits sequence offers intriguing possibilities for his return.