Even amongst the most maligned genre that is the video game movie, Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil series has been… well, to put it plainly, just bad to say the least. That’s why the prospect of a reboot is so refreshing for series fans, as even a bad film that at least looks like its source material would be welcome. Well, fans got what they wished for, as “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” is absolutely far more faithful to the source material while also embracing the 90s aesthetic and cheese of the first two games to be the most fun you can have with a film that’s also a pile of hot garbage.
Following a cast of series mainstays, the film takes place on one night in 1998 in Raccoon City, a town founded by the Umbrella Corporation for its workers to live in. The film follows two groups; a collection of Special Tactics and Rescue Service (STARS) members consisting of Jill Valentine, played by Hannah John-Kamen (“Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “Killjoys”), Chris Redfield, played by Robbie Amell (“Upload,” “The Tomorrow People”), and Albert Wesker, played by Tom Hopper (“The Umbrella Academy,” “Black Sails”), among others as they investigate a disappearance at the Spencer Mansion on the outskirts of Raccoon City and a small team of Claire Redfield, played by Kaya Scodelario (“Skins,” “The Maze Runner”) and Leon S. Kennedy, played by Avan Jogia (“Zombieland: Double Tap,” “Victorious”) as they attempt to escape from the city before it is destroyed.
For anyone even remotely familiar with the games, this plot will seem immediately familiar as it is essentially the first and second games squished into one narrative. It alternates back and forth at a decent pace and different characters overlap with each other in interesting ways, delivering the greatest hits of arguably the series’ best games for those who don’t want to pick up a controller.
The cast does a fairly decent job bringing these beloved characters to life, putting enough of a spin on things to make them feel distinct from their game counterparts without forgetting what made them so beloved in the first place. The STARS crew all chew the scenery plenty during their adventure, delivering their big action star moments with bravado and cheese, hamming it up to deliver some dialogue that must be heard to be believed.
Meanwhile Scodelario and Jogia prove to be much closer to the film’s heart and soul. The pair have great chemistry and maintain a decent level of emotional investment while not being above an eye roll as a character spouts a particularly cheesy line. Make no mistake, they, like the STARS crew, are hamming it up at every turn, fully embracing the 90s vibe that the film encapsulates. None of these performances could be called great, but they’re all extremely entertaining.
That right there is how to describe this film. It does everything it possibly can to provide an entertaining experience over a particularly good one. No one ever would have expected “Welcome to Raccoon City” to win any awards, and so its as if writer/director Johannes Roberts (“47 Meters Down,” “The Strangers: Prey At Night”) just said “fuck it” and made a film so absolutely in love with Resident Evil as he is. Watching Neal McDonough (“Desperate Housewives,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”) not only play William Birkin, but deliver some of his fantastic mad scientist ravings is a Resident Evil fan's dream come true.
It embraces how weird the series is at its core. Yes it's about zombies, but there’s also corporate mutilation, mansions filled with puzzles, a town being poisoned, the world’s worst orphanage, and many more twisted bizarre elements that the label of “zombie game” just don’t do justice. Roberts tries his best to bring as many of them to the big screen as possible, with wildly varying degrees of success. The iconic RPD building? Lisa Trevor? The Orphanage? The piano in Spencer Mansion? All brought to life wonderfully in a way that will do series fans damn proud. The Lickers? Really anything in CGI? Not so much.
This is a film that thrives on its cheese, throwing logic out the window to provide a simple, fun time for all. Is it good? Well, that’s open to interpretation. It's sure as hell entertaining, but good is another thing entirely. The script manages to pack in so many hammy one liners, game references, and 90s references in to 100 minutes that it can be dizzying. Its best elements are those pulled straight from the games, as the ones made up for the film, like the changes to Claire and Chris’s backstory, just feel confusing when shoehorned into the rest of the game’s narrative.
What “Welcome to Raccoon City” is, as a film, is pure and total cheese. This is a film that just wants to have a good time, and packs itself to the gills with hammy acting and dialogue, lavish sets that seem as if they’re taken directly from the games, and an overall sense of sneaking self awareness that permeates the entire project. For fans, it’s a damn good time that knows how to cheese and please in equal measure. Is it good? More than that, can those who don’t love the games enjoy it too? Well, for that, your mileage may vary. 2.5/5
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