Resident Evil (film series)

Resident Evil is a film franchise based on Capcom’s video game series, beginning with the 2002 live-action film directed by Paul W.

Resident Evil is a film franchise based on Capcom’s video game series, beginning with the 2002 live-action film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. The series includes six live-action films released between 2002 and 2016, plus later screen adaptations such as the 2021 reboot film *Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City*. The live-action films form a separate continuity from the games, while the franchise also has animated CGI titles connected to the game timeline. Canada has been involved through co-productions and filming locations associated with parts of the franchise, and Canadian audiences have been a substantial market for the films.

History

The film series began with *Resident Evil* in 2002, directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, and continued with sequels in 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, and 2016. Anderson directed several of the films and wrote or co-wrote all six. The franchise later expanded with a separate 2021 reboot film, *Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City*, which reinterprets the games' story and characters without continuing the earlier live-action continuity.

Continuity and canon

The live-action films use characters, monsters, and ideas from the games but follow their own storyline centered on Alice. They are generally treated as separate from the games' main canon, unlike some animated CGI projects connected to the game timeline. The 2021 reboot film also operates within its own continuity, distinct from the original live-action series.

Cast and characters

Milla Jovovich stars as Alice throughout the main live-action series, a character original to the films and not from the games. Other recurring performers include Michelle Rodriguez, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, and Ruby Rose in later entries, though the cast changes significantly across films. The 2021 reboot features a different cast and narrative approach.

Reception and legacy

The films were commercially successful enough to sustain a multi-film franchise and are a major example of early 21st-century video game adaptation cinema. Critical reception was mixed to negative, but the series remained commercially visible and culturally recognizable. The franchise is one of the highest-profile film adaptations of a video game series.