The Resident Evil film franchise has run its course, but who says you can’t go backward in order to move forward? Enter Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, which is out now on Blu-ray, DVD, and numerous digital formats.
We learn about the origins of that zombie apocalypse that entertained us for many movies and many video games. Umbrella Corporation, the antagonist (essentially) for this franchise, was once a pharmaceutical giant that helped Raccoon City become a booming community. When they left, the city became a virtual wasteland… all with world-changing evil lying just below the surface, simply waiting for the right time to rear its ugly head.
That evil, undoubtedly, breaks through and our film chronicles how a group of survivors did their absolute best in the worst of situations to simply make it through the night. The whole time, they are also learning the truth about Umbrella that surely tarnishes the former Raccoon City resident’s legacy. Unleashing a zombie apocalypse tends to be a bad PR move.
Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down) wrote and directed this reboot/prequel and with each successive movie he makes the auteur of action makes strides as a filmmaker. Clearly, this is the biggest thing he has worked on and perhaps he was overwhelmed with the scope of this story, coupled with the unavoidable comparison to the man who first brought this world to life on the screen, Paul W.S. Anderson (with his wife Milla Jovovich starring), may just have prevented him from being able to see that a bit of streamlining of the story and this aspiring thrill ride would actually possess some of those thriller topes.
Instead, the film falls flat and seems overwhelmed by its own potential. The thing is, we know where we are going. The key is mapping out how to get there, and perhaps this is the first step and Roberts will get another chance to make a second one, and maybe, just maybe, he will produce a Resident Evil movie worthy of its moniker.
The thing about the Anderson created and Jovovich starring movies is yes, they had varying levels of success from a quality point of view. But they were clear in what exactly each one was about—both the big picture and small. Here, it is a mediocre movie that could have been great with a little bit of thinking.
When it comes to bonus features, there are truly three totaling just over 20 minutes of all-new featurettes. The Movie Mensch recommends diving into Cops, Corpses, and Chaos as the cast dishes their horror favorites and inspirations. The just over eight-minute bonus feature also provides insight into the chemistry of the cast, the shooting locales, and the ensemble provides their thoughts on the direction of Roberts.
Zombies, Lickers and the Horrors of Resident Evil is a fun look at how filmmakers created the zombies (and other assorted creatures unique to the RE world). The featurette takes us from concept art through the use of prosthetics and blending special effects with a practical-based feel.
Last, there’s Replicating the DNA is an almost eleven-minute featurette that is the most insightful for game fans, who also happen to be appreciators of the Resident Evil franchise. This extra explores how filmmakers painstakingly worked to ensure it was true to the first two games.
Film Grade: C-
Bonus Features: C+