As an avid gamer and streaming enthusiast, I‘m fascinated by the Resident Evil franchise and the fierce debate amongst fans regarding whether the various movie adaptations align with game canon or venture into alternate timelines. As a data analyst, I decided to dig deeper into the layers of lore across games, films, and animated movies to provide a comprehensive perspective.
The convoluted history of Resident Evil
First, let‘s level set on some Resident Evil history for context. The tentpole horror game franchise launched in 1996 and has spawned over 25 titles across multiple gaming platforms. As of 2021, the entire Resident Evil franchise has sold over 100 million units worldwide, ranking as the most successful survival horror game series ever.
With such rich source material, Hollywood came calling in the early 2000s to adapt Resident Evil for the big screen. This resulted in not just one, but two parallel film universes centered around the games: the live-action movie saga starring Milla Jovovich, and the CGI animated sequels tying into later game storylines.
This sets up a natural schism between which movies are canon to the games, and which ones venture into their own non-canon continuity. Let‘s analyze each movie branch.
The Milla Jovovich live-action films: A non-canon reimagining
Kicking off in 2002, this six film saga aimed to bring Resident Evil to life in live-action form:
| Movie | Release Year | Worldwide Gross |
|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil | 2002 | $102 million |
| Resident Evil: Apocalypse | 2004 | $129 million |
| Resident Evil: Extinction | 2007 | $148 million |
| Resident Evil: Afterlife | 2010 | $296 million |
| Resident Evil: Retribution | 2012 | $240 million |
| Resident Evil: The Final Chapter | 2016 | $312 million |
Grossing over $1.2 billion worldwide, the films brought Resident Evil to mainstream cinemagoers globally. However, director Paul W.S. Anderson took ample creative license, using the games as just loose inspiration to build an original science fiction storyline around Jovovich‘s Alice character battling the nefarious Umbrella Corporation.
Let‘s dig into some key data points on how the live-action films diverge from established Resident Evil canon:
- Alice appears in all 6 films as the lead protagonist, but has no correlation to any character in the games
- The movies take place in a near-future dystopian setting, whereas the games take place primarily in late 1990s
- Major game characters like Jill Valentine and Leon Kennedy are re-imagined with new backgrounds and personalities
- The tone emphasizes kinetic action with Alice‘s superhuman abilities, vs the slower horror vibe of the games
- Critical reviews averaged just 34% across the 6 films according to Rotten Tomatoes, indicating their quality as adaptations was low
Upon release of the first live-action film in 2002, director Anderson commented that the movie was designed as a "reinterpretation" of Resident Evil, not bound to game canon. This established the movies as a standalone alternate universe right from the start.
The CGI movies: Faithful canon interquels
In conjunction with the live-action series, Capcom released three Resident Evil CGI animated films in conjunction with later game releases:
| Movie | Release Year | Key Game Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil: Degeneration | 2008 | Sequel to Resident Evil 4 storyline |
| Resident Evil: Damnation | 2012 | Parallel to Resident Evil 5 events |
| Resident Evil: Vendetta | 2017 | Follows Resident Evil 6 |
Unlike the live-action films, these CGI movies are considered canon and official continuations of the games‘ storylines. Let‘s analyze core data points on how the animated films aligned with established Resident Evil continuity:
- Feature prominent game characters like Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Chris Redfield
- Direct prequels or sequels to major game storylines
- Faithfully match tone and environments of the games
- Strong critical reviews averaging 78% on Rotten Tomatoes
The producer of the CGI films directly acknowledged they were crafted as canon interquels intended to satisfy hardcore Resident Evil fans. This tight integration with the games‘ official continuity establishes the animated movies as canon.
Does the 2021 reboot tie back into canon?
After the convoluted alternate storyline of the previous live-action films, 2021‘s Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City took a back-to-basics approach as a reboot aiming to align with game canon.
The reboot makes several key moves to tie back into established continuity:
- Set in 1998, contemporaneous with early games
- Stars familiar characters like Jill, Claire Redfield, Chris Redfield, and Leon Kennedy
- Follows plot points directly from the first two Resident Evil games
- Matches the survival horror tone and environments of the games
While not directly referenced in later games, Welcome to Raccoon City succeeded as a standalone film re-aligning with Resident Evil‘s roots in a way the previous live-action movies never attempted.
Early reviews praised its faithfulness, with Polygon saying it "includes almost everything I wanted from a Resident Evil movie." It did face criticism over production quality and execution. But directionally, it signals future live action projects may hew closer to canon.
Conclusion: The films offer reinterpretation vs true canon
Analyzing the full body of films and games reveals a clear bifurcation in Resident Evil‘s cinematic adaptations:
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The 6 live-action Paul W.S. Anderson movies took broad creative license to follow an unrelated Alice saga, establishing them as a non-canon reinterpretation of Resident Evil
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The 3 CGI animated films directly intersect with and follow the games‘ official storylines and characters, firmly placing them in canon
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The 2021 reboot movie aimed to realign its continuity with established game lore, though time will tell if future live-action projects follow suit
This split exemplifies the tricky balance of adapting a beloved franchise for mainstream films vs staying faithful to lore. Diehard fans differentiate which movies "count" as canon, while casual viewers simply enjoy the zombie action regardless of continuity. But the critical data shows canon matters when translating a franchise to new mediums.
What do you think? Should future Resident Evil movies prioritize faithfully adapting the games, or take creative license to attract wider audiences? As a fellow fan, I‘m happy to keep debating where the live action films could improve!
