In 2002, live-action horror movie, Resident Evil made its gruesome debut. The film – based on the popular video game series of the same name – told the story of an amnesiac young woman named Alice, who finds herself caught up in the midst of an attempt to contain a deadly virus, which has broken out at a secret underground facility.
In the movie, Alice joins forces with a team of specially trained operatives, whose main objective is to keep the virus from escaping into the atmosphere. But while Alice understands the importance of the mission, at the same time she is trying to work out who she is and how she came to be involved.
Although Resident Evil wasn’t a huge hit with the critics upon release, the film proved popular with audiences. Resident Evil grossed $103 million at the worldwide box-office, from a budget of $33 million, and this prompted the need for a sequel, titled Resident Evil: Apocalypse.
Further sequels soon followed, and the Resident Evil movie series developed a loyal audience. As a result, it quickly became the most profitable game-to-film series of its time, crossing the $1 billion mark in the process.
But if you’re new to the Resident Evil movies where do you start? How many films are in the Resident Evil series and what is the best order to watch them?
Well, keep reading and all will become clear. The live-action Resident Evil movie series is fairly straight-forward to follow, you just need to know what films to look out for.
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The Resident Evil movies
Resident Evil (2002)
As noted above, the first entry in the Resident Evil movie series was 2002’s Resident Evil. This film introduced the mysterious Alice (Milla Jovovich), who becomes caught up in mission to destroy the T-virus – a deadly virus created by the Umbrella Corporation, which has accidentally been released in an underground facility in Raccoon City.
In the movie, Alice and a team of armed-operatives break into a secret genetic research facility named the Hive, in order to discover what has happened with the virus. Here they meet the Hive’s Artificial Intelligence, The Red Queen, who has sealed the facility to ensure the virus does not reach the surface. (100 mins)
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Picking up shortly after the events of Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Apocalypse deals with the spread of the T-virus. In this movie, the virus has reached the surface, leading to Major Timothy Cain making the decision to seal all the exits to Raccoon City.
Alice becomes trapped in the city, alongside various other civilians, including police officer, Jill Valentine. Alice and Jill team up to mount an escape from a now zombie-ravaged city. (93 mins)
Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
In the third instalment in the series, Resident Evil: Extinction, the T-virus has spread across the world, resulting in the fall of humanity, outside of a few pockets of survivalists. One of these survivalists is Claire Redfield, who teams up with Alice on a mission to travel to Alaska, where they hope to find a safe haven known as Arcadia. (94 mins)
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
Picking up the story in Resident Evil: Afterlife, Alice and Claire travel to Los Angeles and arrive at a prison housing more survivors. Here they meet Claire’s brother, Chris Redfield, while is battling virus-infected creatures. (97 mins)
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
In Resident Evil: Retribution, Alice encounters further conflict with the Umbrella Corporation, as well as a brain-washed Jill Valentine. This fifth instalment involves an underground facility, Alice clones, and more trouble with The Red Queen. (96 mins)
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
With the Resident Evil movie series proving consistently popular with its core fanbase, sequels kept on coming. However, after five films it was decided that movie number six would bring Alice’s journey to a close.
The film – titled Resident Evil: The Final Chapter – picked up the story three weeks after the events of Resident Evil: Retribution. In this instalment, the Umbrella Corporation has developed an anti-virus, which will kill anything infected by the T-virus. (106 mins)
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
With Alice’s story concluded in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, the Resident Evil movie series went on hiatus for five years. When it returned in 2021, it was via a reboot titled Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.
Ignoring everything that came before, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City kick-started a new storyline. In this movie, Claire Redfield (Kaya Scodelario) returns to her former hometown of Raccoon City, when she discovers the Umbrella Corporation is responsible for various experiments which could prove deadly to residents. (107 mins)
The Resident Evil movies in production order
To date, there are seven live-action Resident Evil movies. Should you wish to watch all of the films in production order, please follow this list:
- Resident Evil (2002)
- Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
- Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
- Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
- Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
- Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
- Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
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Are the live-action Resident Evil movies all part of the same series?
The live-action Resident Evil movies are divided into two categories: The original series and the reboot. The films are as follows:
The original series
- Resident Evil (2002)
- Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
- Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
- Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
- Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
- Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
The reboot series
- Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
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Who are the cast of the Resident Evil movie series and are the movies the work of the same director?
The most notable cast member in the Resident Evil movie series is Milla Jovovich, who played the role of Alice in the original movie series. Jovovich has an extensive career in the film industry, and has appeared in movies such as The Fifth Element, Ultraviolet, The Three Musketeers, and Monster Hunter.
Other notable actors within the Resident Evil movie series include Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, James Purefoy, Colin Salmon, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Jared Harris, Mike Epps, Iain Glen, Ali Larter, Ashanti, Jason O’Mara, Christopher Egan, Matthew Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Shawn Roberts, Li Bingbing, Ruby Rose, Ever Anderson, Kaya Scodelario, Hannah John-Kamen, Robbie Amell, Tom Hopper, Donal Logue, and Neal McDonough.
In terms of directors, the Resident Evil movie series is the work of the following:
- Paul W. S. Anderson directed Resident Evil, Afterlife, Retribution, and The Final Chapter
- Alexander Witt directed Apocalypse
- Russell Mulcahy directed Extinction
- Johannes Roberts directed Welcome to Raccoon City
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If you’re a fan of the Resident Evil movies, or you’re just getting into Resident Evil, then you may wish to know that you can purchase all six of the original Resident Evil movies in one handy, dandy 4K boxset.
Resident Evil: The Complete Collection 4K Boxset contains all six films from the original series (aka the films with Milla Jovovich), in ultra high-definition. The 4K set can be purchased from all good entertainment retailers, including Amazon US.
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Disclaimer: I earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this post about the order of the Resident Evil movies – I hope it has proved useful. For more movie-related posts on It’s A Stampede!, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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