Resident Evil is a science fiction action-horror hexalogy film series loosely based on the Japanese video game franchise of the same name by Capcom. German studio Constantin Film bought the rights to the first film in January 1997 with Alan B. McElroy and George A. Romero as potential writers. In 2001, Sony Entertainment acquired distribution rights and hired Paul W. S. Anderson as writer and director for Resident Evil (2002). Anderson continued on as writer and producer for the sequels, Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), and returned as the director for Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016).
The fictional Umbrella Corporation, which acts as the main antagonist in the series, is a bioengineering pharmaceutical company that creates bioweapons. Umbrella was responsible for the zombie apocalypse, which occurred after the corporation’s T-virus infected the Earth’s population. The films follow protagonist Alice, an original character created for the films portrayed by Milla Jovovich. Alice, who was once a security operative working for Umbrella, becomes an enemy of the corporation. Characters from the video game series also appeared in the film series, including Jill Valentine, Carlos Olivera, Claire Redfield, Albert Wesker, Chris Redfield, Barry Burton, Leon S. Kennedy and Ada Wong.
Despite consistent negative reviews, with six films released, the Resident Evil film series is the highest-grossing film series to be based on video games of all time, having grossed $1 billion worldwide.
The first, third and sixth movies received generally mixed reviews from critics, while the second, fourth and fifth movies were received more negatively. The series was criticized for its unrestrained use of violence, cliffhanger endings and habit of abandoning established characters without explaining what happened to them. However, The Chicago Tribune declares the first film as “one of the few video game movies to truly re-create the gaming experience” and The Austin Chronicle calling it “an absolute wreck. But what an ambitiously mind-blowing wreck it is, bursting with dazzlingly sordid cinematography”. The Seattle Times marked the second film an improvement from the original, saying the film “makes up for the wretched mess that was 2002’s “Resident Evil”. The Hollywood Reporter gave the third film a positive review stating “Fast-paced and filled with brisk action sequences—the film should reasonably satisfy the devotees.” Michael Ordoña of The Los Angeles Times gave the fourth film a positive review, claiming that “the action is easier to read than in most films of the genre, and therefore more enjoyable. Anderson makes particular use of sets and locations to wring out more bangs for the stereoscopic buck.
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