Horror Palace

When Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara collaborated with Capcom to create the first Resident Evil survival horror video game in 1996, they had no idea that they were on the brink of what was to become one of the leading multi-million dollar media franchises in the industry.

The Birth of All Things (Resident) Evil

Before the explosion of the atomic Resident Evil bomb that saw the company branch out to live-action films, more games, comics, novelizations, dramas, animated sequels and merchandising, it had surprisingly humble beginnings. The entire empire started with a simple survival horror video game that made its massive debut on the increasingly popular PlayStation Console in 1996.

The overarching plot of the game series takes fans through multiple characters and their roles towards the deadly consequences of the T-Virus; a virus that causes recurring zombie outbreaks and an array of powerful monsters. All these are the effect of biological weapons developed by the main antagonist known as the Umbrella Corporation.

Due to its immense commercial success, Resident Evil, the game was ported to other consoles such as the Sega Saturn. Horror genre gamers just couldn’t get enough and soon, there were two other sequels namely Resident Evil 2 released 1998 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis a year later. Since inception, the Resident Evil video game series has sold over 60 million units and stands tall as Capcom’s biggest franchise with regards to sales. However, the real gold was struck when Resident Evil branched into the film and movie industry.

Resident Evil Movies

When Sony Entertainment acquired the rights to distribute the Resident Evil films in 2001, they hired screenplay writer Paul W. S. Anderson to write and direct the first film. Anderson approached the script with an entirely new direction that did not involve any tie-ins with the video game series. Casting actress Milla Jovovich as the main protagonist in the films was perhaps the best thing that ever happened to Resident Evil. Anderson went on to write and produce the following sequels from 2004 all the way to 2012.

With a total of 5 films released up to date, the Resident Evil film series remains the highest grossing series of all time based on a video game. Here is an insightful overview of the 5 Resident Evil movies that grossed an astounding $915 million globally as well as their latest film in the works that is set to conclude the Resident Evil legacy on January 27, 2017.

Resident Evil (2002)

The first film in the series starred Milla Jovovich as Alice, the main protagonist. In this movie, the Umbrella Corporation conducts top-secret and very dangerous genetic research in a facility known as The Hive. This facility is hidden deep underground beneath Raccoon City and is tightly secured by an Artificial Intelligence computer program called The Red Queen. When an accident triggers the release of the T-virus in the facility, The Red Queen follows protocol and exterminates every living organism in The Hive to prevent contamination from reaching the surface. But in a gut-wrenching twist of science, the T-Virus reanimates every single deceased organism; instantly transforming animals into incredibly aggressive mutations of nature and humans into extremely voracious and ravenous zombies.

Alice (Milla) plays the role of a security operative in Umbrella whose memory gets wiped by the AIs nerve gas. While trying to escape from the underground facility, Alice and her team run into a test subject who has been transformed into a monster called the Licker. This beast leaves Alice in a coma and scratches one of the operatives called Matt who is taken by Umbrella Corporation upon surfacing and eventually becomes the Nemesis.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

After the colossal success of the first film, Anderson began working on a sequel in 2003. The Apocalypse was however directed by Alexander Witt since Anderson was also working on Alien vs. Predator. In this Resident Evil film, the T-virus outbreak has already reached the surface and authorities seal all entrances and exits to Raccoon City in an effort to contain it. Among the people trapped in the city are Jill Valentine and her friend who find themselves needing help from Alice who is fresh out of her coma. Next to surviving, their only objective becomes getting out of the city.

Luckily, a Dr. Charles Ashford claims that he knows a way out, but will only help them if they rescue his daughter Angela. Since Umbrella Corporation intends to incinerate the entire city with a nuclear bomb, Alice agrees and begins a long, treacherous journey to find Angela. After rescuing her, their exit is blocked by the ghastly freak of nature; The Nemesis. The fight leaves the Nemesis dead and Alice in the hands of the Corporation. Later, she is rescued by Jill and displays extraordinary powers. In the getaway vehicle, Alice’s eyes flash an Umbrella logo and Isaacs utters three unbelievable words, Project Alice Activated.

https://youtu.be/Ap5DrE-vBLI

Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

Screen Gems acquired the rights for the third film in the Resident Evil series and again, Anderson provided a marvelous script. The movie was shot in Mexico and was directed by Russell Mulcahy. The extinction movie introduces us to a world that has been ravaged by the T-virus beyond recognition. In an effort to find a subject with similar abilities as Alice, Umbrella Corporation creates a throng of clones of Alice. Elsewhere, survivors of the T-virus cross the Nevada desert led by Claire Redfield. Alice roams all over the country looking for more survivors and soon meets up with Redfield’s convoy. The decide to head to Las Vegas and gather supplies and ready for a long trip to a supposed haven in Alaska.

In Vegas, most of the convoy gets killed off by Umbrella’s new super mutant zombies. Wayne gets bitten and hides it from the group only to later transform and bite others. Among them is Isaacs who gets bitten and tries to cure himself with absurd doses of the antivirus. However, this only sees him transform into a towering Tyrant who gets slain by Alice in a vicious battle. The movie ends with Alice in control of all her clones threatening to bring Umbrella Corp down to its knees.

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

The fourth installment in the franchise was set in Japan and incorporated 3D filming with the Fusion Camera System. Paul W.S. Anderson started off from where the Extinction left off. Just like she had vowed, Alice attacks the Umbrella HQ over at Tokyo with her squad of clones. Here, they meet Wesker who escapes destroying the entire facility and killing all the clones in the process. While confronting him, Wesker injects Alice with a serum that cancels out her extraordinary abilities.

However, Alive survives and soon launches endless aerial searches for survivors. She decides to head for the Arcadia haven and lands on an airfield in Alaska only to find her friend Claire in a befuddled state, memory wiped and with an Umbrella device on her chest. They both fly to Los Angeles and meet Chris, Claire’s brother in a prison with survivors who explain that Arcadia is just a tanker that’s been broadcasting looped messages and picking up survivors. They make it there and find it abandoned; an undercover Umbrella research facility. Wesker finds them and attacks with deadly super-human abilities courtesy of the T-virus. After the battle, Alice transmits a new message with the hope of creating a true haven. The film ends with Umbrella’s massive fleet of gunships preparing to launch an attack led by Valentine.

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

This recent segment was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, written and directed by Paul W. Anderson. In Retribution, Alice comes to in an Umbrella base where Valentine is interrogating her. Ada Wong orchestrates a power failure during which Alice escapes and allies with Wong and more unexpectedly, Wesker. Their objective is to destroy Umbrella’s super computer, The Red Queen so as to save the little that is left of humanity.

Along the way, the team encounters a myriad of clones; one of Becky, another of Carlos and even Rain Ocampo, all under the control of Valentine. In a fierce battle with Valentine and soldiers ordered to kill Alice by The Red Queen, Alice manages to take away the scarab device from Valentine, who returns to normal. After the victory, Wesker injects Alice with the T-virus and returns her powers back, blatantly telling her that she is now responsible for saving the remaining population from extinction.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (Upcoming 2017)

Already being filmed as of September 2015, this will be the sixth and final piece in the Resident Evil film series. Anderson is all set to deliver his final masterpiece with his wife Milla Jovovich gracing the screens one more time. The movie was supposed to start shooting in August 2014 in South Africa but was delayed by Milla’s pregnancy.

Paul expressly stated that his direction with this film will be to bring things full circle and satisfy Resident Evil fans with the ending they so richly deserve. The plot picks up where the recent installment left off and fans can’t wait to catch up with Alice as she returns to Raccoon City where the Umbrella Corporation is waiting for her guns cocked. Make sure you catch the release on January 27, 2017.