Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Friday, August 12
    Trending
    • This Day in History on August 12th
    • History Short: Machine Guns Beat Cavalry Every Time!
    • History Short: Aethelred was Unready for the Vikings!
    • History Short: Why is this Guy NOT in the Hall of Fame?
    • History Short: The Only Country Given Independence Unwillingly!
    • History Short: What is the Greatest Anti-War Song?
    • History Short: Does Barry Bonds Belong in the Hall of Fame?
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through August 7th)
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Arts & Entertainment»Cinema & TV»Resident Evil Reboot, Movie Review
    Cinema & TV

    Resident Evil Reboot, Movie Review

    Major DanBy Major DanDecember 7, 2021Updated:December 7, 2021No Comments5 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Resident Evil

    A Brief History

    On December 7, 2021, we once again delve into the entertainment world with a review of a recently released major motion picture, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, released in the United States on November 24, 2021.  After having seen all 6 of the previous Resident Evil movies, and Dr. Zar having played the video game for many years, going to the theater to get the big screen impression of this reboot was mandatory.

    Digging Deeper

    This time, no more Milla Jovovich as the main character Alicia “Alice” Marcus, a character that does not appear in the games.  This time the movie characters are only those from the games, but this time casting was the point of contention for many Resident Evil fans.  Although we did enjoy the movie, we have to agree that the casting was a little weak.  The main character, again a female lead, Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield, was pretty and athletic much as Milla Jovovich in the other films but lacked a certain amount of gravitas.  She seemed moderately disinterested at times and not fully invested in the horrific events that were unfolding.  Her fault or the director’s fault?  We do not know, but somehow it was a failing.  The other major what the heck casting move was Avan Jogia as Leon S. Kennedy, who played a borderline moronic police officer seemingly inserted for comic relief.  (Note: This film should not have comic relief.) We have seen other critiques that criticized Tom Hopper as Albert Wesker, but in fact we think he was a good choice for the role and played it well, though somewhat understated.

    Director Johannes Roberts has a resume that includes horror/thriller films, so his input shows in his capable, although not spectacular, directing of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.

    Not particularly well received, the film has just about recovered its $25 million price tag at the worldwide box office but seems on pace to fall far short of the financial success of the other films in the franchise.  (The initial film, Resident Evil, 2002, more than tripled its cost in its box office receipts.  The 4th and 6th films of the franchise raked in $300 million apiece at the box office, setting a rather high bar for this reboot.)   It must be noted that critical acclaim for a patently ridiculous science fiction horror video game based movie is irrelevant, and only that audience approval and money rolling in matters.  In this case, the audience polling service, CinemaScore, reports that movie goers gave the film a disappointing grade of C+ (on the F to A+ scale).

    Still, in spite of lukewarm audience response and decidedly mediocre critical reception, we liked the movie okay, although we do not rate it among the top in the franchise.  The 107 minute running time seemed about right, although the film had a little bit of a slow stretch in the beginning, presumably to develop characters.  Special effects were merely ok, not noticeably bad, but not exactly blowing us away, either.  Otherwise, cinematography was fine and there were the requisite monsters to terrorize the humans investigating the disaster.

    With Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (and for that matter, any of the Resident Evil films) we are not expecting War and Peace or The 10 Commandments.  What we are expecting is some eye candy and monsters vs. humans with at least a reasonable degree of tension developed in the audience caring about whether or not the characters survive the ordeal.  Some eye candy is always good, too, though in this particular film perhaps more would be better.  In these respects,  Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City succeeds well enough that we are glad we went to the movies to watch this latest installment in a film series we have invested considerable time and attention in.  Perhaps not a classic, but certainly worth your while for horror movie fans and especially fans of the Resident Evil franchise.  Just do not take it so seriously.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Which film in the Resident Evil franchise is your favorite?  Why? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Aniel, Alex. Itchy, Tasty: An Unofficial History of Resident Evil. Unbound, 2021.

    Farghaly, Nadine(Editor). Unraveling Resident Evil: Essays on the Complex Universe of the Games and Films. McFarland, 2014.

    The featured image in this article, a scaled-down, low-resolution image of poster for Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, is used in article that provides critical commentary on the film in question on a website hosted on servers in the United States per fair use under the copyright law of the United States.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleHeroes and Villains of November 2021
    Next Article December 16, 2021: Your Chance to Preview The Tender Bar
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    August 10, 2022: Your Chance to Preview Thirteen Lives

    August 4, 2022

    History Short: What Thing of the Past Do You Miss the Most?

    July 31, 2022

    July 27, 2022: Your Chance to Preview Vengeance

    July 19, 2022
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on August 12th

    August 12, 2022

    History Short: Machine Guns Beat Cavalry Every Time!

    August 12, 2022

    History Short: Aethelred was Unready for the Vikings!

    August 11, 2022

    History Short: Why is this Guy NOT in the Hall of Fame?

    August 10, 2022

    History Short: The Only Country Given Independence Unwillingly!

    August 9, 2022
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.