Resident Evil — as a franchise — has maintained a steady presence on the silver screen. Between March 15, 2007 and November 24, 2021, the person that brought us 1995’s Mortal Kombat film adaptation has maintained a a live-action film series only slightly related to its source material. I am, of course, referring to the movies directed and written by Paul W.S. Anderson and starring The Fifth Element star Milla Jojovich.
I believe I have set your expectations appropriately, so let’s dive into the order in which you should watch the live-action Resident Evil films. We’ll also include the 2021 reboot, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, because why not?
All live action Resident Evil movies in order
So, starting us off is the original Resident Evil movie, released on March 15, 2002 and starring Milla Jojovich and Michelle Rodriguez as Alice and Rain Ocampo, respectively.
Two years later, audiences returned to the franchise with Resident Evil: Apocalypse on September 10, 2004. This entry was written by Anderson, but the director was Alexander Witt, who had worked on titles such as 1994’s Speed and 1999’s Inspector Gadget.
Resident Evil: Extinction is next on the list, but the gap between Apocalypse and Extinction is the biggest yet, at three years. Resident Evil: Extinction hit theaters on September 21, 2007, and once again stars Jojovich. In fact, because she’s the star of all of these films (except the reboot, anyway) I don’t think I need to say it again. The director was changed again, this time to Russell Mulcahy, who was in charge of 1986’s Highlander. Anderson wrote this one as well.
It would be another three years before Resident Evil: Afterlife would drop on September 10, 2010. This film marked the last time the series would have a director swap, as Anderson decided he’d direct and write not only this film, but the next two films as well.
The penultimate film in the Anderson-verse, Resident Evil: Retribution, would grace theaters with its presence a short two years after Afterlife, on September 14, 2012. Interestingly enough, this film marked the return of Michelle Rodriguez as Rain Ocampo. I’ll let you decide if that makes sense.
And lastly, we have Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, which came out in the United States on January 27, 2017. This one was thought to be the last time we’d have a live-action Resident Evil film, and it would be… until Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City released on November 24, 2021. This one would be a reboot, and was directed and written by Johannes Roberts and starred Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield. According to director Johannes Roberts, Welcome to Raccoon City was intended to be a more loyal adaptation of the original Resident Evil.
As a side note, this this piece would feel incomplete if I didn’t mention the live-action Resident Evil series produced by Andrew Dabb for Netflix. It, too, was a reimagination of the original games and was wholly unconnected to the films by Anderson or Roberts, but it’s close enough to be counted.
