Every Resident Evil Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

From Paul W.S. Anderson's original to the new reboot.

Resident Evil Milla Jovovich
Sony

There are few video game franchises more iconic or recognisable to even non-gamers than Resident Evil, so it's little surprise that Hollywood has cranked out seven live-action movies based on the survival horror series over the last 20 years.

The first six were the brainchild of divisive schlock purveyor Paul W.S. Anderson, and though not a single one struck a chord with critics, they were nevertheless reliable box office successes, grossing more than $1.2 billion worldwide against a combined production budget of $288 million.

With Anderson's franchise concluding in 2017, it was just a matter of time before it got the reboot treatment, and that it certainly did with the recently released Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.

And so, what better time to revisit the entire franchise of movies and separate the wheat from the chaff?

Again, these films have never been critical darlings, but fan response has been far more varied, and if you're into the video games, there are certainly some pleasures to be had throughout.

They're an undeniably hit-and-miss enterprise for sure, so let's dig in and see how all seven films stack up today...

7. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Resident Evil Milla Jovovich
Sony Pictures Releasing

Long-suffering fans hoping for anything resembling a fitting send-off for Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil movies were surely left bitterly disappointed by 2017's execrable finale, The Final Chapter.

A lazy, cynical attempt to cash in on the success of Mad Max: Fury Road, The Final Chapter scales back the silliness of the last few movies but finds almost nothing interesting to replace it with.

The action sequences are edited into headache-inducing oblivion, and Anderson has the gall to end the film with a plot twist regarding the true nature of protagonist Alice (Milla Jovovich) that basically undermines the entirety of the series.

Jovovich is clearly still having fun in the role and Iain Glen devours the scenery as villain Dr. Isaacs, but by this point the franchise's own mythology has been so aggressively contorted and contradicted that it's practically impossible to care about anything that's happening.

The Final Chapter is less a satisfying conclusion to the series than a craven attempt to milk the cash cow one last time, and considering it became the highest-grossing film in the franchise, that plan absolutely worked in spite of its abject awfulness.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.