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Development took place in early 2017, after ''[[Resident Evil: The Final Chapter]]'' was released, with producer [[James Wan]] expressing interest in the project. Later, [[Constantin Film]] chairman [[Martin Moszkowicz]] said that a reboot of the film series was in development. In the same month, Wan was called to produce the reboot with a script by Greg Russo; subsequently, Roberts was hired as both writer and director and both Wan and Russo left the project. Filming began on October 17, 2020, in [[Greater Sudbury]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]. The film underwent reshoots in May 2021.
Development took place in early 2017, after ''[[Resident Evil: The Final Chapter]]'' was released, with producer [[James Wan]] expressing interest in the project. Later, [[Constantin Film]] chairman [[Martin Moszkowicz]] said that a reboot of the film series was in development. In the same month, Wan was called to produce the reboot with a script by Greg Russo; subsequently, Roberts was hired as both writer and director and both Wan and Russo left the project. Filming began on October 17, 2020, in [[Greater Sudbury]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]. The film underwent reshoots in May 2021.


''Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City'' had its world premiere at the [[Grand Rex]] in [[Paris]] on November 19, 2021 and was theatrically released on November 24, 2021, in the United States by [[Sony Pictures Releasing]]. The film received generally mixed-to-negative reviews from critics.
''Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City'' had its world premiere at the [[Grand Rex]] in [[Paris]] on November 19, 2021 and was theatrically released on November 24, 2021, in the United States by [[Sony Pictures Releasing]]. The film has grossed $3 million and received generally mixed-to-negative reviews from critics.


== Plot ==
== Plot ==

Revision as of 22:20, 26 November 2021

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohannes Roberts
Written byJohannes Roberts
Based onResident Evil
by Capcom
Starring
CinematographyMaxime Alexandre
Edited byDev Singh[1]
Music byMark Korven[2]
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • November 19, 2021 (2021-11-19) (Paris)
  • November 24, 2021 (2021-11-24) (United States)
  • November 25, 2021 (2021-11-25) (Germany)
  • December 3, 2021 (2021-12-03) (United Kingdom)
Running time
107 minutes[4]
Countries
  • United States
  • Germany
  • United Kingdom[3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[5]
Box office$3.5 million[6]

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a 2021 action horror film[7] written and directed by Johannes Roberts. Adapted from the stories of the first and second games by Capcom, it serves as a reboot of the Resident Evil film series and the seventh live-action film overall, which was loosely based on the video game series of the same name. The film stars Kaya Scodelario, Hannah John-Kamen, Robbie Amell, Tom Hopper, Avan Jogia, Donal Logue, and Neal McDonough. Set in 1998, it follows a group of survivors trying to survive during a zombie outbreak in the small town of Raccoon City.

Development took place in early 2017, after Resident Evil: The Final Chapter was released, with producer James Wan expressing interest in the project. Later, Constantin Film chairman Martin Moszkowicz said that a reboot of the film series was in development. In the same month, Wan was called to produce the reboot with a script by Greg Russo; subsequently, Roberts was hired as both writer and director and both Wan and Russo left the project. Filming began on October 17, 2020, in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The film underwent reshoots in May 2021.

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City had its world premiere at the Grand Rex in Paris on November 19, 2021 and was theatrically released on November 24, 2021, in the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film has grossed $3 million and received generally mixed-to-negative reviews from critics.

Plot

Claire Redfield and her brother Chris are children living at the Raccoon City Orphanage. Claire meets and befriends Lisa Trevor, a disfigured girl who has been experimented on. Dr. William Birkin, an employee for the Umbrella Corporation, oversees the orphanage and takes children for his own experimental research. Claire escapes from Birkin when she is selected to participate in an experiment.

In 1998, Claire returns to Raccoon City, hitchhiking in a semi-truck. While distracted, the truck driver hits a woman who is walking in the road. When Claire and the driver investigate, the woman disappears, leaving only a pool of blood behind. The truck driver's Dobermann licks the blood, and, over time, begins to foam at the mouth; becoming erratic. Meanwhile, Leon S. Kennedy, a rookie police officer, notices that the diner's owner has blood coming from her eyes when a deformed crow crashes into the window.

Claire heads to Chris's home to warn him about Umbrella's experiments, revealing Ben Bertolucci as her source of information. After Chris leaves for the police station, Claire steals his motorbike. Before leaving, a child breaks into the house, running from his mother; both have severe hair loss, are erratic, and bloody.

At the police station, the STARS Alpha team meet with Chief Brian Irons to discuss the recent events. Irons explains he doesn't know what is going on, but that Bravo team is missing while investigating a death at the remote Spencer Mansion. Alpha team, composed of Chris, Jill Valentine, Richard Aiken, Brad Vickers, and Albert Wesker is sent to the mansion to investigate. Traveling by helicopter, the Alpha team finds Bravo team's police vehicle and follow tracks to the mansion.

Inside, the team splits up with Wesker and Jill going upstairs. Unknown to his teammates, Wesker is an operative for an unidentified party, tasked with stealing Birkin's virus, using inside knowledge to navigate the mansion. Jill then sees the helicopter crashing into the mansion, after the pilot Brad gets bitten by a zombie. Wesker saves Jill from another zombie before leaving the team. Meanwhile, Chris and Richard encounter zombies eating the bodies of the Bravo team. Richard is eaten while Chris battles the horde, with Jill helping at the end. The pair flee the zombies, following Wesker into a secret passage he unlocked.

Back at the police station, the truck driver, now bitten by his dog, transforms into a zombie and crashes his truck into the entrance of the station. Chief Irons shoots the aflame zombie, awakening a sleeping Leon, then announces he is leaving, putting Leon in charge. Irons travels out of the city, but is stopped by Umbrella guards who shoot civilians attempting to escape the city. Returning to the station, Irons is attacked by a zombie dog but Claire rescues him. Claire and Leon retrieve weapons and supplies from the armory and encounter Ben.

Hysterical, Ben steals Leon's gun, but a zombie inmate bites him before he is able to escape his cell. Leon, Claire, and Irons then abandon the police station and travel to the Orphanage, looking for a secret Umbrella tunnel in the building. A licker kills Irons and attacks Leon, but he is saved by Lisa who recognizes Claire and gives them the keys to the secret passage.

Wesker, traveling through the passage, encounters Dr. Birkin. Birkin reaches for his gun shooting Wesker in the chest before Wesker shoots back, nearly killing him. Birkin's wife Annette then grabs the gun, but Wesker shoots her and kills her. When Wesker hesitates to pull the trigger on Sherry, Jill shoots him. Chris rushes to Sherry and finds that William has injected himself with the "G-Virus", who begins mutating. Chris, Sherry, and Jill run from Birkin, reunite with Claire and Leon and escape to an underground train. The train is stopped when Raccoon City is destroyed, allowing a fully mutated Birkin to attack the train. Leon saves Claire by shooting him with a rocket launcher, killing him.

In a mid-credits scene, Wesker awakens in a body bag, unable to see anything. A figure then hands him sunglasses and reveals herself as Ada Wong.

Cast

Production

Development

Pre-production took place in early 2017 while Resident Evil: The Final Chapter was still in theatres, with Constantin Film chairman Martin Moszkowicz saying that a reboot of the series was in development, and producer James Wan expressing interest in the project.[12][13] In December 2018, it was announced that Johannes Roberts was attached to write and direct the film.[14] However, Wan later confirmed that same month that he was no longer involved in the project and said that news of his involvement was premature, and instead produced Mortal Kombat (2021).[15]

During an interview with IGN in March 2021, Roberts said he wanted to give the film a darker tone:

"The big thing for me in this film is the tone. What I loved about the games was that they were just scary, and that's a lot of what I wanted, that atmosphere. It's raining constantly, it's dark, it's scary, Raccoon City is a rotten character," he said. “I wanted to put [it] and mix it with the fun side, especially with the narrative style of the first game. We had a lot of fun, we even used the fixed angles that the first game has when the characters are at Spencer Mansion."[16]

Inspired by John Carpenter's films, including Halloween, Assault on Precinct 13, and The Fog, the filmmaker explained that the origin story is a piece divided between two main locations: Spencer Mansion (the setting for the first game) and the Raccoon Police Department, which first appeared in Resident Evil 2:

"[The remake of the second game] was a wonderful cinematic experience with the tone, the constant darkness, the rain, the look of the game and I just took that and said yes, this is the world I want to work in," Roberts said. "We chose the tone for the remake of the second game and made it our model for this film."[16]

Although director Paul W. S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich released six successful films based on the games between 2002 and 2017, Roberts emphasized that his version has nothing to do with the series that preceded it, although he says he enjoyed Anderson's first film:

"It's a totally separate story that is based on the roots of the game and the world of terror," he said. "I fell in love with Milla Jovovich, that first film is a lot of fun… but it was a real pleasure to get the reins of a new franchise. I had never seen the horror and atmosphere of the games [in the movies], what I felt when I was playing those games or watching from behind the shoulders of people playing games. I never felt it on the screen, and this is something I wanted to tell you about."[16]

Writing

Greg Russo was attached as writer in 2017. Russo, who was also attached to write the script for Mortal Kombat (2021) at the time, drew inspiration from the 2017 video game Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, though he would later clarify he only drew on the tones of the game – "scary, isolated, alone" – rather than the story itself.[17] Russo wanted Moonlight Sonata, a composition featured in several Resident Evil games, to feature in the opening credits.[18] In a November 2018 interview with DiscussingFilm, Russo confirmed he was no longer involved with the project.[19] In August 2019, Roberts told Screen Rant that the reboot would be "super, super scary" and more faithful to the games than the previous films.[20]

In a statement to Deadline Hollywood, Roberts said the film will be based on Resident Evil (1996) and Resident Evil 2 (1998), along with:

I really wanted to go back to the original first two games and re-create the terrifying visceral experience I had when I first played them whilst at the same time telling a grounded human story about a small dying American town that feels both relatable and relevant to today’s audiences.[21]

In the same article, Resident Evil producer Robert Kulzer states:

After a dozen games, six live-action movies and hundreds of pages of fan fiction, we felt compelled to return to the year 1998, to explore the secrets hidden in the walls of the Spencer Mansion and Raccoon City.[21]

Casting

In early 2020, casting was underway but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a February 2020 interview with Starburst Magazine, Roberts confirmed that casting details were set to be announced in March.[22] In April 2020, Full Circle Cinema reported that the studio was eyeing Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, and Harris Dickinson for the roles of the Redfield siblings Chris and Claire and Leon S. Kennedy.[23]

On October 6, 2020, Deadline Hollywood reported that Scodelario and Hannah John-Kamen had been cast as Claire and Jill Valentine, alongside Robbie Amell, Tom Hopper, Avan Jogia, and Neal McDonough as Chris Redfield, Albert Wesker, Leon S. Kennedy, and William Birkin, respectively. The reboot was described as serving as an origin story set in 1998.[21] That November, Donal Logue was cast as Chief Brian Irons,[8] alongside Chad Rook as Richard Aiken,[10] and Lily Gao as Ada Wong.[9]

Filming

Principal photography began in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada on October 17, 2020,[24][25][26] with Maxime Alexandre serving as cinematographer.[27] Filming was completed on December 24, 2020.[28] In March 2021, Roberts revealed the full title as Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.[16][29] In May 2021, Amell revealed that the film was undergoing reshoots in Toronto.[30]

Music

The film score was composed by Mark Korven. Milan Records and Sony Classical has released the soundtrack.

Release

Marketing

The first official images of the film was released on August 31, 2021,[31] and was met with a mixed response.[32]

On October 7, 2021, the first trailer for the film was released.[33] The trailer was met with mixed reaction from fans, who praised its faithfulness to the first two games, but criticized its casting and special effects.[34] Prior to the film's release, the characters were criticized by Metro based on the film's trailer, who called them "bad cosplay" and further said that their acting was "too authentic to the games".[35]

Theatrical

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City had its world premiere at the Grand Rex in Paris, France on November 19, 2021, but was theatrically released on November 24, 2021 by Sony Pictures Releasing in the United States.[36][37] It was delayed from its original release dates of September 3 and 9, 2021.[38][39]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City was released alongside House of Gucci and Encanto, and is projected to gross $8–10 million from 2,803 theaters over its five-day opening weekend.[5] The film opened nationwide on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, and made $2.5 million on its first day—including $935,000 million from Tuesday night previews—from a total of 225,000 theater admissions. On its second day, the film made $1 million, placing fifth.[40]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 26% of 35 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is an affectionately faithful adaptation that further proves its source material is ill-suited to the big screen."[41][42] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 44 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[43] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.[40]

In a positive review, Johnny Oleksinski from New York Post gave 3 out of 4 stars and wrote, "The film is empty-headed good fun that’s blessedly under two hours and has just enough character development to make you kind of care when someone gets bitten." Ferdosa Abdi from ScreenRant also gave a positive review, writing: "Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City is a fun and faithful adaptation of the games it is based on, but is lacking in character substance." Sean Kane from CNet also praised the film and wrote: "Despite the lack of scares, minor tweaks to the games' lore and overall silliness, director Johannes Roberts' love for Resident Evil is clear in every moment of Welcome to Raccoon City. With a barrage of Easter eggs and fascinating takes on classic characters, the film's a gleeful trip back to the Spencer Mansion and Raccoon Police Department aimed squarely at fans."

Taylor Lyles of IGN gave the film a 6/10 score, explaining, "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is certainly not the worst video game adaptation or even the worst Resident Evil movie, but both those bars are pretty low. Director Mr. Roberts does deserve some credit for sticking much more closely to the source material than the Paul W. S. Anderson films, but a short runtime, a rushed third act, and lack of elements to make it truly scary to watch in the dark hold it back immensely. Nevertheless, it should serve as decent fun for fans of the Resident Evil games, if only to find all the Easter eggs and references scattered throughout."[44]

In a mixed review, Mark Hanson from SLANT, gave two out of four stars and wrote "Johannes Roberts’s prequel ultimately remains buried by its indifference to unchecked corporate power." Charles Bramesco from The AV Club gave a C+ and wrote, "Alas, there’s no covert greatness to the just-plain-underwhelming Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City, a reboot totally bereft of the visual distinction or creative personality that often made its predecessors intriguing diamonds in the rough." Scott Campbell from We Got This Covered gave 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Add on another star, or perhaps even two, if you're a fan of the games, but Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City will struggle to win over those who aren't familiar with the franchise."

In a negative review, Nick Schager from Variety wrote, "In any decade, the film’s bevy of unexplained details, dropped subplots, paper-thin characterizations and fright-free mayhem would disappoint." Kimberly Myers from The New York Times also gave a negative review, writing: "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” may reward longtime fans of the video games by returning to the series’ origins, but others will find themselves wanting to leave town, much like the movie’s characters."

References

  1. ^ Singh, Dev. "Dev Singh Biography". Directors Guild of Canada. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  2. ^ "Mark Korven Scoring Johannes Roberts' 'Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City". Filmportal.de. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  4. ^ "RESIDENT EVIL : BIENVENUE À RACCOON CITY" (in French). Metropolitan Filmexport. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  5. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy (November 23, 2021). "'Encanto' To Make The Whole World Sing With $70M+ Global Opening – Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  6. ^ "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  7. ^ "Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City". British Board of Film Classification. RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACOON CITY is a US action horror film in which a group of survivors race against time to escape a city during a zombie outbreak.
  8. ^ a b N'Duka, Amanda (November 2, 2020). "'Gotham' Alum Donal Logue Joins 'Resident Evil' Origin Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Tuna, Thomas (December 14, 2020). "'Resident Evil' Reboot Gets Tentative Release Date". Horror News Network. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Wilson, Mike (December 14, 2020). "'Resident Evil' Film Reboot Tentatively Set For Release in September 2021". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  11. ^ Keegan, October (November 7, 2020). "'Resident Evil Reboot's Lisa Trevor Performer Shows Off Stunt Training". Rely on Horror. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  12. ^ Hopewell, John (May 21, 2017). "'Resident Evil' Franchise Set for a Reboot (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  13. ^ Busch, Anita (May 22, 2017). "'Resident Evil' Franchise Reboot: James Wan On Board To Produce From Greg Russo Script". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  14. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 17, 2018). "'Resident Evil' Reboot Finds Writer, Director in '47 Meters Down' Filmmaker (Exclusive)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  15. ^ Topel, Fred (December 17, 2018). "James Wan No Longer Producing 'Resident Evil' [Exclusive]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  16. ^ a b c d Kim, Matt T.M. (March 21, 2021). "New 'Resident Evil' Film Title Officially Revealed". IGN. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  17. ^ Russo: The film will feel "scary, isolated, alone"
  18. ^ Russo: Moonlight Sonata
  19. ^ Fisher, Jacob (November 19, 2018). "Greg Russo Talks 'Resident Evil' Reboot (Exclusive Interview Part Two)". DiscussingFilm. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  20. ^ Marshall, Andrew (August 17, 2019). "New 'Resident Evil' Movie In Development". Screen Rant. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  21. ^ a b c N'Duka, Amanda; D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 6, 2020). "'Resident Evil' Reboot: Kaya Scodelario, Robbie Amell, Hannah John-Kamen, Neal McDonough & More To Star In Origin Story Adaptation". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  22. ^ Pollard, Andrew (February 4, 2020). "Johannes Roberts: '47 Meters Down: Uncaged'". Starburst Magazine. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  23. ^ Campbell, Jacob (April 2, 2020). "'Resident Evil' Reboot Eyeing Brenton Thwaites & Kaya Scodelario". Full Circle Cinema. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  24. ^ Moodie, Jim (October 17, 2020). "Sudbury photo: 'Resident Evil' shooting on Mountain Street". The Sudbury Star. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  25. ^ MacDonald, Darren (September 25, 2020). "Film industry returns as 'Resident Evil' reboot set to begin filing in Sudbury". Northern News. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2020. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; October 27, 2020 suggested (help)
  26. ^ Moodie, Jim (October 17, 2020). "Sudbury photo: 'Resident Evil' shooting on Mountain Street". Regina Leader-Post. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2020. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; October 24, 2020 suggested (help)
  27. ^ "Maxime Alexandre - Instagram". Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  28. ^ Fuge, Jon (December 28, 2020). "'Resident Evil Reboot' Original Video Game Zombie Revealed as Filming Wraps". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  29. ^ Shafer, Ellise (March 21, 2021). "'Resident Evil' Director Johannes Roberts Reveals Title and Details of Upcoming Film". Variety. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  30. ^ Moore, Logan (May 23, 2021). "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City Currently Undergoing Reshoots". Comicbook.com. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  31. ^ Sheridan, Connor (August 31, 2021). "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City images offer first look at Leon, Claire, and more". GamesRadar+. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  32. ^ Abbott, Harrison (August 31, 2021). "'Resident Evil' Fans Divided Over New 'Welcome to Raccoon City' Casting". Newsweek. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  33. ^ "'RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY - Official Trailer (HD)'". YouTube. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  34. ^ "'Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City's Trailer Gives Off B-Movie Vibes, And That's A Good Thing'". Screen Rant. October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  35. ^ "New Resident Evil movie looks just like the games - including the bad acting". Metro. October 8, 2021.
  36. ^ Squires, John (November 22, 2021). "New Movie 'Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City' Releases TONIGHT in Select Locations!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  37. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (March 31, 2021). "Sony Delays 'Resident Evil' Release Date". Variety. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  38. ^ "'Resident Evil Reboot'". Constantin Film. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  39. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 4, 2021). "'Resident Evil' Reboot Sets Ends Of Summer Theatrical Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  40. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 26, 2021). "'Encanto' Eyes $46M+ 5-Day, 'House Of Gucci' $23M; 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' Has Solid Hold On Thanksgiving". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  41. ^ "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 26, 2021. Edit this at Wikidata
  42. ^ "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  43. ^ "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  44. ^ Taylor Lyles (November 23, 2021). "Resident Evil Reboot Review". IGN. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
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