Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) - Chernobyl Documentary Meets Zombie Apocalypse B-Movie - 7/10 (16/12/21)

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a reboot and prequel to the movie series based upon the Japanese video game franchise. This seventh instalment is closely inspired by the first two video games and should certainly please genre fans. For those unfamiliar with the video game and movie franchise, this new movie is however of a rather average quality and they should certainly discover the franchise chronologically.

The plot revolves around Claire Redfield who grew up in an orphanage in Raccoon City with her brother after her parents died in an accident. As a child, she met a strange woman who claimed to live below the city where scientists from the Umbrella Corporation that had founded the city were conducting secret experiments on human beings. When the young girl realized that she was going to be chosen for such odd procedures as well, she decided to escape and never come back. As an adult, she has decided to change her mind when she heard about a potential virus that might menace the entire population, including her estranged brother who has become a police officer. Claire Redfield takes a ride from a perverted truck driver to get back to town in order to save her suspicious brother. As soon as she arrives however, she doesn't only have to confront the demons of her past but must also fight for her survival through a deadly night that will change the lives of the resident of Raccoon City forever.

This movie convinces on quite a few levels. First of all, the movie is closer to the original video games than any predecessor which makes it a highlight for faithful fans. The movie has a perfect running time of one hour and forty-seven minutes without any lengths. The locations are well chosen and vary from desolate houses over an abandoned police station to a mysterious mansion on a hill in the middle of the forest. This film has a few efficient action scenes, such as the confrontations in the orphanage, the duels in the catacombs and the final train ride that ends the movie on a high note.

On the other side, the film also has its flaws. Even though it was advertised as a truly scary movie, the film might ooze with atmosphere but never ever really gets tense or even terrifying. The few jump scares are quite predictable. The special effects are also rather underwhelming and would rather fit into a vintage video game than on a big screen. Especially the monsters don't look impressive at all. The story itself is also by the numbers and mostly feels like a mixture of a documentary about Chernobyl and some zombie apocalypse b-movie.

At the end of the day, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City should please fans of the movie and video game franchise and is entertaining from start to finish. However, it's neither among the franchise's best nor its worst movies and might not bring in new fans. Anyone unfamiliar with the franchise should simply discover it in chronological order as the very first movie is still the best by a mile.