Film Review

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)

Set in 1998, this origin story explores the secrets of the mysterious Spencer Mansion and the ill-fated Raccoon City.

Not many video games have had such a profound impact on the industry as Resident Evil / Biohazard. The first entry in the series created by Shinji Mikami and Tokyo Fujiwara revitalised the ‘survival horror’ genre in the 1990s. Its use of static cameras, haunting atmosphere, and complicated puzzles created an unprecedented level of immersion and fear. Players would battle against zombies, infected canines, and mutated creatures as they attempted to uncover the malevolent operations of evil pharmaceutical company the Umbrella Corporation. Owing much of its inspiration to George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968), propelled the genre into the mainstream consciousness. By the turn of the millennium, Resident Evil had become Capcom’s most successful title, selling approximately 11 million copies worldwide. A quarter of a century later, the franchise continues to mutate and spread, having spawned 28 video games, comic-books, novels, and animated series.