Get ready for something even wackier than Paul W.S. Anderson
Did you come across a preview for the upcomingResident Evil: Death Islandthat got you all hyped? Well, we have great news, then. It turns out Capcom has already made many otherResident Evilanimated movies in the past…
…And most of them are so beyond bonkers that even fans of the games wouldn’t believe it.
Biohazard 4D-Executer (2000)
The first attempt at aResident Evilanimated project isBiohazard4D-Executer,a name only an exec completely drunk on that sweet ’00s juice would pick. you may tell Capcom doesn’t care much for it because you can find it on many Youtube channels in its entirety. The CGI 20-minute short feels more like an experiment than a full-blown attempt. It doesn’t really prime for its animation and you could say it barely rivals the cutscenes fromResident Evil 3.It did, however, mark the beginning of a weird era.
Strong points:Historically important. This is the patient zero ofResident Evilmovies. This is the one we have to go back in time to prevent from happening if we don’t want to see Milla Jovovich running on walls to roundhouse-kick zombie dogs. Also, it’s a relatively original tale in the world ofResident Evilthat won’t bother anyone for too long.
Biohazard 4: Incubate (2006)
Incubatestill isn’t Capcom’s firstResident Evilanimated feature film, but it’s yet another interesting experiment. Following up on the massive success ofResident Evil 4, Capcom released this straight-to-DVD compilation ofRE4cutscenes featuring added explainers of what happened in that village prior to the arrival of Leon S. Kennedy.
Strong points:The animation rivals that of its contemporaryREgame, but only because it’s straight-up a bunch ofRE4cutscenes.
Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
The 2008 releaseResident Evil: Degenerationmarks the start of Capcom’s attempt at taking over the crowded CGI Zombie movie market. It takes place betweenRE4 and RE5and, though fans might not recognize it as canon, it’s the one that explains where Tricell (Resident Evil 5’sNu-Umbrella) came from.
Strong points:Degenerationrepresents the best and worst when it comes to animatedResident Evil. On the one hand, it’s the most sober approach to the genre. On the other, it doesn’t feature amazing animation and, more importantly, it’s not silly enough. More on that later.
Resident Evil: Damnation (2012)
What lies at the core of the success of theResident Evilgames? We’d bet on the surprisingly cerebral gameplay that lies hiding beneath a supremely dense layer of camp. This probably won’t come as a surprise, but the movies don’t feature any sort of gameplay. Capcom seemingly decided to make up for that by tripling the amount of camp.
Damnationcame out in 2012 and bridges the events betweenRE 5andRE 6. It’s a step up fromDamnationbecause it features much better animation and also because this is when things begin to get ridiculous.
Forget the days of survival horror. The Marvel Cinematic Universe ruled the world in 2012, so it’s high time that you saw a Chris Redfield stand in leading an army of Lickers against the Tyrant in broad daylight. No, really:
Strong points: They tried something new.
Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017)
You could base an entire mental health check solely on someone’s response to 2017’sResident Evil: Vendetta. Loathe it and you’re healthy, Love it and you’re awesome.*
This one takes place betweenRE6andRE7, but instead of creating the expected bridge to the seventh installment, it takes a detour to Rabid Racoon City. Remember all those times whenResident Evil 6wasjust too much? Well,Vendettafeels likeResident Evil 6 2.
WhereasDamnationtried to emulate the MCU,Vendettaneeded desperately to beJohn Wickon steroids — down to the number of dogs killed in the process.
People who complained that the series veered too much into action territory afterResident Evil4shouldn’t watch this one for their own sake. Each set piece is bigger and dumber than the previous one.
Strong points:An experience so bafflingly special you’ll think no one will believe you if you attempt to put it into words. That’s why we mostly used videos.
Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (2021)
Infinite Darknesscame out between7 andVillagebut nobody cares because this continues Leon’s story.
Netflix’s 2021RE: Infinite Darknessis the complete antithesis to4-D Executer, Capcom’s first animatedREthing. It features top-notch rendering and animation but holy crap, does it overstay its welcome. Whereas viewers can just suffer through the entirety of4-D Executerin 20 minutes,Infinite Darknessis a four-part tv series.
Dividing what should be a 90-minute film into four parts feels reductive. Also, even at its best,Infinite Darknessnever even comes close to the entertainment value ofVendetta. Yes, it does provide a much more sober experience thanVendetta, but we no longer want to turn that train around.
Strong Points:Looks good and provides one more Netflix show to talk crap about.
*Don’t use theResident Evilseries as a way to check up on someone’s mental health.
