The crude, gritty, and indie Resident Evil films have kept the audience immersed in a kinetic onslaught of flesh, and flesh-eating Zombies since 2002.
While many critics lashed out at the movies for being ultra-gory and ignorant of the elemental stories of the Resident Evil games, the fact that it is the most successful franchise based on a video game is undeniable.
You might already be a Resident Evil video game geek, willing to check out the movies and judge them on their faithfulness to the horror survival game. But I should warn you to keep your expectations in check.
Since the first Resident Evil game hit the game consoles in 1996, it has been one hell of a scary ride with the release of multiple game adjacent movies and series. And sometimes, it gets tricky to keep track of all the additions there have been to date.
But, this article will help you do just that, and you will be able to choose a viewing order which will suit you best to watch all the Resident Evil canon motion pictures & shows.
Release Order
The $1.2 billion grossing franchise began modestly enough with the first movie that was released almost two decades ago.
1. Movies
- Resident Evil: 2002
- Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
- Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
- Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
- Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
- Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
- Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) (upcoming)
2. Animated Movies
- Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
- Resident Evil: Damnation (2012)
- Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017)
3. TV Series
- Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (2021)
- Resident Evil (announced)
Many newcomers often begin to get confused at this point, wondering if all the installments stated above fall in the same continuity or not.
Is there an exhaustive chronological order that combines all the theatrical and animated movies and series? Read below to find out:
Chronological Order
The live-action movies are largely standalone and not coherent with the video game franchise. The closest any movie got to the game was in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, where it took inspiration from Resident Evil 3 and featured its villain Nemesis. So, all of the six entries need to be watched in the release order only.
As for the animated ones and the sole show Infinite Darkness, watch the Netflix series first. It is set sometime between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5 games.
Next, proceed with the animated movies Degeneration, Damnation, and Vendetta. While all the live-action movies were loosely tied with the narrative of video games, animated movies are often regarded as firmly canon. All three movies take place during the period between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 7 games. They form their own little trilogy.
- Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (2021)
- Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
- Resident Evil: Damnation (2012)
- Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017)
Where To Watch
How Much Time Will It Take To Watch
Including the six theatrical releases, three animated movies, and the recent tv series, it will take you around 16 hours & 25 mins to binge-watch the entire Resident Evil franchise.
Here’s a quick breakdown each installment wise:
- Movies – 9 hours 47 mins
- Animated Movies – 4 hours 48 mins
- TV Series – 1 hour 45 mins
Note: These are approximate values of the runtimes.
About Resident Evil
Resident Evil, also known as Biohazard, is a Japanese horror video game series and media franchise created by Capcom. The franchise follows stories about biological weapons and viral incidents. The game series consists of survival horror, third-person shooter, and first-person shooter games.
The franchise has expanded into a live-action film series, animated films, television, comic books, novels, audio dramas, and other media and merchandise.
The first six films follow Alice (Milla Jovovich), a character created for the films. Alice is a former security specialist and covert operative who battles the Umbrella Corporation, whose bioweapons have triggered a zombie apocalypse. Characters from the games appear, including Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, Ada Wong, Carlos Olivera, Chris Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy, Barry Burton and antagonists Albert Wesker, the head of Umbrella Corporation, and James Marcus, Umbrella’s top virologist.
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