This prologue is revisited occasionally throughout the remainder of Roberts’ tale, and its purpose is to introduce evil scientist William Birkin ( Neal McDonough), establish a future deux ex machina, and hint at a traumatic Claire ordeal that’s never properly resolved. Throw in chintzy CGI effects, and the theatrical prognosis for this undead saga appears dire.Ĭombining characters and premises from the Capcom series’ first two titles, “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” opens with a flashback to the youthful experiences of siblings Claire and Chris Redfield at an orphanage run by the Umbrella Corporation, a nefarious Big Pharma conglomerate that dominates midwestern hamlet Raccoon City. That tack proves to be a complete misfire, as writer-director Johannes Roberts supplies plenty of fan service but scarce coherent plotting and even fewer scares. Anderson), Capcom’s zombie video games get new big-screen life with “ Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City,” a reboot that does away with its signature leading lady and aims for a more faithful adaptation of its interactive source material.
Thus, following six feature films headlined by Milla Jovovich (and often spearheaded by director Paul W.S. Popular genre franchises never truly die they’re always primed to rise from the grave in mutated modernized forms.