How could I not be excited to watch Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City? It is a classic series, and surely the writers and directors know what we want as this point right?
Sadly, that logic doesn’t appear to hold water. There is a long, slow build up that takes over 40 minutes for us to get to the good stuff. The reality is that this movie could have started at the 40 minute mark and it would have been better.
So how does it hold up after we’ve invested 40 minutes into it? It does after all have an all star cast. We have Hannah John-Kamen from Killjoys/Game of Thrones and Tom Hopper from The Umbrella Academy. That should give this movie a leg up.
Once the action really gets started it does a good job. It just makes me wonder if the writers and directors really understand what we love about the series though. Why did they waste the first half of the movie with plot and character backstory. None of that is needed. We all know how things work in Raccoon City.
The movie has two major plots. We see a small tactical team get torn to bits at Spencer Mansion while back in the city what is left of the police department is holed up in the precinct. Eventually the storylines meet up, reuniting brother and sister as they attempt to escape Raccoon City.
Welcome to Raccoon City Scoring
So how well did they pull off the second half of the movie?
It could have been better. I ‘m giving Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City a 43/100 putting it on the weaker end of the Rainy Day Movie Scale.
Why? The first half of the movie felt like filler, and the writers and directors seemed to have forgotten what makes a good Zombie Movie – mainly lots and lots of Zombies. Is that so hard to remember?
| Review | Year | Score | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zombieland | 2010 | 100 | Comedy / Action |
| Train To Busan | 2016 | 100 | Action / Infection |
| 28 Days Later | 2002 | 100 | Action / Infection |
| World War Z | 2013 | 100 | Action / Infection |
| Night Of The Living Dead | 1968 | 100 | Action / Horror / Classics |
| Dawn Of The Dead | 1978 | 100 | Action / Horror / Classics |
| #Alive | 2020 | 100 | Action / Infection |
| Serenity | 2005 | 99 | Action / Sci-Fi |
| Flesh And Blood | 2018 | 99 | Shorts |
| The Girl With All The Gifts | 2016 | 95 | Action / Infection |
| Land Of The Dead | 2005 | 94 | Action / Horror |
| Resident Evil: Apocalypse | 2004 | 93 | Action / Infection |
| Resident Evil | 2002 | 92 | Action / Infection |
| Rampant | 2018 | 91 | Action / Infection / Mid Evil |
| Day of the Dead | 2008 | 90 | Action / Infection |
| Cooties | 2014 | 89 | Comedy / Action |
| Night of the Comet | 1984 | 85 | Comedy / Action |
| The Return of the Living Dead | 1985 | 85 | Comedy / Action |
| Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula | 2020 | 84 | Action / Infection |
| Zombieland: Double Tap | 2019 | 83 | Comedy / Action |
| Fido | 2006 | 82 | Comedy / Action |
| Shaun Of The Dead | 2004 | 81 | Comedy / Action |
| 28 Weeks Later | 2007 | 80 | Action / Infection |
| I Am Legend (2007) | 2007 | 80 | Action / Infection |
| The Evil Dead | 1981 | 80 | Classic / Action |
| Zombie | 1979 | 80 | Action / Horror |
| Overlord | 2018 | 79 | Action / Horror |
| It Stains The Sands Red | 2016 | 79 | Action / Infection |
| Infection | 2019 | 79 | Action / Infection |
| Plan Z | 2016 | 78 | Action / Infection |
| A Little Bit Zombie | 2012 | 78 | Comedy / Action |
| Dead Rising: Endgame | 2016 | 77 | Action / Infection |
| Day of the Dead | 1985 | 77 | Action / Horror / Classics |
| Wyrmwood: Apocalypse | 2021 | 77 | Action / Infection |
| The Dead | 2010 | 76 | Action / Infection |
| Freaks of Nature | 2015 | 76 | Comedy / Action |
| Here Alone | 2016 | 75 | Suspense / Infection |
| Cockneys Vs. Zombies | 2012 | 75 | Comedy / Action |
| Shed of the Dead | 2019 | 74 | Comedy / Action |
| The Battery | 2012 | 74 | Drama / Infection |
| State of Emergency | 2011 | 73 | Action / Infection |
| Survival Of The Dead | 2009 | 73 | Action / Horror |
| Alone | 2020 | 73 | Action / Infection |
| The Rezort | 2015 | 72 | Action / Infection |
| Dance of the Dead | 2008 | 72 | Comedy / Action |
| Dawning of the Dead | 2017 | 72 | Action / Infection |
| Remains | 2011 | 72 | Action / Infection |
| Daylight's End | 2016 | 71 | Action / Infection |
| Witness Infection | 2021 | 71 | Comedy / Action |
| The Army of the Dead | 2021 | 71 | Action / Infection |
| The Dead 2: India | 2015 | 70 | Action / Infection |
| Zombie Hunter | 2013 | 70 | Action / Infection |
| Dead Rising: Watchtower | 2015 | 70 | Action / Infection |
| Zombie Night | 2013 | 70 | Action / Infection |
| For A Few Zombies More | 2015 | 70 | Action / Infection |
| Night of the Living Deb | 2015 | 70 | Comedy / Romance |
| Resident Evil: Afterlife | 2010 | 70 | Action / Infection |
| Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse | 2015 | 70 | Comedy / Action |
| Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead | 2014 | 70 | Action / Infection |
| The Valley Of The Dead | 2021 | 70 | Horror / Infection |
| Bird Box | 2018 | 69 | Action / Horror / Possession |
| Exit Humanity | 2011 | 69 | Action / Infection |
| Among The Living | 2022 | 69 | Suspense / Horror |
| Ravenous | 2017 | 68 | Action / Infection |
| Blood Quantum | 2019 | 68 | Action / Infection |
| Republic Z | 2018 | 68 | Action / Comedy |
| The Night Eats The World | 2018 | 67 | Suspense / Infection |
| Forget Everything And Run (F.E.A.R.) | 2021 | 67 | Suspense / Horror |
| Quarantine | 2008 | 67 | Infection / Horror |
| Trench 11 | 2017 | 66 | Action / Horror |
| Cargo | 2017 | 66 | Suspense / Infection |
| How To Kill A Zombie | 2014 | 66 | Action / Comedy |
| Ultimate Zombie Feast | 2020 | 66 | Shorts/ Action |
| Zoombies | 2016 | 65 | Awesomely Bad |
| Zombie Town | 2007 | 65 | Action / Horror |
| Dead County | 2021 | 65 | Drama / Horror |
| Zombie Apocalypse | 2011 | 64 | Action / Infection |
| Quarantine 2 | 2011 | 64 | Action / Infection |
| The End? | 2017 | 64 | Horror / Infection |
| Red Spring | 2017 | 63 | Action / Infection |
| Resident Evil: Extinction | 2007 | 62 | Action / Infection |
| Virus:32 | 2022 | 62 | Horror / Infection |
| Resident Evil Retribution | 2012 | 61 | Action / Infection |
| Resident Evil: The Final Chapter | 2016 | 60 | Action / Infection |
| Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead | 2023 | 60 | Comedy / Action |
| Life After Beth | 2014 | 59 | Comedy / Action |
| Diary Of The Dead | 2007 | 58 | Action / Horror |
| Revelation Trail | 2013 | 57 | Action / Horror |
| My Mates vs. The Zombie Apocalypse | 2015 | 56 | Comedy / Action |
| Eat Brains Love | 2019 | 56 | Comedy / Horror |
| Anna And The Apocalypse | 2017 | 55 | Musical / Infection |
| Deadsight | 2018 | 55 | Suspense / Infection |
| Bong of the Living Dead | 2017 | 54 | Action / Infection |
| Amigo Undead | 2015 | 54 | Comedy / Horror |
| The Dead Undead | 2010 | 53 | Action / Infection |
| Black Friday | 2021 | 53 | Action / Horror |
| Deadheads | 2011 | 52 | Comedy / Romance |
| Redcon-1 | 2018 | 52 | Action / Horror |
| Day of the Dead: Bloodline | 2018 | 51 | Action / Infection |
| Dead Don't Die in Dallas | 2019 | 51 | Action / Infection / LGBTQ |
| Disaster L.A. | 2014 | 50 | Action |
| Road Wars | 2015 | 50 | Action / Infection |
| Within the Woods of Undead County | 2016 | 49 | Action / Infection |
| Zombie Strippers! | 2008 | 49 | Horror / Comedy |
| I Am Alone | 2015 | 48 | Action / Infection |
| Rise of The Zombies | 2012 | 48 | Action / Infection |
| Day Zero | 2023 | 48 | Horror / Infection |
| Valentine DayZ | 2018 | 47 | Action / Infection / Awesomely Bad |
| Savageland | 2015 | 46 | Horror / Drama |
| Lethal Virus | 2021 | 46 | Action / Horror |
| Infected | 2019 | 45 | Shorts |
| Zombie Warz: Falls The Shadow | 2011 | 45 | Action / Horror |
| Block Z | 2020 | 44 | Action / Infection |
| Bridge of the Doomed | 2022 | 44 | Horror / Infection |
| The Dead Don't Die | 2019 | 43 | Spoof / Drama |
| Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City | 2021 | 43 | Action / Horror |
| Strain 100 | 2020 | 42 | Action / Infection |
| The Plague | 2006 | 42 | Action / Horror |
| When the Fever Breaks | 2019 | 41 | Suspense / Infection |
| Before Dawn | 2013 | 41 | Drama / Action |
| Infected | 2021 | 41 | Action / Horror |
| Hostile | 2017 | 40 | Action / Infection |
| Zombie Undead | 2010 | 40 | Action / Infection |
| Dead Before Down | 2012 | 39 | Horror / Supernatural |
| Gangs Of The Dead | 2006 | 38 | Action / Infection |
| Zombies | 2017 | 37 | Action / Infection |
| American Zombieland | 2020 | 36 | Comedy / Infection |
| Another World | 2014 | 35 | Action / Infection |
| Deadlocked | 2020 | 35 | Action / Infection |
| Dead Trigger | 2017 | 35 | Action / Infection |
| Zombie Diaries 2 | 2011 | 35 | Action / Infection |
| Cannon Fodder / Battle Of The Undead | 2013 | 35 | Action / Horror |
| KL24: Zombies | 2017 | 34 | Action / Infection |
| Evilution | 2009 | 34 | Action / Horror |
| Antisocial 2 | 2015 | 33 | Action / Infection |
| Re-Elected | 2020 | 33 | Comedy / Suspense |
| Antisocial | 2013 | 32 | Action / Infection |
| Aquarium of the Dead | 2021 | 32 | Comedy / Horror |
| Dead 7 | 2016 | 31 | Action / Infection |
| By Day's End | 2020 | 31 | Suspense / Infection |
| Pandemic | 2016 | 30 | Action / Infection |
| Attack of the Southern Fried Zombies | 2017 | 29 | Comedy / Action |
| Zombie Hood | 2013 | 28 | Action / Infection |
| The Dustwalker | 2019 | 27 | Action / Parasite |
| Day of the Dead 2: Contagium | 2005 | 26 | Action / Infection |
| Anger Of The Dead | 2015 | 25 | Action / Infection |
| Solar Impact | 2019 | 25 | Action / Horror |
| The Last Hope | 2017 | 24 | Action / Infection |
| The Day of the Living Dead | 2014 | 23 | Drama / Detective |
| Zombie Road | 2018 | 22 | Shorts |
| Zombie Wars | 2007 | 21 | Action / Infection |
| Last Rites Of The Dead | 2019 | 20 | Drama / Thriller |
| Army of Thieves | 2021 | 20 | Heist / Horror |
| The Mad | 2007 | 19 | Comedy / Infection |
| The Living Dead | 2020 | 18 | Horror / Drama |
| Zone of the Dead | 2009 | 17 | Action / Infection |
| Killer Weekend | 2018 | 16 | Comedy / Not Zombies |
| G Zombie | 2021 | 15 | Drama / Infection |
| Quarantine L.A. | 2013 | 14 | Action / Infection |
| Driven | 2020 | 13 | Drama / Suspense |
| The Hive | 2014 | 12 | Demonic Possession / Horror |
| The Horde | 2016 | 11 | Action / Gore |
| The Last Starship | 2017 | 10 | Action / Infection |
| Rebirth | 2020 | 10 | Action / Horror |
| Rise of the Zombie | 2013 | 9 | Drama / Action |
| Rising Undead / Rise of the Undead | 2005 | 9 | Action / Horror |
| Flu | 2013 | 8 | Infection / Not Zombies |
| Plague | 2014 | 8 | Suspense / Drama |
| Red Days | 2016 | 7 | Action / Infection |
| The Returned | 2013 | 6 | Drama / Romance |
| Apocalypse Nerds | 2012 | 5 | Comedy / Action |
| Zombie with a Shotgun | 2019 | 4 | Infection / Drama |
| Soon Enough | 2018 | 3 | Action / Drama |
| Range 15 | 2016 | 2 | Comedy / Action |
| Army of the Dead | 2008 | 2 | Action / Horror |
| Eyes Of The Dead | 2015 | 1 | Action / Infection |
| Pandemic | 2009 | 1 | Drama / Action |
| Nazi Undead | 2018 | 1 | Paranormal / Horror |
| Dead End | 2003 | 0 | Horror / Thriller |
| Broadcast Dead | 2018 | 0 | Horror / Thriller |
| Afflicted | 2013 | 0 | Drama / Infection |
| Carriers | 2009 | 0 | Drama / Not Zombies |
| Curse of the Blind Dead | 2020 | 0 | Horror / Not Zombies |
| All My Friends Are Dead | 2021 | 0 | Horror / Not Zombies |
