How Long to Watch all of the Resident Evil Movies?
If you're looking to watch all 6 of the original Resident Evil movies, it will take over 9 and a half hour to finish the series. If you include Welcome to Raccoon City, that ads a an additional 107 minutes to your movie marathon.
The Resident Evil Movies in Chronological Order
1. Resident Evil (2002)
2002’s Resident Evil introduced the world to Alice (Jovovich), an original character created for the films who awakens with amnesia before remembering she is a private security operative for the Umbrella Corporation. This first film shows how the genetically engineered T-virus, which causes dead people to return as zombies, was released in a lab called The Hive. It also reveals how the lab’s AI security system, the Red Queen, killed every living thing inside the lab to try to contain the virus.
The plan didn’t work and the zombies escaped the lab. Alice and her team have to try to contain the outbreak by finding an anti-virus that is thought to still be in the Hive.
This first film included several references to the first two Resident Evil games, not the least of which was the first tease of the iconic Resident Evil 3 villain, the terrifying, rocket-wielding Nemesis.
Read our review of Resident Evil.
2. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a direct sequel to the original film and brings back Jovovich’s Alice to once again take the fight to the undead. Resident Evil director Paul W.S. Anderson did not return to direct this new film due to other commitments, but he did stay on as a producer while Alexander Witt took the helm. Apocalypse sees Alice attempting to escape Raccoon City before it is attacked by a nuclear missile that is attempting to stop the spreading T-virus plague.
Nemesis is also a big part of this second film and he’s seen terrorizing the survivors throughout it, but that is hardly the only nod to the games. There are many influences pulled into Apocalypse, including characters Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory) and Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr) and certain shots that were recreated for live-action, including a shootout at police department in the beginning that is reminiscent of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and a scene in a cemetery that very much harkens back to Resident Evil CODE: Veronica.
Read our review of Resident Evil: Apocalypse.
3. Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
2007’s Resident Evil: Extinction reveals that the T-virus has spread across the world. In addition to the return of Alice, the storyline also follows several attempts by the Umbrella Corporation to clone her, in hopes of replicating her powers. As the story progresses, the primary Alice and other survivors are working their way toward Alaska in an attempt to outrun the ever-expanding zombie apocalypse.
Extinction continues to bring in more aspects and characters of the games, including Claire Redfield (Ali Larter) and Albert Wesker (Jason O’Mara).
Read our review of Resident Evil: Extinction.
4. Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
Resident Evil: Afterlife is the first film after the original to see Anderson back in the director’s chair, where he stays for the rest of the series. Set one year after the events of Extinction, Alice and her clones work together to assault Umbrella Headquarters HQ and Albert Wesker. Unfortunately, all doesn’t go as planned and Alice finds herself without the powers that have assisted her so well in this zombie apocalypse.
Afterlife continues the streak of bringing in characters from the games, and this time it's Chris Redfield (Wentworth Miller) that gets the invitation.
Read our review of Resident Evil: Afterlife.
5. Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
2011’s Resident Evil: Retribution picks up after the events of Afterlife. Alongside introducing such game characters as Leon S. Kennedy (Johann Urb), Ada Wong (Bingbing Li), and Barry Burton (Kevin Durand), Retribution also sees Alice teaming up with Wesker in an attempt to stop the reactivated Red Queen AI from the first film, who now controls Umbrella and wants to eliminate all life on earth.
Read our review of Resident Evil: Retribution.
6. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)
The aptly named Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is the last feature film in the series to involve husband-and-wife team Anderson and Jovovich. It follows Alice as she returns to Raccoon City and the Hive in order to stop the Red Queen and Albert Wesker, but also reveals more of the origin of the T-virus and who is really behind all the chaos that has been building since the first film.
Read our review of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.
Bonus: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
Directed by Johannes Roberts, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a reboot of the franchise and requires no prior knowledge of the movies. Along with the new director comes a new cast and a story that more closely follows the events of the first two Resident Evil games. Several familiar characters from the games and earlier movies return, including Claire Redfield (Kaya Scodelario), Chris Redfield (Robbie Amell), Jill Valentine (Hannah John-Kamen), Albert Wesker (Tom Hopper), Leon Kennedy (Avan Jogia), Ada Wong (Lily Gao), and more. The film’s story is set in Raccoon City and tells the early days of a zombie outbreak.
Read our review of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.
Resident Evil Movies in Release Order
- 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)
- Resident Evil: Death Island (2023)
The Future of Resident Evil Movies
Although Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City wasn't received particularly well by audiences, rumors have been swirling for years about another movie. Those rumors were finally confirmed in January, with Barbarian director Zach Cregger set to direct the newest instalment. Instead of carrying on the existing movie timeline, the currently untitled movie will reboot the Resident Evil movie franchise.
Coming out of the success of his most recent horror flick, Weapons, Cregger has talked more about his approach to the zombie franchise reboot. He's revealed he hasn't even watched the Resident Evil movies listed above, instead opting to make a film wholly inspired by the games. In terms of plot details, he says "it follows one central protagonist from point A to point B, as they descend deeper into hell." Deadline reports that Sony has also set a release date for the film: September 18, 2026.
Otherwise, the next big thing for Resident Evil is Requiem, a new mainline game set to release in February 2026. Next year's shaping up to be a good one.
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