Summary
Though many people recognizeResident Evilfor its games, this long-running series also features several movies and TV shows. Though the infamous Paul W.S. Anderson set of live-action movies are considered non-canon and completely separate from the main story, the CG films and shows have been said to be canonical by Capcom themselves. But how much do they really add to the wider lore and characters of the franchise?
The truth is, these external stories vary wildly in how important they are to the main narrative ofResident Evil.However, there are definitely some that manage to do a great job at building on the characters and feeding into the stories of the games. With that being said, here ishow each ofResident Evil’scanon movies and shows rank in terms of their importance to the wider universe,so that fans know which ones to prioritize.
ThoughResident Evil: Degenerationisn’t exactly necessary viewing for anyone looking to learn Evillore, it does provide some nice insight into Leon and Claire’s relationship a few years afterthe Raccoon City outbreak. There are several scenes in the movie where the two old friends reminisce on how the event has changed them, and how it has motivated them both to become big players in the fight against bioterror.
Degenerationalso gives viewers a rare look at Leon in his early years as a US special agent, where he can be seen being a lot more stoic and serious before becoming the wisecracking action hero seen inResident Evil 4. As a result, thoughDegenerationdoesn’t add a lot to the lore, it instead prioritizes its characters who receive small bits of development throughout the story.
4Resident Evil: Death Island
Fanservice With Small Nuggets Of Character Development
REsident Evil: Death Islandvery much feels like a celebration of the series' protagonists, and therefore, it isn’t a movie that takes itself too seriously. Outside of all the heavy action scenes there are some intriguing character developments that have never been touched upon in the games, especially with Jill. Since the movie is set after the events ofResident Evil 5, this is the only time fans get to see how much guilt Jill holds aftershe was controlled by Weskerand forced to carry out his evil deeds.
This movie also marks the first time in the series' history that Leon and Jill come face to face, making for an incredible moment that allResident Evilfans will want to see.Death Islandis mostly about spectacle, but there are still some neat little lore nuggets dropped here and there that build upon the stories that came before it.
After the Raccoon City fiasco seen in the second and third games, it was made clear thatB.O.W.s and virus strainswere being sold all around the world for terrorist governments to use for their own malicious purposes.Resident Evil: Damnationprovides a clear example of this by focusing on a civil war being fought between not just humans, but mutants and zombies as well.
When Chris mentions at the beginning ofResident Evil 5just how rampant this issue has become on an international scale, this movie paints a clear picture for players to experience first-hand how bio-weapons are being used, and the threat they pose to innocent lives.Damnationalso dives deep into the on-and-off relationship between Leon and Ada, even more so than many of the games.
Resident Evil: Vendettais a pretty important piece of canon media in terms of character growth. Set after the events ofResident Evil 6,Vendettashows the downward spiral that Leon finds himself being swept up in due to his many stressful years of fighting bioterrorism, which is a side of the character that is never shown in the games. At the same time, the movie emphasizes Chris' newfound resolve as a member of the BSAA after he snapped out of his disillusionment throughout the sixth game.
Of course, it’s also impossible to talk aboutVendettawithout also mentioningRebecca Chambers; a crucially important character who, by this point, hadn’t been seen canonically sinceResident Evil 0back in 2002. There’s even a specific mention of Las Plagas in this movie, which was seen in the fourth game. All this comes alongside a new strain that allows mutants to differentiate between friend and foe, which is a huge deal In the context of theResident Evilworld.
Resident Evil: Infinite Darknessis a 4-episode TV series that is set about a year after Leon rescues Ashley inResident Evil 4. By this point, Leon is a loyal agent of the President, and whatInfinite Darknessexplores in-depth is just how far his loyalty will go, and the impact it has on his and Claire’s friendship. By the end of the show, the two are at odds with one another due to their differing views on whether to expose a piece of secret information to the public or not, with Leon being a little more stubborn than usual.
This isn’t to say thatInfinite Darknessmakes Leon a villain. It adds a nice bit of complexity to his character which the games rarely ever touch on. Claire also gets a lot of focus in this movie, specifically on what her role is within TerraSave not long after she joins them. Tricell, the organization thatExcella and Weskerjoin inResident Evil 5, is also set up in this side-story. With all this being said,Infinite Darknessis definitely important for those who want to understand how and why the main cast have changed throughout the story, and what their motivations are going forward.
