Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City debuts theatrically in the United States on November 24th. Two days out from release, some early reactions have seeped out.
The upcoming, live-action video game movie features Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield, Hannah John-Kamen as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell as Chris Redfield, Avan Jogia as Leon S. Kennedy, Tom Hopper as Albert Wesker, and Lily Gao as Ada Wong. Though iconic Tyrant antagonist, Mr. X, will be absent — find out more on that here.
Based on the marketing material, the stills and trailer, it's quite uncanny just how faithful to the games Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is. That's a large part of what the early reactions have to say. Apparently, fans of the franchise will be satisfied but, not only that, there's bombastic action that even non-fans will be able to enjoy. Though, the film reportedly could've done better in regard to adapting the tense horror aspects and atmosphere of the games.
Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy says: "But ultimately [it] tries to squeeze too much into its runtime leaving it feeling rushed. Everything looks the part, including the well-cast actors, yet there's just none of the game's terror or tension."
Slash Film's Matt Donato had this to say: "It respects the games as much as the trailer suggests. Works well when ramping tension through tight mansion combat. Owes plenty to Resident Evil 1's virtual cinematography. Not perfect, but works?"
Verified Rotten Tomatoes critic Shannon McGrew said the following: "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City may not be perfect but god damn was it a blast. Killer soundtrack, atmospheric as f*ck, and lots and lots and lots of gore!"
@KillerCritics says: "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a good time. The script is underwhelming to say the least, but it has a great 90s action horror camp vibe to it, loads of gore and tons of fun references for the fans. Far from perfect but I enjoyed it."
"As a fan, I enjoyed Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City! The entire theater raved during major set pieces. The trailers and clips don't do it justice. Zombies and Lisa Trevor were extremely badass. Ending felt rushed thats my only gripe," says another user.