The first official trailer forResident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon Citywas released today, and so far, it seems like the fan response has been somewhat mixed. When it was first announced, fans were hopeful that the film would be able to truly capture every aspect of theearlyResident Evilgames, as the movie is meant to adapt the first and second titles. However, now that there are two minutes of footage on display in the trailer, many fans are complaining that it seems corny and like the kind of film’s quality resembles something that would go straight to DVD.
While those observations are certainly accurate, one can’t help but wonder if that’s the entire vibe thatResident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon Cityis going for. It’s certainly fair for fans to want a serious and well-madeResident Evilfilm following the previousREfilm franchise’s disregard for the game series' canon, but if they were looking for a tonally and thematically accurate adaptation of the games, it seems likeWelcome to Raccoon Citymight just be it.
RELATED:Watch The Action-Packed Trailer For Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City
Looking to Resident Evil’s Cheesy Past
With the release ofResident Evil 7: Biohazard, it seemed like the franchise was headed in a much more serious direction. There were plenty of b-movie horror tropes packed into the game, but they were very rarely played up for laughs, instead leaning into the horrific nature of Ethan Winters' situation.Resident Evil Villageplayed much of the absurdity of its plot in a more heavy-handed way comparatively, but still took things relatively seriously. That said, those two games are outliers in terms ofResident Evil’s approach to its plot.
Because the most recentREtitles took things in a much more serious direction, it seems like fans were hoping thatWelcome to Raccoon Citywould follow suit, but the trailer is actually embracing the tone of the first two games quite well. It’s pretty safe to say that the originalResident Evilgames were poorly written, but leaned into the bad writing to create a mix of horror and camp. This helped the franchise stand out from more seriousJapanese horror games of the early PlayStation era likeSilent Hill,and the self-aware camp of the franchise reached a peak withResident Evil 4.
Fans clearly have a fondness for the campy elements of the franchise’s earlier entries, asmany praised theResident Evil 2and3remakesfor staying true to the original tone of the series despite their writing not lining up with more modern takes on the horror genre. It’s curious, then, why the reaction to theWelcome to Raccoon Citytrailer is so mixed, as it seems like it’s leaning into those elements in a very tongue-in-cheek way.
The Resident Evil B-Movie Connection
As stated above, those pointing out the poor looking special effects, melodramatic acting, and downright goofy CGI in the trailer are absolutely right. However, ifWelcome to Raccoon Cityis truly meant to be an adaptation of the first two games, then it seems like including those elements might have been purposeful. There’s certainly nothing wrong with being turned off by the trailer’s b-movie vibes, but the franchise was established using those tropes, so it’s appropriate to use those sorts of elements in the film itself.
It’s unfortunate for anyone looking for a more serious film adaptation of the franchise, but at the end of the day,Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon Citylooks like it will be worth a watch for anyone who enjoyed the original twoREtitles. At the very least, it’ll likely be a better adaptation thanthe previousResident Evilfilm franchise, which makes it a step in the right direction.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon Cityreleases on November 24.
MORE:Resident Evil Movie Detail Will Ensure It’s Faithful to the Games
