Games -> Movies

Games based on movies. We've all seen them. They're everywhere. It seems that most blockbuster movies these days have their video game counterpart. However, every once in a while a movie will be made based on a game. Most of the time the movies tend to not live up to their respective games but there are some instances when despite its difference from the game, it becomes a lucrative film franchise. One particular franchise that comes to mind is the Resident Evil franchise. Since 2002, three films based on the popular game franchise have been released with an upcoming fourth installment to be released next Summer.

The first Resident Evil film was a disappointment to most fans due to its lack of relation to the original game. The game featured Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine among others in a mansion filled with zombies. Instead, the movie is an original story with the same premise as the games...virus that turns you into a flesh eating zombie. The only common denominator was the Umbrella Corporation, the company that created the T-Virus turning people into zombies. There were no characters from the games in this movie nor did it take place in a mansion; it took place in a "top secret underground facility called 'The Hive"

It's sequel, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, took place at the same time as the games and included characters from the game series including Jill Valentine, Carlos Olivera, and NEMESIS. This movie could technically be a combination of the 2nd and 3rd games in the series due to its inclusion of the character Nemesis, which was a zombie killing monster in Racoon City. Although it was far closer to the game series than the original movie, it still had its differences due to the made up character, Alice, from the original movie. Her interactions with everyone else caused certain elements from the games to change such as her love affair with Carlos, which would become evident in the third entry of the film franchise, Resident Evil: Extinction.

Resident Evil: Extinction was meant to take place after the games and would therefore have another completely original storyline with references to the game franchise similar to that of the first movie. The one major reference to the games in this movie was its inclusion of the character Claire Redfield (played by Ali Larter) and her journey to find her brother, Chris (this story originated from the game Resident Evil: Code Veronica). By the end of this movie, Carlos is dead, Claire is on her way to Alaska to search for more survivors and Alice has discovered that Umbrella has been trying to make clones of her. The final scene involves dozens of the Alice clones waking up and a hint at a possible sequel taking place in Japan.

Little is known about the upcoming fourth installment, Resident Evil: Afterlife other than Chris Redfield finally making an appearance played by Wentworth Miller. I personally enjoy these movies despite their differences from the games although I have to admit I don't know what they could do with this movie considering it takes place way after the events of the games and it would have a bunch of Alice's running killing people. That sounds pretty lame. Only time will tell.