Why It Makes So Much Sense That Some Fans Still Defend The Resident Evil Movies
The "Resident Evil" franchise may just be one of the most popular video game IPs out there. The now-massive series started off with the release of the first video game in 1996 for the original Playstation, and it proved to be a huge hit for Capcom. The game sold a massive 5.05 million copies worldwide and is now considered to be one of the best games of all time. Since then, the series has evolved into countless other titles — 149 titles, as of June 2022 — and it didn't take long before Hollywood wanted to jump in on the game's success.
In 2002, the first "Resident Evil" film was released starring Milla Jovovich, but it was only loosely based on the source material. Video game fans may recognize a few characters and locations, but it follows the beats of a futuristic action film rather than the survival horror tropes of the games. The film did relatively well at the box office and made over $102 million against a $33 million budget, but critics were not impressed. The following five films in the original series continued to flop with critics, with "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" receiving the highest rating of 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite its negative response, the "Resident Evil" movies still have a pretty loyal fanbase, and it makes a lot of sense as to why.
The Resident Evil movies are so bad, they're good
Critically speaking, the "Resident Evil" films are not well-liked, but some fans have stayed loyal through their incoherent storylines and cheesy dialogue. In fact, some "Resident Evil" fans seem to only love the films because they are so bad. At least, that seems to be the consensus over on Reddit when u/Superflyt56 asked in a thread, "Does anyone actually like the 'Resident Evil' movies?"
Redditor u/Misteh1223 replied, "I like em, because they're bad, I find it makes them very entertaining." One user, u/TheDizzyBro, recalled watching the movies with friends while growing up and wrote, "Not saying they're amazing. Just saying they're fun bad movies to watch with some buds to waste some time." Another Redditor, who has since deleted their account, admitted that the "Resident Evil" films have some downfalls, but they enjoyed them nonetheless. They replied, "They had stupid, serviceable action and I liked them for that." Further, u/DSkullGaming also supported the "bad movie theory" and commented, "I enjoy the first three films in a 'so bad they're good' kind of way."
While the movies are notoriously bad, weary "Resident Evil" fans are holding out hope for Netflix's adaptation. Fans can at least breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the source material will be more closely tied into the new series. Showrunner Andrew Dabb revealed to Entertainment Weekly, "The games are our backstory. Everything that happens in the games exists in this world." However, fans will have to wait until July 14, 2022 to see how the latest "Resident Evil" on-screen adaptation fares.