The reviews are coming in for Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City and the critics don't have many positive thoughts on the adaption of the beloved video game series.
According to review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City earned a Tomatometer score of just 27%. Most reviewers pointed out that while the film is an accurate and faithful adaption of the source material, its clunky action and unstructured narrative lead to a film that's neither scary nor exciting. Only eight of the total 30 critic reviews published to the site rated the film as "Fresh." Audiences were more forgiving, granting Welcome to Raccoon City a 61%.
Rotten Tomatoes has yet to provide a critical consensus for the film, as it's likely waiting on more reviewers to offer their thoughts. Yet given the current ratings for the film, it's unlikely that the overall Tomatometer score will be influenced in any substantial way.
CBR's Sam Stone noted in his review, "Roberts streamlines two video games' worth of stories into a film that runs close to 100-minutes. Overall, he does a decent job and dials up the film's tension before all hell breaks loose. He gives more dimension to someone like, say, Albert Wesker, who was a one-note video game antagonist. However, Welcome to Raccoon City's lack of action set pieces, shoddy visual effects, and limited number settings are apparent."
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is an adaption of the first two video games in the long-running franchise. The film follows separate yet connected narratives, focusing on Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine's exploration of the dreaded Spencer Mansion as well as Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield surviving the original outbreak of the T-Virus. Director Johannes Roberts promised that the film is loaded with Easter Eggs and references to the video games that will undoubtedly delight fans. "Every frame has details to the game," Roberts said. "This is a horror movie created with love of the game."
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City stars Robbie Amell as Chris Redfield, Hannah John-Kamen as Jill Valentine, Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield, Avan Jorgie as Leon S. Kennedy and Tom Hopper as Albert Wesker. Written and directed by Johannes Roberts, the film is now showing in theatres.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes