Resident Evil: The Movies Vs. The Games

It was 1996; I remember curling up on the couch with a strategy guide in my lap. Next to me sat my husband, intense determination on his face as he faced zombies, dogs, crows, and many other types of creatures as his character rounded the corners of a spooky mansion. The game was Resident Evil and every few scenes could have me jumping out of my seat.

The games frightened me so much, I couldn't find the nerve to actually play them; I was reduced to only sit on the sidelines and help my husband figure out the puzzles so that he could move forward. To this day, I am probably the only devoted fan of the game who yet to have any actual play time under her belt, but no one knows how to navigate through the games better than me.

When the movies were first introduced, it thrilled every member in our household. The game offers a great storyline that would work well for a movie format. With the release of some of other fan-favorite-games-turned-movies not really following living up to the games, I expected that movie(s) would disappoint me greatly. Of course, like I initially thought, they swayed away from the original storyline but the movies are still quite entertaining.

There are always pros and cons of transferring one favorable media onto another. Fans of the original wants things to be just the same, while the movie industry wants to develop something new and creative based on a current concept and not just recreate it. The movie industry is faced with this dilemma; the fans will probably buy movie tickets just based on the name and original alone, but will notice, and complain, about the differences much more than the casual viewer.

I've had this debate recently about the new CW series Gossip Girls. While I thoroughly enjoyed the show, my friend (a fan of the books) was too focused on the things that were different from the book to enjoy anything else. This is the same for the Resident Evil movies. While I liked the movies, I have to question myself if I would have enjoyed them more if I had not already been privy to the storylines of the games. Did I go into the movie looking for the similarities and the differences? Or, how would the experience have been different if I was just able to sit back and enjoy the movies as their own entities and not an extension of the originals.

Of all the movies, the first one felt more like the games that the other two in one aspect; the horror factor. Like I stated previously, the games scared me speechless, especially with their cut scenes and 'jump out of your seat' moments. While filled with incredible action, the movies didn't scare me. The first one did have its moments when I did jump or was startled; that is why it felt more like the games to me.

Although only the first one felt like the game, all of them had references to the games. If you pay close enough attention, there are even smaller references that any fan of the games would appreciate. We all probably noticed the differences right off, so I'll list some similarities. There are quite a few below:

Resident Evil

The shot at the beginning of the movie of a close-up of Alice's eye is like the title screen of the first game.

Similar camera angles were used for both the games and movie.

The statue that Alice examines at the beginning is similar to the one in the first that holds the map of the ground floor.

The photo of Alice and Spencer's wedding day is in the same photo style as the photos used in the first game.

Infected crows show up in the games, especially when venturing outside the mansion. Crows are shown briefly when Alice goes outside while inspecting the mansion.

Alice hears a creepy outdoor sound which is like the creepy outdoor sound from the first game.

On the way to Red Queen's chamber, the crew notice that the bodies of four of their dead crew members missing. This is similar to the games where bodies would disappear upon exiting and reentering rooms.

Matt's badge has RCPD instead of RPD.

When the remaining characters has to escape the Hive by way of a train and has to fight a large creature to get away, this is like a scene in Resident Evil 2 with Leon and Claire trying to escape the underground labs.

The five minutes given to the survivors to escape the Hive is in relation to the game since every one of them ends with a five minute countdown to beat the final boss.

Racoon City, the city in Resident Evil 2 and 3 versions of the game, is referenced at the end when Alice wakes up in the Racoon City Hospital.

S.T.A.R.S., the elite police unit from the game, is also referenced when its logo is seen on top of a police cruiser at the end of the movie.

The newspaper headline, "Horror in Raccoon! More Victims Dead", at the end of the movie references the opening of the original game.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

A car crash is responsible for Angela Ashford being stuck in Raccoon City. In the intro to Resident Evil 2, a car crash is responsible for Leon and Claire separating.

Raccoon City is swamped with zombies. The police and Umbrella is trying to fight them off. You can see a zombie's reflection from a fallen police helmet. Sounds familiar? Well it should, it is from the intro scene of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.

Jill moves the same on both the movie and game. She also wears the same outfit that she does in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.

Alice visits a gun shop and one of the characters of Resident Evil 2 takes shelter in a gun shop.

The movie introduces two characters with the Ashford name. In the game, Ashford is the name of the founders of Umbrella.

In both the movie and the game, "S.T.A.R.S" is the only word spoken by Nemesis.

There is a scene in the movie where Alice runs from a firing helicopter. She runs through a building, drops her gun and falls. She then gets the gun and fires it. Claire did the same thing in Resident Evil Code: Veronica.

The Resident Evil game series began in the Arklay Forest near the Arklay Mountains. This location is used in the movie as the crash site for the helicopter.

There is a white goddess statue in the church. Statues, especially goddesses, play a huge role in the games when it comes to the puzzles.

Terri's death is in reference to Kenneth's death from the game.

The graveyard scene, with the zombies popping out of their graves, can be seen in Resident Evil Remake, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, and Resident Evil Code: Veronica.

The nuclear weapon sequence towards the end is a shot-for-shot recreation of the finale scent from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.

**Since Resident Evil: Extinction just hit theaters this past Friday, I will not point out the similarities in that movie as to not spoil anyone who hasn't seen it. There are several obvious references in that one also.