'Resident Evil' Movies Ranked: Every Film Including Zach Cregger's Reimagination
By Jack Ransom - September 18, 2026
From its nu-metal backed, The Matrix action inspired beginnings, to a swiftly forgotten 2021 mash-up of the first two games and a new bold swing at resurrecting the franchise cinematically this year. With Zach Cregger’s revamped adaptation of the iconic infected horror video game series biting down on cinema screens, here is my ranking for the live action outings of the Resident Evil series (including the 2026 flick)!
8 Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016), Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson
Ending the series on a trashy low note. The editing might just be the worst I have ever seen in an action film, the lighting is all over the place and the allied supporting players in this are completely disposable. It moves quickly and delivers spectacularly silly reveals, however despite being the definitive conclusion it ends on a cliffhanger with a new journey teased for Alice that will never happen.
7 Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Dir. Alexander Witt
A follow-up to the first film that falls below average. Jovovich, Guillroy & Epps carry the weight of this, and there are moments of schlocky fun. However the boring, messy plot, frustratingly shot action and weak supporting characters are at the forefront. Nice to hear Killswitch Engage over the end credits though.
6 Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021), Dir. Johannes Roberts
Not a terrible adaptation at all, just a very mediocre one. From a visual and iconography standpoint the film is spot on and captures its source material brilliantly and there are bursts of gory violent fun. However the largely poor dialogue, one note characters, thin plot motivations and rushed, choppy structure let it down.
5 Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson
A step down from its previous two predecessors (Extinction & Afterlife) and the first film. It is lacking in plot substantiality, as well as action that isn’t as memorable as it could and should be. Sure, it brings the campy, bloody cheese that is expected and laughably entertaining dialogue beats, but overall it comes off rather average.
4 Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), Dir. Russell Mulcahy
Still a fun and gnarly sequel that delivers all the zombie slicing, stabbing and shooting that you expect and want from this franchise. The overarching story is as ridiculous as expected, but when funnelled through the road trip/convoy structure it flows well. Yes, the dialogue is cheesy and the line delivery isn’t always the best, but fans of schlocky B-Movie action will be having too much fun to really care.
3 Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson
A guilty pleasure that I don’t feel guilty about enjoying. Unabashedly goofy, over-the-top, chaotic and wholly committed to shoving as much heavily stylised, nu-metal backed slow-motion action in your face as possible. The dialogue and performance quality is sporadic to say the least and the supporting players are all there to mainly add to the body count. It honestly near-perfectly captures the state of the tone of the games at the time as well.
2 Resident Evil (2002), Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson
Very much a product of its time, both for better and worse. A straightforward sci-fi action B-Movie romp with a sprinkling of horror traits and tropes. The shootout and combat sequences get the job done, the pacing is consistent and Jovovich and Rodriguez are great for the material. The dialogue and story substance leave a lot to be desired and I do wish there were a few more standout kills.
1 Resident Evil (2026), Dir. Zach Cregger
Without question the best video game adaptation we have had so far. It’s surprisingly hilarious, gory and splattery as hell, shot so damn well with a visual palette and production design that adores the source material but doesn’t directly copy it. The scenario of one dude having the worst night of his life trying to deliver this package is a perfect vehicle for a cavalcade of horrors.
Check out our reviews for every film in the Resident Evil franchise in our Retro Reviews.
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Jack Ransom
Senior Writer
Jack loves to talk films: whether it is reviewing them, ranking them, reacting to them or collecting physical media!
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