Fans of Capcom's Resident Evil video game series were hoping that Sony Pictures' franchise reboot would finally deliver the survival horror experience they've been waiting for, and while it does sound like Welcome To Raccoon City is a pretty faithful adaptation overall, the first reviews are far from positive.
The embargo lifted late last night, and although outlets are still in the process of sharing their verdicts, Johannes Roberts' (47 Meters Down, The Strangers: Prey at Night) movie currently sits at 29% on Rotten Tomatoes with 8 reviews counted.
Variety calls Welcome To Raccoon City a "Z-grade reboot" with "Subpar computer-generated effects, helter-skelter editing and a blaring score." The trade was disappointed by "the film’s bevy of unexplained details, dropped subplots, paper-thin characterizations and fright-free mayhem."
The AV Club's writer was actually a fan of Paul W.S. Anderson's previous Resident Evil movies (they are out there), and criticizes this reboot for being "totally bereft of the visual distinction or creative personality that often made its predecessors intriguing diamonds in the rough."
The NY Post, meanwhile, enjoyed the movie and gave it a 3-star rating, calling it the "first watchable entry in the series." Flickering Myth also gave it a positive review, praising the "messy" reboot as a "fun '90s horror-action throwback."
Again, there are many more reviews to be counted, and while that RT score will likely fluctuate, we would be surprised if it climbed much higher!
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is set to hit theaters on November 24, 2021, in the US, and December 3 in the UK.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.