Here are all of the Resident Evil anime movies, ranked worst to best. The original Resident Evil was a landmark title in both gaming and the horror genre when it arrived on the PSX in 1996. The Capcom developed survival horror title dropped players into a mansion filled with zombies and monsters, and gamers had to conserve ammo and solve puzzles to progress. The game was something of a pop culture phenomenon, and it didn't take long before talk of a movie adaptation started to crop up.
Originally, George A. Romero was hired to write and direct the first Resident Evil but was fired from the project. Paul W.S. Anderson would later take the helm, with 2002's Resident Evil casting Milla Jovovich as an original heroine named Alice. The movie was a sleeper hit, but it would spawn five sequels and become the most successful video game-to-movie adaptations to date. A movie reboot dubbed Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City is set for release in late 2021.
Resident Evil has been adapted to just about every medium, including comics, novels and there's even an upcoming anime series called Infinite Darkness coming to Netflix. There are also three anime movies, and here's how these movies rank.
Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017)
Resident Evil: Vendetta has some high points, including the return of game character Rebecca Chambers after a long absence, an atmospheric opening set in a mansion and some entertaining, John Wick-inspired action. That said, Vendetta is still the worst of the trio, and mostly eschews horror and suspense in favor of overblown setpieces and a very goofy story. The series isn't known for taking itself seriously anyway, but Vendetta pushed the silliness a little too far.
Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
The first anime movie Resident Evil: Degeneration reunited Leon and Claire from Resident Evil 2 and saw zombies take over an airport. Degeneration is an enjoyable but fairly forgettable action movie, and while it features some creative action, the story is quite bland and it doesn't do anything interesting with the Resident Evil monster designs. The animation is also wobbly in parts, with Leon, in particular, looking impossibly stiff in some scenes. The anime gets an A+ for its subtle umbrella gag, however.
Resident Evil: Damnation (2012)
Damnation is the second anime movie and sees Leon dispatched to an Eastern Europe war zone to investigate reports of controlled bioweapons being used in the conflict. Damnation is also action-focused and is somewhat spoiled by an obnoxious supporting character called JD. There are a couple of suspenseful sequences, it moves at a rapid pace and it features a supporting role for spy Ada Wong, who is great fun whenever she appears. While it's still not particularly great, Resident Evil: Damnation remains the highlight of the anime movie trilogy.