The Resident Evil live-action film series, spanning from 2002 to 2016, stands as one of the most commercially successful yet critically divisive video game adaptations in cinematic history. Helmed primarily by director Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich as the film-exclusive protagonist Alice, the six-movie collection transformed Capcom’s survival-horror source material into a high-octane, post-apocalyptic action saga that grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide. The Evolution of a Global Franchise

• Provide a concise timeline of key plot events across the six films.
• Create a cast & character table listing appearances by film.
• Summarize differences vs. specific game entries (e.g., Resident Evil 1–3).

Resident Evil: Extinction (2007): A Mad Max-style wasteland odyssey across the Nevada desert.

Introduction The Resident Evil film series (2002–2016), consisting of six live-action movies distributed by Screen Gems, represents one of the most commercially successful yet critically contentious video game adaptations in cinema history. Spanning from Paul W.S. Anderson’s 2002 original to The Final Chapter in 2016, the collection diverges significantly from its Capcom source material. This paper examines the series as a unified collection, focusing on three core areas: the creation of an original protagonist (Alice), the prioritization of action-horror aesthetics over game-faithful narrative, and the resulting transmedia dissonance that both alienated purists and attracted a mainstream audience.