Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City Trailer Breakdown: Familiar Faces, Familiar Places

Sony Pictures has finally released the first trailer for "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City." The upcoming movie reboot of the popular video game series from Capcom is poised to give new life to the franchise. And, based on what we're seeing in the trailer, it at least appears as though it's attempting to be more faithful to the early games in the series, even if it is mashing things up quite a bit. So, let's have a closer look at what's going on and break some of this down, shall we?

Welcome To Raccoon City, In The 90s

One of the very first shots we see in the trailer is a sign welcoming us to Raccoon City as Claire Redfield (Kaya Scodelario) pulls up to the troubled town on her motorcycle. This establishes that the movie takes place in 1998, around the time the first games were released, with the original "Resident Evil" debuting in 1996.

And here we have Claire rolling up, being positioned as the protagonist. This is interesting as it was Chirs Redfield, her brother, and Jill Valentine who were the two major players in the first game. Though this does appear to be a mash-up of sorts of "Resident Evil" and "Resident Evil 2," not so much a slavish adaptation.

Speaking of Chris, here we have a shot of him, played by Robbie Amell, speaking with Claire. In the trailer, he is questioning her return to Raccoon City, in addition to calling her out for some "conspiracy theories." This is, no doubt, related to the T-Virus, the drug created by the Umbrella Corporation that turns people into zombies and makes some of the other horrifying creatures we'll discuss momentarily.

And wouldn't you know it, Claire is digging through a book with the Umbrella Corporation logo on it. It seems safe to assume this book will house some information that may well back up Claire's seemingly crazy conspiracy theories.

The Residents Of Raccoon City

One thing we can definitively say is that there are a lot of characters from the games being pulled in here. Above, we see William Birkin, played by Neal McDonough. Not to spoil too much here, but Birkin was one of the chief scientists behind the T-Virus, so his inclusion here is significant. This may well be our main "villain," so to speak.

Here we have a nice shot of Jill Valentine, whom we mentioned earlier, looking scared s***less. While we're not precisely sure what's got her so freaked out at this moment, there is plenty of terrifying, deadly stuff in the trailer to warrant such an expression. Jill, it's worth pointing out, is one of the most important characters in the history of the series. So her inclusion here is not insignificant, to say the least.

There is a nice little montage of action shots that signals panic and chaos in the streets of Raccoon City. Here, we have a sick truck driver barreling into the R.P.D. building. No good will come of it. This little action sequence is what signals that the events of "Resident Evil 2" and the first game are being tossed into a blender, as the second game largely revolves around exploring the city, with the R.P.D. building serving as a major location. 

We then get a nice little shot of Chief Irons, played by Donal Logue. He was the chief of the local police department in the games, interestingly enough, until 1998, as he met his demise that year. Which is when the movie happens to be taking place. Make of that what you will. Though it's tough to be too sad about it, as Irons was quite corrupt and didn't exactly help keep things under control, in terms of the proliferation of these monsters. 

There Be Monsters In Raccoon City

Speaking of monsters, we see Chief Irons duking it out with a zombie dog, which those who have played the games will surely be familiar with. Yes, the T-Virus can get in your precious pooch and turn them into a monstrosity such as this. At first glance, this does look quite faithful to what we're used to seeing of them in the games. 

Also on the monster front, from a little earlier in the trailer, this appears to be Lisa Trevor. Played by Marina Mazepa in the movie, this is a pretty tragic character from the games. She was experimented on by Umbrella for years, which explains her horrifying appearance. This is, again, a signal that the filmmakers are truly pulling stuff right from the games this time around. It also signals the movie may well earn that R-rating. 

Another major character here is Leon S. Kennedy. Players of "Resident Evil 2" will surely be familiar with the police officer who had to fight his way through the infected streets of Raccoon City. Avan Jogia is playing him in the reboot. Many of the major characters are being thrown in the mix, because it looks like director Johannes Roberts didn't want to wait for a sequel. He's throwing it all at us now.

To that end, here we have a shot of none other than Albert Wesker. While he seems to be teaming up with the "good guys" in the trailer, it should be noted that Wesker is one of the biggest of all the big bads in the video game series. Played by Tom Hopper here, we may well be seeing more of him in the future. Assuming there is a future beyond this one movie. The framing of his character in the trailer is certainly interesting.

Welcome To The Spencer Mansion

Here is one of the most important locations in the franchise. We see the team entering the Spencer Mansion to investigate a dangerous mystery. The first game is largely isolated to the Spencer Mansion, with the sequel spilling out into the streets of Raccoon City. The trailer makes it clear this location will be a fixture. And, for what it may be worth, it looks like they tried to recreate it faithfully on screen.

This may be one of the most noteworthy shots in the trailer. This zombie turning around slowly to reveal its face is an iconic moment ripped right from the first game. It's a recreation of the first zombie reveal, signaling a huge moment for the player. Is it fan service here? Maybe. But it is certainly an indication of attention to detail. Whether or not that makes for a good movie remains to be seen, but it's a nice little Easter egg for fans.

The trailer then shifts into chaos mode, with lots of action, zombies, and things of that nature. Perhaps the big takeaway from this montage is that we're delving into action/horror with this movie, and not just straight-up horror. 

To wrap up, a couple of deadly creatures appear towards the end of the trailer. This shot appears to be of the Super Tyrant, a particularly pesky enemy to deal with in the games. As its name implies, it's powerful and deadly.

Lastly, the monster that Leon and Claire confront at the trailer's climax appears to be what is known as a Licker. Basically, it is a zombie that has mutated even further, resulting in this horrifying abomination. As the name implies, their tongues are a signature element. Not to mention the exposed brain thing they have going on.

"Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" hits theaters on November 24. 

Returning to the origins of the massively popular RESIDENT EVIL franchise, fan and filmmaker Johannes Roberts brings the games to life for a whole new generation of fans. In RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY, once the booming home of pharmaceutical giant Umbrella Corporation, Raccoon City is now a dying Midwestern town. The company's exodus left the city a wasteland ... with great evil brewing below the surface. When that evil is unleashed, a group of survivors must work together to uncover the truth behind Umbrella and make it through the night.

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