For over fifteen years, the Resident Evil franchise has been churning along, originally taking off with the 2002 film adaptation. Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, Sony pushed to produce a stand alone film inspired by the horror-themed video game. Milla Jovovich was soon cast as Alice, during a time when female led movies were slim to none. The film set the tone for the Resident Evil story, following an outbreak of the T-Virus from Umbrella Corporation in the genetic research facility called The Hive. 

Filled to the brim with zombie action, Resident Evil: Apocalypse was released two years later. Director Paul Anderson was unable to continue his work on the film, so Alexander Witt took the helm. Next up was Resident Evil: Extinction in 2007, directed by Russell Mulcahy, and then director Paul Anderson returned for Resident Evil: Afterlife in 2010, and later Resident Evil: Retribution in 2012. In 2009, Milla married director Paul Anderson. On the Jimmy Kimmel show, Milla revealed that she had accidentally punched Anderson in the face while filming Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Don’t mess with Milla! Both Anderson and Jovovich have expressed that it is bittersweet to bring their time with the Resident Evil series to a close. The cult videogame classic has had a wild ride over the years, featuring action-packed sequences and equally terrifying zombies.

The latest installment of the series is entitled Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, which alludes to the last we’ll see of Milla as Alice. In an interview with Screen Rant, Jovovich said, “It is. It’s hard to say goodbye. Also because for me, you know, you have your normal everyday life, and not everybody gets to go into this amazing world, you know? Where you get to do these crazy stunts and feel like a superhero, and amazing sets and crazy monsters, and zombies who I love so much. So it’s gonna be hard to say goodbye.” 

Milla has been widely applauded for being a strong on-screen female lead, pioneering the trend during a time when female roles were few and far between. In the interview, Milla encouraged rising female actresses to keep going and "do what you love to do". Resident Evil: The Final Chapter also stars female actresses like Ali Larter as Claire Redfield, Ruby Rose as Abigail, and introduces top Japanese model Rola with her big Hollywood film debut as a soldier named Cobalt. Although this appears to be the final chapter for Alice, we still may see more Resident Evil stories come to light in future work.

Developed by Capcom, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard videogame was just recently released on Tuesday, January 24th for Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC. The team over at Kotaku recently gave it a positive review, calling the seventh addition to the video game franchise a truly terrifying experience. The game follows the story of Ethan Winters, who travels to Dulvey, Louisiana in search of his missing wife Mia. Winters becomes trapped in a horrific plantation, and players must fight for survival. Unlike some of the other games in the series, Resident Evil VII has changed to a first person perspective, only adding to the drama and hair-raising tension. In the past, some were critical that the game was beginning to lose the horror elements, a signature component of the original Resident Evil game. Gamers won't be disappointed with this new addition, and Capcom delivers with a ton of grotesque creatures and nightmarish sequences. That being said, the gameplay can get choppy when it comes to certain boss fights and overly simplistic puzzles. However, VR gameplay definitely takes things up a notch, by delivering heart-pounding scenes and gore-ridden action.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter hits theaters nationwide on Friday, January 27, 2017.

Written by Jade Nicolette

Twitter: @nicolette_style