Raccoon City, which was once a booming home of pharmaceutical giant Umbrella Corporation, 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.
For thoughts on Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City, please check out my piece on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City offers a very striking presentation which does offer a solid upgrade from the already-incredible accompanying Blu-Ray. Skin tones appear very natural with healthy doses of crisp detail apparent on faces such as pores and grime. The increased range of the color spectrum is stunning to behold. The HDR enriches the colors from already impressive to out of this world when it comes to vibrancy. The almost post-apocalyptic landscape features pops of color in the production design, and there are some lighting choices that are reproduced in a way that is eye-popping. There are several explosions throughout the film where the fireballs present with a beautiful orange radiance.
The highlights in the film are more defined with whites more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found even when flashlights are pointing directly at the camera. There are moments of muzzle flashes that are nearly blinding with the HDR…in a good way. Elements inside the mansion and surrounding environments are more vivid and finely delineated. The black levels are especially strong in this presentation, staying deep and inky with great detail. This is especially important for a film that is almost exclusively in shadow. This 4K UHD presentation really delivers on all fronts including strong gains in clarity and color. The Blu-Ray is great, but Sony has delivered another fantastic transfer on this latest 4K release.
Audio Quality
This disc comes equipped with an incredibly effective Dolby Atmos presentation that fully immerses you in this creepy world. There are elements in this track that are truly unnerving, such as the sounds of groaning infected people and creatures in the darkness. Sounds are appropriately rendered with precise directionality from the more kinetic scenes to the quieter dialogue-driven scenes filled with subtle whispers. The score from Mark Korven brings this film to life in a really thrilling way. Dialogue is presented perfectly clear without ever being overwhelmed by any of the competing sonic elements. The low end is engaged well as an extension of certain exciting elements like shootouts and explosions. The sound design of this film is quite intense, and the implementation of environmental sounds are executed very effectively. The height channels are nearly always utilized thanks to this taking place over a rainy night which makes it one of the more impactful mixes I’ve heard. You really cannot ask for better from an audio presentation.
Special Features
Sony has provided Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City with a limited edition sleek new Steelbook that is truly lovely in person. The front artwork is a nicely minimal shot of an umbrella in front on the Raccoon Police Department, and the rear features a literal “Welcome To Raccoon City” sign. The interior sports a blood splatter pattern. Photos of the Steelbook can be found at the end of this review.
- Replicating The DNA: An 11-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the decision to go back to the source material of the video games, recreating scenes for the movie, bringing the characters to life, the dynamics between characters, the costumes, Easter eggs from the games and more.
- Cops, Corpses, and Chaos: An eight-minute look at beginning the narrative, the tone of the film, finding the right performers for these characters, the collaboration between the director and performers, and much more that enhances the feature.
- Zombies, Lickers, and the Horrors of Resident Evil: A six-minute look at all the creatures from the film brought to life through practical and digital effects. There are some decent insights into the creative process included in here.
Final Thoughts
Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City is not as bad as the general response would lead you to believe. It is not bringing anything new to the horror genre, but it does a pretty decent job of establishing an unsettling atmosphere and delivering the grotesque sights you expect from a Resident Evil property. The performances are not great but they serve their purpose. If you are more familiar with the games, you might like or dislike the film more, but, as someone who only has a passing knowledge of the series, this met my minimum requirement of entertainment after starting with some low expectations. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a terrific A/V presentation and some brief special features. As an added bonus, there is a limited edition SteelBook release of the 4K which looks really great next to the 4K set of the original films. If you are a fan of the film, this is the release to get.
Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray (Standard or Limited Edition SteelBook), Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
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Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
