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Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) movie poster

Timeline

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2021 · 107 min · English
Echo score 37
JustWatch #85 28
Directed by
Johannes Roberts
Starring
Avan Jogia, Hannah John-Kamen, Tom Hopper, Robbie Amell, Kaya Scodelario, Stephannie Hawkins
Budget
$25M

In Raccoon City, the remnants of the once-powerful Umbrella Corporation cast a long shadow. As the city crumbles, a group of survivors discovers a sinister legacy hidden beneath the surface. Faced with mounting dangers and horrific creatures unleashed upon the streets, they must confront the truth behind Umbrella's downfall and fight to contain the escalating terror threatening to engulf them all.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (14)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)

Where can you watch Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on fuboTV, FXNow and Hulu: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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14 events in order · contains spoilers

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Claire's Haunting Flashback

    Young Claire and Chris Redfield find themselves at the Raccoon City Orphanage. Here, Claire bonds with Lisa Trevor, a girl who has suffered horrific experiments at the hands of Dr. William Birkin.

    Where
    Raccoon City Orphanage
  2. Claire's Narrow Escape

    As the experiments escalate, young Claire narrowly escapes Dr. Birkin's executioner's grasp. This begins the dark history of their intertwined fates.

    Where
    Raccoon City Orphanage
  3. Raccoon City in 1998

    Fast forward to 1998, Claire returns to Raccoon City, hitching a ride in a semi-truck. An eerie incident occurs as the driver hits a woman who mysteriously vanishes, leaving behind a pool of blood.

    When
    1998
    Where
    Raccoon City
  4. Zombie Infection Begins

    The truck driver’s Dobermann becomes infected and begins displaying erratic behavior, foreshadowing the chaos to come. Meanwhile, rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy wakes up for his first shift.

    When
    1998
    Where
    Raccoon City
  5. Claire Warns Chris

    Claire makes her way to her brother Chris's house, skillfully picking the lock with her knife. During their conversation, she warns Chris about the Umbrella Corporation's nefarious activities.

    Where
    Chris's House
  6. Chaos in Raccoon City

    As the situation deteriorates, a chilling siren echoes across the city, warning citizens to stay indoors. Chris decides to head to the police station while Claire takes his motorbike.

    Where
    Raccoon City
  7. The STARS Alpha Team Meets

    At the police station, the STARS Alpha team gathers under Chief Irons' command to discuss the sudden turmoil in Raccoon City. There is confusion regarding the missing Bravo team sent to investigate Spencer Mansion.

    Where
    Raccoon City Police Department
  8. Alpha Team's Mission

    The tension escalates as the Alpha team prepares to fly to the Spencer Mansion. They uncover clues hinting at Umbrella's deeper, darker dealings.

  9. Discovery at Spencer Mansion

    Upon arriving, they find remnants of the Bravo team but become split inside the mansion. A catastrophic helicopter crash adds to the chaos, revealing Wesker's true motivations amidst personal gain.

    Where
    Spencer Mansion
  10. Zombie Attack at Police Station

    Leon’s first shift spirals into chaos when the zombie truck driver crashes into the police station. Overwhelmed, Chief Irons places Leon in command before fleeing the city.

    Where
    Raccoon City Police Department
  11. The Search for the Umbrella Tunnel

    Claire, Leon, and Chief Irons venture to the Orphanage to find a secret Umbrella tunnel. They encounter a terrifying Licker that leads to a gruesome fate for Irons.

    Where
    Raccoon City Orphanage
  12. Birkin's Transformation

    Wesker confronts Dr. Birkin, who is in the throes of his experimentation. Tensions rise as Birkin begins transforming into a grotesque creature during their deadly standoff.

    Where
    Umbrella Laboratory
  13. Climactic Confrontation

    Claire, Leon, Chris, and Jill unite to battle the fully mutated Birkin on a train. In a final explosive encounter, Leon uses a rocket launcher to destroy the horrific creature.

    Where
    Train
  14. Mid-Credits Revelation

    In a chilling mid-credits scene, Wesker wakes in darkness to find Ada Wong offering him sunglasses. This moment sets the stage for future mysteries and challenges.

Last updated: November 03, 2024 at 11:06

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Timeline questions answered

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Claire return to Raccoon City in 1998?

Claire returns to Raccoon City to warn her brother Chris about the Umbrella Corporation's nefarious activities. She had contacted conspiracy theorist Ben Bertolucci, who suspected Umbrella had poisoned the city's water supply, and she believed Chris was in danger.

  • claire redfield
  • raccoon city
  • umbrella corporation
  • warning chris
Q2

What happens to the woman the truck driver hits?

The woman who is hit by the truck is actually a zombie. When the driver runs her over, she gets up and vanishes mysteriously, leaving only a pool of blood behind. This incident foreshadows the zombie outbreak that soon engulfs the entire city.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, the Dobermann in the truck was shown becoming infected and displaying erratic behavior, hinting at the spreading infection.

  • truck driver
  • woman vanishes
  • zombie outbreak
  • blood pool
Q3

Why does Chris leave for the police station instead of staying with Claire?

Chris decides to go to the police station because the city siren warns citizens to stay indoors and the situation is deteriorating rapidly. As a member of STARS Alpha team, he has a duty to report to the station and help with the crisis unfolding across Raccoon City.

  • chris redfield
  • police station
  • stars team
  • city siren
Q4

Why does Wesker want to expose Umbrella?

Wesker's true motivation is personal gain rather than justice. He aims to expose Umbrella's secrets not to save the city or its citizens, but to benefit himself and further his own agenda within the corporation's shadowy operations.

  • wesker
  • umbrella corporation
  • expose secrets
  • personal gain
Q5

What happens to Chief Irons at the orphanage?

Chief Irons accompanies Claire and Leon to the Raccoon City Orphanage to search for a secret Umbrella tunnel. While there, they encounter a terrifying Licker, and Irons meets a gruesome end during the attack.

  • chief irons
  • orphanage
  • licker
  • death
Q6

Why does Lisa Trevor help Claire and Leon?

Lisa Trevor helps Claire because of their shared childhood connection. As children, Claire had witnessed and bonded with Lisa at the orphanage where Dr. Birkin performed horrific experiments on her. This bond prompts Lisa to rescue Claire, Leon, and Irons, providing them with keys to escape.

Foreshadowing: The opening flashback shows young Claire forming a bond with Lisa Trevor at the orphanage, and Claire narrowly escaping Birkin's grasp.

  • lisa trevor
  • claire
  • orphanage
  • help escape
  • experiments
Q7

How does Dr. Birkin become a monster?

Dr. Birkin undergoes a horrific transformation into a grotesque creature due to his own experimentation with the T-virus and other mutagens at the Umbrella Laboratory. His transformation occurs during his confrontation with Wesker, and he eventually becomes the fully mutated creature that the survivors must face on the train.

  • dr birkin
  • mutation
  • monster
  • t-virus
  • transformation
Q8

Why does Leon use a rocket launcher against Birkin?

Leon uses a rocket launcher to destroy the fully mutated Birkin because conventional weapons prove ineffective against his monstrous form. The creature is too powerful to stop by any other means, so Leon employs the rocket launcher in the final explosive confrontation on the train to finally kill the abomination.

  • leon
  • rocket launcher
  • birkin
  • train confrontation
Q9

What is the significance of the mid-credits scene with Ada Wong?

In the mid-credits scene, Wesker awakens in darkness to find Ada Wong offering him sunglasses. This moment sets the stage for future mysteries and suggests a new alliance or manipulation between the two characters, leaving the audience uncertain about Wesker's fate and Ada's true intentions.

  • ada wong
  • wesker
  • mid-credits
  • sunglasses
  • sequel setup
Q10

Why is Umbrella responsible for the Raccoon City outbreak?

Umbrella Corporation is responsible for the outbreak because their secret experiments with the T-virus and other biological weapons leaked from their laboratories. Their experiments at the Spencer Mansion, the Orphanage, and underground facilities caused the virus to spread throughout the city, turning citizens into zombies and creating mutated creatures.

  • umbrella corporation
  • t-virus
  • outbreak
  • responsible
  • experiments

Movie threads

More Movies Like Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Corporate Conspiracy Movies like Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

Stories where a powerful company's dark secrets unleash apocalyptic horrors. If you enjoyed the dark secrets of the Umbrella Corporation in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, you'll find more thrilling movies here. These films feature similar stories of sinister corporate conspiracies, biohazard outbreaks, and survival against man-made horrors. Discover similar action-horror stories where the most terrifying monsters come from a lab.

  • corporate conspiracy
  • suspenseful
  • paranoid
  • action-packed
  • chaotic
  • thrilling
  • Tone: dark, paranoid, suspenseful
  • Pacing: fast, escalating
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically follows characters, often insiders or survivors, as they peel back the layers of a reputable corporation to expose horrifying experiments. The conflict escalates from isolated incidents to a full-scale crisis, pitting humans against biological abominations they helped create, often in a race against time to contain the outbreak.

Why they belong together: Movies in this thread share a core theme of corporate malfeasance as the primary antagonist. They blend sci-fi horror with thriller elements, creating a sense of paranoia and betrayal. The tone is consistently dark, the pacing is fast as the crisis unfolds, and the intensity is high, driven by the threat of uncontrollable scientific horrors.

Claustrophobic Survival Horror Movies like Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

Stories of groups trapped in confined spaces, fighting relentless monstrous threats. Fans of the tense, confined horror of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City will appreciate these similar movies. This list features films with a strong claustrophobic feel, where characters are trapped and must survive against overwhelming odds. Find more movies with a tense, action-packed pace and horrific creatures in enclosed spaces.

  • claustrophobic
  • tense
  • horrifying
  • suspenseful
  • action-packed
  • paranoid
  • Tone: dark, tense, horrifying
  • Pacing: fast, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The plot revolves around a group of diverse characters—often strangers or acquaintances with past tensions—who become trapped in a single location, such as a building, facility, or besieged town. The narrative is driven by a series of escalating threats, dwindling resources, and interpersonal conflicts, creating a pressure-cooker atmosphere where survival is the only goal.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared oppressive atmosphere and high-tension survival scenarios. They prioritize relentless pacing, high intensity, and a dark tone. The emotional weight comes from the constant peril and the grim reality of survival, often featuring body horror and ambiguous outcomes for the characters.

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Every angle

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) Explained: Plot, Ending, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning, the ending explained and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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