Resident Evil: Degeneration | |
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![]() Japanese theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Makoto Kamiya |
Written by | Shotaro Suga |
Story by | Hiroyuki Kobayashi Yoshiaki Hirabayashi |
Based on | Resident Evil by Capcom |
Produced by | Hiroyuki Kobayashi |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Atsushi Doi Yusaku Toyoshima |
Music by | Tetsuya Takahashi |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
Country | Japan |
Language | English |
Box office | Japan: ¥43 million[1] ($403,117 in 2008)[2] |
Resident Evil: Degeneration, known as Biohazard: Degeneration (バイオハザード:ディジェネレーション, Baiohazādo: Dijenerēshon) in Japan, is a 2008 Japanese adult animated biopunk action horror film directed by Makoto Kamiya. It is the first full-length motion capture animation feature in Capcom's Resident Evil franchise.[3] The film was made by Capcom in cooperation with Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan. Degeneration made its premiere at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show and was released theatrically on October 17, 2008.
Unlike the Resident Evil live-action film series, Degeneration is set within the same universe as the original video game series.[4] The main characters are Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, who appear together for the first time since the 1998 game Resident Evil 2.
Plot[]
In November 2005, Harvardville Airport falls victim to a T-virus attack both from inside the terminal and a crashlanded airline plane. TerraSave worker Claire Redfield coincidentally runs into Senator Ron Davis, a vocal opponent of TerraSave, and they are forced to hide in the VIP lounge with Rani, niece of a TerraSave employee. By nightfall, the airport has been locked down by the local Special Response Team and the United States Army, aiding evacuated survivors. Officers Angela Miller and Greg Glenn are joined by federal agent Leon S. Kennedy. Claire's group is rescued; however, they are forced to leave the infected Greg. Trucks from pharmaceutical corporation WilPharma arrive to administer a T-virus vaccine they created, but are destroyed by explosives. Leon reveals that a terrorist has threatened to unleash the T-virus throughout the U.S. should government officials involved in its creation not be revealed by midnight.
Claire accompanies WilPharma Head Researcher Frederic Downing to their Harvardville research facility. Downing reveals plans to make a G-virus vaccine next, angering Claire because of its danger. Excusing himself, Downing leaves Claire in his office. Claire informs Leon about what Downing said and learns that he and Angela have found the house of her brother Curtis on fire. Downing phones Claire, warning her about a man who has activated a time bomb. Claire spots Curtis in the building's central garden, then the bomb detonates.
Leon and Angela arrive at the facility and split up. Leon reunites with Claire, while Angela reunites with Curtis, who reveals the American government's involvement in covering up Raccoon City's destruction. Having injected himself with the G-virus, he mutates and kills a squad of marines. Leon saves Angela as the atrium garden begins to fall apart, with the wreckage temporarily crushing Curtis. The computer system then incinerates the building to prevent the viruses from spreading. Angela and Leon jump into a pool of water to avoid being burned alive. After shooting a glass partition to avoid drowning, the two find themselves in an underground area. Meanwhile, Claire makes it to the command center, attempting to halt a biohazard alarm and open the building. However, the detection of Curtis triggers an outbreak containment failsafe in which the laboratory falls into the abyss to trap any infection.
Curtis attacks them, seeing Leon as a threat and Angela as a mate. Curtis regains control, telling Angela to run before losing himself again. As the sections are ejected, Leon and Angela evade Curtis, only to hang from a broken catwalk. About to fall, Curtis grabs hold of Angela's leg but is shot by Leon and falls to his death. In the aftermath, Claire accuses Senator Davis of orchestrating everything to improve WilPharma stock. Leon reveals Davis is innocent; making Claire realize that Downing is the actual mastermind of the T-vaccine's destruction, the bombing of the research building, and the recent bioterrorism incidents. Meanwhile, Downing talks to General Grandé, a client of his eager to buy the T-virus now that news reports have revealed its potential, though he warns against using the G-virus. Waiting for a contact to sell WilPharma information to, Downing mistakes a car containing Leon and Claire for his contact; he is later arrested by the police for his crimes.
Downing confesses to being a former Umbrella researcher who stole both viruses, escaped prior to the Raccoon City incident and created his current identity. Downing used his alias to sell the viruses to potential customers while researching the vaccine. Angela realizes Downing manipulated Curtis, but Claire notes that even though this does not clear his name, he wanted to prevent another Raccoon City just like she, Leon, and Angela do.
Meanwhile, news reports reveal Davis has resigned from office over allegations of insider stock trading with WilPharma stocks. A newspaper draped over Davis' face reveals that another company, Tricell Incorporated, has offered to purchase the now-bankrupt WilPharma. At this point, Davis is revealed to have been assassinated by Tricell, with the company deleting all of Davis's computer files on WilPharma and recovering G-virus samples from Curtis's corpse.
Cast[]
- Paul Mercier as Leon S. Kennedy
- Alyson Court as Claire Redfield
- Laura Bailey as Angela Miller
- Roger Craig Smith as Curtis Miller
- Crispin Freeman as Frederic Downing
- Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Rani's aunt
- Michelle Ruff as Rani Chawla
- Michael Sorich as Senator Ron Davis
- Steven Blum as Greg Glenn
- Salli Saffioti as Ingrid Hunnigan
Production[]
Sony Pictures Entertainment, the distributor of previous Resident Evil films, wanted to create a full CG film version of Biohazard. In 2006, Capcom joined, but the production process did not start until a year later, after director Makoto Kamiya, screenwriter Shotaro Suga and Digital Frontier joined the project.[5] In late 2007, seven actors flew to Japan for the shoot. During the ten days stay in Tokyo, the crew benefited from two studios for body and facial capture, then used 50 PCs, total of 200CPUs to do the rendering for 1300 cuts.[6] The Japanese singer and lyricist Anna Tsuchiya sang the ending theme for the film, titled "GUILTY".[7]
While Leon acts sarcastic in Resident Evil 4, he behaves more coldly in the CGI movie; Mercier believes Capcom wanted to make a different take on Leon when developing the movie. Nevertheless, the actor expressed joy in the making of the movie.[8]
Release[]
Degeneration made its premiere in Japan on October 10, 2008, at the Tokyo Game Show.[9][10] It received a limited theatrical release in Japan starting on October 17, 2008, in Shinjuku.[11][12] The next day, the film opened in Nagoya and Osaka.[9] It also had a limited theatrical release in the United States, opening on November 13 in New York City and November 18 in Los Angeles.[13] A sneak-peek trailer of the first eight minutes of the film was also shown in the North American Home Theater of PlayStation Home.
Resident Evil: Degeneration was released on UMD, DVD, and Blu-ray formats in December 2008 (on December 26 in Japan and December 27 in North America).[14] It was later released in the European Union in January–February 2009. More than 1.6 million home video copies were shipped as of September 2010.[11]
The special features include the "Generation of Degeneration" featurette, character profiles, voice bloopers, a mock-up Leon interview, five trailers, two Resident Evil 5 trailers and previews. In the "Generation of Degeneration" special feature, the filmmakers explain that this film is in effect "Resident Evil 4.5", i.e. showing what happens after Resident Evil 4.[9][15]
Mobile game[]
Nokia and Capcom created a game loosely based on the film for the N-Gage mobile gaming service.[16] This game was released on December 18, 2008,[17] while the iPhone version was released on May 10, 2009.[18] Despite being a main character in the film, Claire is not playable, with Leon being the sole protagonist and playable character in the game. The game takes place in the airport from the early scenes of the film and also contains enemies not seen in the actual film but seen in previous games, such as Cerberuses and the three Tyrants from Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil - Code: Veronica.[19][18][20]
Reception[]
Box office[]
Even though the film had only a limited 2-week / 3-screen theatrical release in Japan, box office sales surpassed ¥40 million, mobilizing 33,000 people.[1][11][12]
Critical response[]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 67% based on review from 6 critics.[21]
Wired News criticized the "unrealistic animation, lame plot, and forced dialogue", noting that the film was "like a 90-minute-long videogame cut scene".[13] Kim Newman of Empire magazine gave it 2 out of 5 and said fans might be pleased but newcomers won't care and should not start here.[22] IGN also stated that the film "looks and feels like a 90-minute cut scene [...] which isn't to say that the movie is bad—it's not—just that it lacks a clear identity or voice. [...] It's worth watching, but probably not more than once."[23] Matthew Reynolds from Den of Geek gave it 2 out of 5, and wrote "The gruesome Tyrant just about rescues this mild 90 minute cutscene from being entirely pointless" but concluded "it's tame action and absent plot will fail to please fans and outside spectators alike."[24] Steve Barton of Dread Central gave it 2.5 out of 5. Comparing it to live-action Resident Evil films, he wrote that it was "sadly [...] not much better" than them.[25] Charles Cassady Jr of Common Sense Media gave the film 2 out of 5 stars. Cassady said that due to the CGI animation "you're rarely engaged with the story in the rudimentary degree you might were these flesh-and-blood actors."[26] Chris Plante of UGO.com gave it a grade B, and wrote: "It's violent. It's canonical. It's a Resident Evil game made into a film, both for better and for worse, but above all else, it's a gory good time."[27]
Home media[]
Over 1.6 million DVD and Blu-ray units were sold worldwide.[28][11] An estimated $11,232,337 were grossed from home media sales in the United States.[29]
At the 35th Saturn Awards, the film was nominated for Best DVD Release.[30] The Blu-ray version has received a high reputation in terms of functionality, such as receiving the "Best in Interactivity Award" at the 1st DEG Japan Awards hosted by Digital Entertainment Group Japan.[31][15]
Sequel[]
On September 14, 2010, Capcom and Sony Pictures Entertainment announced a sequel to the film titled Resident Evil: Damnation, released in 2012. The film features Leon S. Kennedy as its main character and was theatrically released in 3D in Japan.[11]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "土屋アンナ、映画『バイオハザード ダムネーション』主題歌を書き下ろし!". Cinema Today. July 19, 2012. https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0044175.
- ↑ "Resident Evil: Degeneration". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2021-02-04. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Resident Evil: Degeneration - Production Blog". Archived from the original on 2012-11-26. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "CAPCOM". Archived from the original on October 30, 2007. Retrieved 2015-08-08.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "Digital Frontier | CG MAKING | biohazard DEGENERATION". Digital Frontier. Archived from the original on 2021-09-19. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Digital Frontier | CG MAKING | biohazard DEGENERATION PAGE02-2". Digital Frontier. Archived from the original on 2021-09-19. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "エンディング・テーマソングは土屋アンナさん!!!:biohazardcg製作者ブログ:So-net blog". Archived from the original on 2008-10-25. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Revil, Interviews". Resident Evil. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Brad Miska (January 26, 2009). "resident evil: DEGENERATION - PRODUCTION BLOG". Sony Pictures. Archived from the original on 2009-01-26.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Garnett Lee. "Resident Evil: Degeneration makes World Wide Premier". 1up. Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 "CAPCOM AND SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN ANNOUNCE THE COPRODUCTION OF "RESIDENT EVIL: DAMNATION" IN 3D". Capcom. September 14, 2010. http://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/news/pdf/e100914.pdf.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "ソニー・ピクチャーズ - プレスリリース -2012/4/20-". June 16, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-06-16.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ 13.0 13.1 Kohler, Chris. "Review: Resident Evil: Degeneration's Boring Puppet Show". Wired.com. https://www.wired.com/2008/10/review-resident-2/. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ↑ "Resident Evil: Degeneration DVD/Blu-ray Specs". BloodyDisgusting. 2 September 2008. Archived from the original on 3 September 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ 15.0 15.1 (in ja)4Gamer. 2009-03-04. https://www.4gamer.net/games/072/G007207/20090304042/.
- ↑ "Nokia and Capcom resurrect classic franchise with Resident Evil Degeneration". Nokia. Archived from the original on 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Resident Evil: Degeneration is here!". Nokia. Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ 18.0 18.1 Levi Buchanan (12 May 2009). "Resident Evil: Degeneration iPhone Review". IGN.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Resident Evil: Degeneration (iPhone)". www.pocketgamer.com. 13 May 2009. Archived from the original on 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Resident Evil Degeneration | Middle East Gamers". Tbreak.com. February 13, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-02-13.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Resident Evil: Degeneration". Empire. 19 December 2008. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Christopher Monfette (3 December 2008). "Resident Evil: Degeneration Blu-ray Review - IGN". IGN.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Matt Reynolds (January 26, 2009). "Resident Evil: Degeneration DVD review". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Resident Evil: Degeneration (Blu-ray / DVD)". December 12, 2008. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Charles Cassady Jr. (14 January 2009). "Resident Evil: Degeneration Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ Chris Plante (October 28, 2008). "Resident Evil: Degeneration Review". UGO. Archived from the original on 2010-02-11.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Resident Evil Damnation Hits Theaters in October". Andriasang. April 19, 2012. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008) - Video Sales". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 2017-07-22. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Saturn Award Nominees". IGN. 12 March 2009. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ GREG TARR (February 23, 2009). "DEG Japan Awards Top Blu-ray Titles". TWICE. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
{{cite web}}
:
External links[]

- Official Sony Pictures Resident Evil Degeneration website
- Official Capcom Biohazard Degeneration (in Japanese)
- Resident Evil: Degeneration at the Internet Movie Database
- Resident Evil: Degeneration (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
Sony theatrical animated features | ||
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Sony Pictures Animation | Open Season (2006) • Surf's Up (2007) • Open Season 2 (2008) • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) • Open Season 3 (2010) • The Smurfs (2011) • Arthur Christmas (2011) • The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012) • Hotel Transylvania (2012) • The Smurfs 2 (2013) • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) • Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) • Goosebumps (2015) • Open Season: Scared Silly (2015) • Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) • The Emoji Movie (2017) • The Star (2017) • Peter Rabbit (2018) • Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) • Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018) • Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) • The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019) • The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) • Wish Dragon (2021) • Vivo (2021) • Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022) • Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) • Fixed (TBA; distributed by New Line Cinema through Warner Bros. Pictures) | |
Madhouse | Memories (1995) • Metropolis (2001) • Tokyo Godfathers (2003) • Paprika (2006) • Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013) • Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (2014) | |
Aniplex / Funimation / Crunchyroll |
Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture (1997) • Tekkonkinkreet (2006) • Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (2016) • Your Name (2016) • Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale (2017) • Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl (2018) • My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019) • Violet Evergarden: The Movie (2020) • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train (2020) • Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2020) • Sing a Bit of Harmony (2021) • My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission (2021) • Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night (2021) • Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (2021) • Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night (2021) • Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village (2022) • The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie (2022) • Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022) • One Piece Film: Red (2022) • Kaguya-sama: Love Is War – The First Kiss That Never Ends (2022) • That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie – Scarlet Bond (2023) • Suzume (2023) • Psycho-Pass Providence (2023) • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training (2024) • Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out (2024) • Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid (2024) • Spy × Family Code: White (2024) | |
Live-action/ animated |
Stuart Little (1999) • Stuart Little 2 (2002) • Pixels (2015) • Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021) • Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022) • Harold and the Purple Crayon (2024) • Animal Friends (2025) | |
Co-productions | 1001 Arabian Nights (1959) • The Magic World of Topo Gigio (1961) • The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon (1963) • Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (1964) • The Man Called Flintstone (1966) • Jack and the Beanstalk (1974) • American Pop (1981) • Heavy Metal (1981) • Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986) • Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw (1988) • The Swan Princess (1994) • Manuelita (1999) • Heavy Metal 2000 (2000) • The Trumpet of the Swan (2001) • Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) • Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001) • Eight Crazy Nights (2002) • The Triplets of Belleville (2003) • Steamboy (2004) • Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) • Monster House (2006) • Persepolis (2007) • The Sky Crawlers (2008) • Waltz with Bashir (2008) • Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008) • First Squad: The Moment of Truth (2009) • Planet 51 (2009) • The Illusionist (2010) • Legend of the Millennium Dragon (2011) • The Adventures of Tintin (2011) • Adventures in Zambezia (2012) • Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012) • Resident Evil: Damnation (2012) • The Angry Birds Movie (2016) • Sausage Party (2016) • The Red Turtle (2016) • Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017) • Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017) • Ruben Brandt, Collector (2019) • Tabaluga (2019) • The Barkers: Mind the Cats! (2020) • Secret Magic Control Agency (2021) • Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (2022) • Resident Evil: Death Island (2023) • The Garfield Movie (2024) | |
Franchises | The Swan Princess (1994-2023) • Stuart Little (1999–2005) • Final Fantasy (2001–2016) • Open Season (2006–present) • Surf's Up (2007–2017) • Resident Evil (since 2008) • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009–2013) • The Smurfs (2011–2017) • Starship Troopers (2012–2017) • Hotel Transylvania (2012–2022) • Goosebumps (2015–2018) • The Angry Birds Movie (2016–2019) • Sword Art Online (since 2017) • Peter Rabbit (2018–2021) • My Hero Academia (since 2018) • Spider-Verse (since 2018) • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (since 2021) • Dragon Ball (since 2022) | |
See also | Sony Pictures Animation (Unproduced projects) • Sony Pictures Imageworks • Crunchyroll, LLC • Madhouse • Sony Pictures Television Kids • Adelaide Productions • Screen Gems Cartoons • United Productions of America |
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