The Welcome To Raccoon City Easter Egg That Didn't Make The Cut
In the latest feature adaptation of the popular "Resident Evil" video game franchise, writer and director Johannes Roberts gave what gamers have been asking for since Paul W.S. Anderson's original film series: he delivered a film that was a faithful adaptation of the source material. Roberts' reboot borrowed elements from the "Resident Evil" and "Resident Evil 2" games, with "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" following Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy as they try to make their way through the Raccoon City Police Department overrun by the genetically mutated undead. Meanwhile, Claire's brother Chris, Jill Valentine, and Albert Wesker attempt to figure out what caused the outbreak, and solve the mysteries hidden inside the Spencer Mansion.
Roberts' film differs wildly from Paul W.S. Anderson's films, namely due to the attention to detail paid to game references. The Turning Around Zombie makes an appearance in the Spencer mansion, the iconic "itchy tasty" diary entry from the first "Resident Evil" is morphed into a spoken line from a woman slowly mutating from the effects of the T-virus, the dad-joke of "Jill sandwich" made its way into the final script, there's a reference to the Ashford twins from "Resident Evil: Code Veronica," and Claire catching a ride from a truck driver is an almost shot-for-shot reenactment of the same scene in the "Resident Evil 2" game, just to name a few key moments. Roberts clearly has a great love for the video game franchise and turned "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" into a treasure trove of Easter eggs for diehard fans. However, there was one major Easter egg Roberts wanted to include that unfortunately never made it into the final film that would have made fans of "Resident Evil 5" very, very happy.
Chris Redfield is 'a boulder punching a-hole'
In one of the most heavily memed moments in "Resident Evil" franchise history, "Resident Evil 5" shows protagonist Chris Redfield and his partner Sheva trapped in a volcano with Albert Wesker. In order to get through the volcano, Chris needs to punch a boulder in order to turn it into a platform that he and Sheva can use to move to safety. Fans have turned this absurd moment into the go-to reference to mock Chris Redfield, as well as indicate where the "Resident Evil" franchise as a whole "jumped the shark," before redeeming itself with impressive installments like "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard," "Resident Evil: Village," and some successful remakes of "Resident Evil 2 & 3." The moment is even referenced in "Resident Evil: Village" when during the Heisenberg boss fight, he calls Chris a "boulder punching a-hole," meaning meme has surpassed fan usage and become a canonical insult for Chris Redfield.
Knowing the legacy of the scene, Roberts' thought it would be fun to include the scene, but recognized that there wasn't a place for it thematically to fit in the film he had created.
"Robbie has such a great sense of humor, and it was just like, 'Oh, man. We've got to somehow put this in,'" Roberts said in an interview with IGN. "We never found how to make it work, and all I can hope is that somewhere in this new envisioning of the 'Resident Evil' world that it all leads to this big, our Chapter 10, whatever it is of 'Resident Evil,' is Robbie punching his way through a boulder."
Robbie Amell is known for his work in "The Flash" and "The Babysitter," and spends most of the latter shirtless and delivering ridiculous one-liners. Punching a boulder is absolutely within his wheelhouse.
The possible future of Raccoon City movies
"Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" features a mid-credits sequence that sets up the potential for plenty of sequels in his cinematic universe, but as of publication, Sony has yet to give the green light to a future "Resident Evil" film. Roberts' film unfortunately didn't pull in the massive box office numbers that Anderson's series did, due to a pandemic release and franchise fandom burnout in the wake of the previous series. Netflix recently dropped the teaser trailer for their unrelated spin-off series focusing on franchise baddie Albert Wesker (Lance Reddick) and his family, but if anyone deserves to have a "Resident Evil" franchise, it's Johannes Roberts.
The dedication Roberts put into making the film a faithful interpretation of the series was a monumental gift to fans, and with an unapologetic "Resident Evil" fanboy at the helm, Roberts is more than capable of bringing to life the stories fans fell in love with through the games. The film performed better internationally than it did in the United States, and audiences enjoyed the film much more than critics did. Hopefully Sony will make the right move and allow Roberts to continue plotting out his vision, and one day, we'll finally get the opportunity to see Robbie Amell punch through a boulder.