Netflix has come a long way in its adaptations of video game series. The Witcher and Castlevania are fantastic examples of how to make the jump while keeping the overall feel of the game and providing excitement through nostalgia. So, it was pretty much a no-brainer that I had to check out Netflix’s Resident Evil live-action series. As a long-time Capcom, Resident Evil and horror game/movie/tv series fan, this should have been right up my alley. But does it live up to the expectations set forth by the beloved franchise? In our honest opinion, it falls rather flat.
Resident Evil isn’t a franchise that needs a massive amount of additional content in order to adapt the story from a video game to a tv series or movie. In fact, this isn’t even close to the first time we have seen an adaptation of Capcom’s series. But where most of the live-action adaptations try to retell the same stories, this one introduces a brand new story. A tale showrunner Andrew Dabb has teased fits into the video game’s canon timeline. And this is where some of the frustration with the series comes into play.
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I spent the vast majority of my watch through trying to figure out how exactly this Resident Evil fit in with the rest. When you name one of your main characters Albert Wesker, played by the incredible Lance Reddick, fans are going to expect some mind-blowing twists and turns. Instead, it left me confused and waiting for those big wow moments. Maybe a second season will further explore the connections or even a future game, but the wait isn’t worth it.

Another downfall of the Resident Evil series is how it divides the story. The series opens as an older Jade (Ella Balinska) introduces us to the zombie-filled post-apocalyptic world of 2036. We are then thrown into the past (2022) as Albert Wesker moves his two daughters, Jade (Tamara Smart) and Billie (Siena Agundong), to New Raccoon City. We are then thrown between both timelines over the next eight episodes. I don’t typically dislike this style of storytelling, but when one time period heavily outdoes the other, there is a problem.
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The series could have better benefited by giving significant focus to either one storyline or the other. Personally, I found more enjoyment in the New Raccoon City/Wesker family storyline. The inner workings of Umbrella Corp, the new kids in high school drama and the lead-up to the world-ending infection were worth investing time in. The 2036 storyline had good moments but felt like any zombie tv series. Less focus on the shambling creatures and more on how terrible we are as human beings. There are other tv shows that have handled this concept and done it better.
The big thing that Netflix and Dabb’s Resident Evil adaptation gets right is its casting. Reddick, Smart and Agundong are excellent in the 2022 storyline. Reddick plays the overworked dad struggling to time to actually be a dad very well. He might not always be the best parent, but he does try. The sisters are the real star of the show, though. The way the two interact with each other, their father, the kids around school, and the events taking place around them are what drive this story forward.

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I wouldn’t say that Netflix’s Resident Evil is a bad series per se. It has its struggles, but it wasn’t a terrible watch. It makes for a decent zombie series, but it would be a stretch to say it falls high on the list of best Resident Evil series. It really just goes to show that throwing in references to significant themes, easter eggs, and big names from the franchise isn’t enough. Had they chosen to have their main characters be entirely new characters with no mysterious connection to Wesker, it would have felt like a real story within the world.
One thing I am happy to report is that this series does contain a plethora of zombies, mutated dogs, lickers and other iconic monsters from the franchise. It definitely doesn’t hold back on the gore either. Watching Jade go head to head with zombies does draw connections to the video game franchises. The only thing I wish they had done more was the horror side. The franchise has forever been rooted in horror and while we get some of that, this series is far from a horror series.
I won’t say that you shouldn’t watch Netflix’s Resident Evil. In fact, I hope fans of the franchise and horror tv series give this a try. While it struggles to find its place among the other Resident Evil series and movies, it is still a decent zombie show. And I really want to see precisely how they will be tying this series into the canon universe. Or if that is just wishful thinking on all our parts. And another season might just bring more zombies because we can always use more zombies.
Resident Evil will be available to stream starting July 14, 2022, on Netflix.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/6-horror-queens-from-the-resident-evil-video-game-franchise/
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