Resident Evil. Usually when I hear that title, I'm immediately transported to Raccoon City and hearing Nemesis calling out "S.T.A.R.S." I love the games. I played the hell out of RESIDENT EVIL 2make. Resident Evil 7 was an interesting turn. And I managed to even enjoy RE3make, even though that may have an issue here and there.
By now, we have had 7 films focusing on this franchise. A few were solid, some were okay, and then there's a couple more that are guilty pleasures. The last one, Welcome to Raccoon City, was definitely one that I enjoyed a lot. I'm hoping that it'll see a sequel as it didn't get quite the turn out due to pandemic.
We have also had some animated films. Each one has found itself connected to the games timeline. There was also Infinite Darkness, which I have heard that it's not necessarily a fan favorite.
Netflix announced that they were going to do a live action Resident Evil series. At first, I'll admit I was a bit skeptical. Why? The story has been told a few different times. What could it do different?
Well, it turns out there's a lot of different things left to approach the material. With this incarnation, its treating the games a bit as canon. But we are also introduced to the Wesker Twins, Jade and Billie. Yes, I said Wesker. Their father is Albert Wesker, played by the awesome Lance Reddick. One of the things I really love about this series is that the story is weaved between two timelines - 2022 and then 2036. So we are able to see a post apocalyptic version of the world. It's honestly has a bit of Mad Max flair in one sequence.
I honestly was a bit worried. I mean it easily could have felt like something on the CW. Thankfully, it does not fall into that. As of right now, I am two episodes into the season. It has an interesting original story that also shows some familiar RE staples: Dog and giant creatures for example.
If you are looking for something interesting and entertaining, give this a shot. It's not what we typically think of when we see anything Resident Evil related. It is able to spin things into something new. And that's pretty damn cool. It's a step in the right direction. I am hoping that it does well enough for a Season 2.
Update: After seeing through Episode 5, I am thrilled to say that this is a step on the right direction. I know there's a bit of negative feedback going around. However, I feel like it's definitely not as bad as they are making it out to be. It has continued to do some awesome things. The way it weaves the stories and Lore of the games in a unique way. It's a solid sequel to the games. And the Easter eggs are so fantastic.
Episode 4 has a big highlight for me with one sequence. When you see it, you'll know what I'm talking about.
Episode 5 is definitely Resident Evil through and through. It's just not featured in a Mansion.
Rating: Recommended.
Resident Evil is available on Netflix.
