Resident Evil is one of the most profitable, longest-running, and respected franchises in the video game industry. With any piece of video game media that gets popular, there’s always a Hollywood executive looking to capitalize on the Intellectual Property and turn it into a movie or TV show.
The survival-horror megahit has gotten its fair share of live-action films and shows dedicated to it, in the past. Unfortunately, most, if not all are subpar.
While the bar is extremely low when it comes to other forms of media aside from the games themselves for the franchise, Netflix’s new series centered around a New Racoon City, a familiar villain, and a couple of interesting new characters is worth the watch. Let us discuss the reasons why Netflix’s Resident Evil is probably the best depiction of the franchise in TV or film.
As early as now, we are issuing a MAJOR SPOILER WARNING as we’re going to discuss a bit of the plot and major revelations throughout the entirety of the first season. With that out of the way, let’s get right into it.
Knows the Source Material
If you’re a Resident Evil fan, you know exactly what’s wrong with the multiple films and why they ultimately bombed; lack of fidelity to the source material.
Netflix’s Resident Evil series is by no means perfect. However, the creators know their history. From nods to the death of Albert Wesker in the fifth installment of the main game line series to the nuking of the original Raccoon City, they did their homework, and we fans highly appreciate that.
Not to mention casting Paola Núñez to play the role of Evelyn Marcus, the daughter of the co-founder of the Umbrella Corporation James Marcus. There are also nods to Tyrants, giant man-eating spiders, and the classic zombie dogs.
We can go on and on with all the easter eggs the showrunners have incorporated. However, the main point is, that they know what they’re doing, and the more “fan service-y” aspect of these inclusions serves a great purpose and is not just thrown in there for shock value.
Expanding the Lore
This is where Netflix’s Resident Evil really shined. The showrunners could’ve easily gone back to the proverbial zombie well and rehashed old ideas. But, no. The creators saw great potential in expanding the lore of the franchise and introduced us to Jade and Billie Wesker. While we’re not going in-depth into who these two are, we will say this.
Jade and Billie’s story arc in the series is full of history, depth, excitement, and intrigue that if game creators of the franchise wanted to pull a trigger on a game spin-off, nobody would be opposed to it.
It helped a lot that they intertwined the stories of Billie and Jade with past events, laying a solid foundation for them to create their own stories and add to the Resident Evil lore.
A Necessary Evil
While the series did not appease critics, most fans love the new Resident Evil series. Netflix finally provided loyal RE fans something they could sink their teeth into (no pun intended). Netflix’s Resident Evil did a splendid job in paying homage to the video games, providing fan service, and expanding the franchise’s universe.
We’re giving it a 7.5 out of 10. Again, it’s not at all perfect. There are a few inconsistencies here and there. While nothing too big, there’s still room for improvement. Here’s hoping for a second season, considering the major Ada Wong namedrop on the last episode of the first season!
What did you think of Netflix’s new Resident Evil series? Did you enjoy it? Sound off in the comments section below.
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