Ever since AMC’s “The Walking Dead” sank its teeth into pop culture, zombie shows have been making a resurgence on TV at an apocalyptic rate. Netflix alone has tons of shows and movies like Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, Korean high school drama All of Us Are Dead, period horror The Kingdom, and even the dark comedy The Santa Clarita Diet. To differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack, each of these post-Walking Dead shows had to reimagine the classic zombie story, experimenting with genre or setting. Netflix’s “Resident Evil” is no different, with a multi-timeline take on the undead, teen drama, and a sci-fi pharmaceutical company with a penchant for world domination.
The “Resident Evil” franchise has existed for more than 25 years, launching in the mid-90s as a horror game that terrified players with its grotesque monsters and haunted world. It has since been reanimated as a franchise of dozens of spinoffs, TV series, and several movies led by Milla Jovovich. However, Netflix’s “Resident Evil” takes a different approach, focusing on the Wesker family, which includes their distant father Albert Wesker (Lance Reddick) and twins Jade and Billie Wesker (Tamara Smart and Siena Agudong). Casual Resident Evil fans will no doubt recognize Albert Wesker as one of the franchise’s main villains, but the series recasts him as a cold, subtle father figure who creates some of the most compelling moments as his mysterious past unfolds.
Unfortunately, Reddick’s moments in “Resident Evil” are limited to one storyline, as it shifts from present-day New Raccoon City, another reference to video games that intrigue fans, to 2036, where a zombie virus has ravaged the world. Compared to the other characters, Albert Wesker’s pseudo-antagonist/mad scientist/bad father runs the show. But the show is as lifeless as a flesh-hungry zombie when he’s not around.
The present-day plot is a mix of bland high school drama and pharmaceutical corruption, while the future events of 2036, starring Ella Balinska as jaded and traumatized adult Jade Wesker, veers between zombie tropes and tired genre tropes. Since half the show is set in the future, there are some twists later on – mainly “Who’s still alive in 2036 and how did they survive?” – but the different zombie parts do not form a single zombie whole.
Horror and undead fans, on the other hand, can sink their teeth into the zombie action of “Resident Evil.” There are plenty of gore-soaked moments, including some gory kills and zombie-animal hybrids that are terrific fun. Video game fans will also notice a number of animated references, such as feral zombie dogs and a brutal chainsaw sequence for fun.
“Resident Evil” doesn’t reinvent the zombie wheel because it juggles too many storylines without developing a single vision for the series. Fans of the genre series can find enjoyable moments amidst this apocalyptic story. Reddick also gives a dynamic performance as the show progresses, but his absence from scenes leaves viewers hungry.
optional screen reader
Read More About:
