Netflix recently released its first trailer for its upcoming resident Evil TV series to take place in the world of games. However, the series could take a completely different direction instead of retelling the iconic stories that fans have played through. But in doing so, fans are divided as it seems another live-action object based on the hit gaming franchise hasn’t learned from the films’ mistakes.
resident Evil takes place sometime in the future after what remains of Raccoon City has been replaced by a new community called New Raccoon City. The contemporary monochromatic city has the appearance of an ideal city. But because the Umbrella Corporation oversees it, the sins they built their new parasite over are allowed to bubble to the surface. However, much like the films, the biggest problem is a lack of fidelity to the source material.
In the original film series, fans followed the character of Alice as she interacted with characters from the games but existed in her own world and narrative. Unfortunately, this meant that famous characters from the games like Leon and moments like his struggle to survive in Raccoon City were either deleted or heavily edited. This left fans with an odd feeling of being entertained while still longing for a story that adequately captured the characters and essence of the games. But even on the other end of that spectrum, minor changes and tightening of the narrative have failed the films.
the last movie trip Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, was steeped in lore from the games and characters like Leon, Chris and Claire Redfield and Wesker. However, the decision to change the scale of Raccoon City and consolidate the first three games into one story made the film feel rushed. Worse, the narrative impact of certain moments and character interactions were covered so quickly that they felt more like fanservice.
In the end it turned out that a balance was needed between methodical storytelling and elements and characters from the games. And while there might still be hope that this new series follows that plan, after the trailer’s almost zero hints at what came before or character appearances, it feels like it’s more of the same. Therefore, even the new characters might suffer as their elaborated arcs might get proper attention.
There is a saying that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. For now, residents Evil’s live-action media might be an example of this, as the new series gave fans a similar feel to the previous films. However, since the show isn’t officially out yet, there’s still hope that there could be greater connections to the universe and a greater focus on its most iconic characters. Until then, fans will have to wait and see if this new series continues the games legacy or goes its own way.
To see how the Netflix series integrates the games, Resident Evil is coming to Netflix on July 14th.
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Varis Van zel 