Resident Evil is the kind of franchise that needs no introductions. The movie series starring Milla Jovovich is just that mainstream, and the ever restless diatribe between game and movie fans has kept it firmly in the spotlight.
The original Japanese videogame on which the movies are based was developed by Capcom in 1996. Originally titled Biohazard, the game falls into the survival horror genre, de facto bringing zombies back into pop culture. The themes and setting won Resident Evil points for its originality, making it a hit among gamers. Although the game was developed at first for the PlayStation One, its fortune really never knew a standstill. Yet the franchise experienced a massive revival in 2002, with the release of the highly successful ‘Resident Evil’ movie series starring Milla Jovovich as the lead character, Alice.
‘Resident Evil’ changed the nature of horror science-fiction and gave it a unique, very personal drive. From 2002 to 2016 the series was a recurring block-buster, drawing Netflix‘s interest.
Back in February the streaming platform announced to be looking into an adaptation of Resident Evil. The project was deep underway all through the following months and the official release may be now looming closer.
Netflix’s Resident Evil, what is it all about?
The Netflix original series inspired by Resident Evil should be directed by Brownen Hughes; the “Walking Dead” writer is going to direct the very first two episodes at the very least. Andrew Dabb, from “Supernatural”, has been recently confirmed as the series’s showrunner. Even if just on the paper, it sounds like the series may have all the right cards for a horror classic.
But is Netflix’s original Resident Evil series going to be a reboot, a remake of the movie series or a brand-original story?
The series focusses on Wesker’s daughters Billie and Jade, who are seventeen when the first episode picks up. The two teenager girls have only just moved into New Raccoon City with their father.
The entirely artificial town has been developed by all-powerful industrial corporations whose scopes are getting increasingly out of scale. Billie and Jade are uprooted from their home and thrown into the unsettling and unfamiliar landscape whilst dealing with the typical teenage restlessness. Yet there is far bigger problems brewing at the horizon.
Behind the sophisticated hi-tech exterior of New Raccoon City lay some very dark and dangerous secrets – secrets that, if exposed, may have terrible consequences. Billie and Jade soon begin to suspect that their own father may be involved and that they themselves may be sinking deeper and deeper into the town’s obscure mysteries…
Two parallel storylines revolving around Jade Wesker
The Resident Evil series on Netflix then jumps some ten years ahead in the future to follow a second plotline. Jade Wesker is once again one of the main characters as she struggles to survive ina dramatically altered scenario.
Earth was swept by the Virus T plague infecting both animals and human beings alike. Those who contracted the virus, and survived, have been turned into aggressive, blood-thirsty zombies.
Jade, now in her thirties, must make her way into a decaying world with a handful of survivors. Life on Earth has meanwhile turned into a post-apocalyuptic nightmare, where each day is a strenuous fight from which no one is sure to emerge the winner.
Yet Jade is holding some momentous secretss dating back to over ten years ago and involving her sister and her father’s fate.
The audience’s split opinions on the new Resident Evil series
Netflix’s official announcement caused some strife in the Resident Evil fans community.
Die-hard gamers who have expressed their distaste for the Constantin Film saga are, on their half, less than thrilled. The new Netflix series suffers in their eyes from the same flaws that were a trademark of the movies; that would be, relying too loosely on the original gaming lore.
Gamers would have preferred a more faithful cinematic adaptation of the iconic game, but their hopes were severely let down.
The TV series relies far more on the movie and only draws some elements from the lore of the games – throwing some light into the ultimate villains of the franchise; the sinister Umbrella Corps that unleashed the Virus T on Earth, paving the way for an atrocious zombie apocalypse.
Unsurprisingly, Netflix’s series originated from agreements between the streaming platform and Constantin Film.
Yet fans of the movie series are over-the-moon about Netflix’s announcement and eagerly look foward to this enthralling new chapter in a best-loved franchise.
Easter eggs and tips-of-the-hat, as well as new exciting surprises, should abound in the new series – or so Netflix promises. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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