Seven movies, countless video games and now a television show. How can a zombie product have this much content thrown into its general plot and still sustain audiences both new and old that brings the same excitement and joy the fans would want? It really is a question I didn’t think would have a positive answer, but somehow the new Resident Evil series delivers on all cylinders and then some. Whether you’ve been around since Alice’s first introduction in 1996 or 2002 (depending on if you were a gamer or film fan) or have just discovered the fun zombie franchise, you will certainly be in for a treat with this near 8-hour spectacle that tells us a lot of nothing while also telling us a lot.
There is so much to unpack about the new Resident Evil series, but what truly stands out is the fact this could be your first introduction to the franchise and the only thing you would miss would be some of the nuanced easter eggs that fans are going to clamp on and be excited by. All you need to know, if you know nothing else about Resident Evil is there is a zombie apocalypse in full swing created by the T-Virus and an outbreak of zombies reveals the Umbrella Corporations hidden secrets.
As someone whose sort of oblivious to the Resident Evil franchise past the movies (minus the new movie) and only really aware of Alice and cohorts, the introduction of Jade Wesker played by Ella Balinska means absolutely nothing to me. I assume she’s a completely new character, and if she is that is great because there is nothing about her character to the casual fan that will get lost on them. She plays the role excellently and carries the series on her back keeping the audience looped into what is going on in Racoon City and the things going on within Umbrella, especially with relation to her father, Albert played by Lance Reddick.
There is so much that gets told throughout eight episodes of Resident Evil and it never goes to heavy handed with the zombies and becomes too much of a good thing. Sure eight hours of zombie mayhem sounds great, but if the story is going to suffer, which it surely would’ve, then it doesn’t need to happen. Resident Evil makes sure to tell its story, while focusing on the zombie and horror elements that the franchise is known for while grounding itself in a story that lends itself to eight hours and launches audiences into a very much needed season two and hopefully more.
It is so rare for a franchise that has been around for almost thirty years to still feel fresh and revitalized especially in a televised state. Somehow the television series does exactly that though, there is so much careful attention and excitement packed throughout the show. The only issue that really can be discussed is that there is a massive twist at the ending of episode six or beginning of episode seven, so audiences are sort of forced/begged to watch the entire show as soon as possible to avoid the spoilers. That is the case with anything that drops entirely at once versus weekly or even theatrically, it is just the world we live in. So when you start watching Resident Evil, block out a chunk of your time, grab some popcorn and enjoy the excitement and zombie goodness that is coming. To inject a franchise that is based on the dead, with so much life and excitement after umpteenth video games and seven movies is a surprise in of itself. The undead is coming for us, and the best way to prepare is to watch Resident Evil (the television series).