Plus some Umbrella lore
The latest trailer for Netflix’s Resident Evil live-action series is out. Amid the Umbrella messaging and world full of zombies, it really does seem to be doing its own thing with the source material.
The series looks to take place in two different eras: in a world overrun by zombies, and in the past, showing events leading up to the fall.
The past shows Umbrella developing new advancements that come at a cost. As Lance Reddick’s Wesker states, the T-Virus is contained in some products, leading to “monsters.” And you can guess what will follow.
We jump forward to the future, and it goes from impending horror to all-out World War Z. The world seems essentially overrun with various biological horrors.
Evil in residence
This isn’t the first video game adaptation to take liberties with its source material. And for Resident Evil, it’s actually worked out okay in the past. Though more recent adaptations of Resident Evil to the silver screen haven’t fared so well.
Netflix has had its own ups and downs in video game adaptations, though its hits have been notable. Castlevania and Arcane were all high points for adaptations. You could also fudge the definition a bit and claim The Witcher under that umbrella, too. But there were also some less-than-stellar efforts, like Dragon’s Dogma.
Clearly, the Netflix Resident Evil is doing its own thing and I’m cautiously optimistic about it. But each new trailer slides it firmer into the same territory as other zombie series out there. And there are a lot of zombie series out there. I’m curious whether the coat of Resident Evil theming over the top and performances from its solid cast can push it above the fold.
We’ll find out whether this new Resident Evil thrives in the zombie apocalypse when it debuts July 14. Otherwise, there’s always the Resident Evil 4 remake to look forward to next year.
