Resident Evil Movie Reboot: 10 Things It MUST Get Right
The franchise has been given a second chance.
Despite their commercial success, the “Resident Evil” films haven’t gone down well with fans for their seeming refusal to actually adapt any of the games. The franchise ended in January 2017 following the release of the abysmal “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” and talks of a reboot started nearly immediately.
This seemed to stall for a while until 2020, when we suddenly got a burst of news, including the announcement of British horror director Johannes Roberts taking the helm on a reboot. A cast of characters were announced in October and it was confirmed that the film will adapt the first two games, as opposed to just one.
Leaked set photos have since confirmed that the Raccoon Police Department does feature in the movie, and it's all to play for.
In a wider sense, video game movies have, at best, a spotty reputation when it comes to their successful transition to the big screen. A huge part of what makes a game feel atmospheric comes from putting you in the driver’s seat, as opposed to the more passive viewing experience of watching a movie.
For Resident Evil to work, this film needs to do many things differently to what came before, alongside focusing on a handful of specifics.
10. Cut The Sewer 'Gator
The fact this movie is going to be adapting the events of not one, but two games means it is going to have so much going on already, they’re going to have to cut some things. First in this list should be the sewer ‘gator sequence from Resident Evil 2.
Even within the cheesier context of the original game, the sewer ‘gator always felt out of place and overly silly. The slow lumbering creature makes its way through the tunnel only to bite down on a conveniently placed gas cylinder that you then use to blow its head off.
The new movie will likely adhere more closely to the tone of the highly successful RE2 Remake from last year and the director has already announced his determination to make the movie scary again.
The Resident Evil universe already has plenty of nightmare-inducing creatures available for use on the big screen, why waste time that could be spent showcasing Lickers, The Tyrant or the many forms of G-Mutated William Birkin on a reject from Lake Placid?