Netflix's Resident Evil Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

4. The Frustratingly Fragmented Narrative Structure

Resident Evil divides itself across two timelines, and like so many other TV shows ping-ponging viewers between casts and time periods, it ends up feeling all the more messy and incoherent as a result.

The 2022 story takes place in the town of New Raccoon City, following Umbrella's Dr. Albert Wesker (Lance Reddick) and his two teenage daughters Jade (Tamara Smart) and Billie (Siena Agudong) shortly before the T-virus begins its rampage across the world.

Then in 2036, we reconvene with an older Jade (Ella Balinska) as she attempts to survive in an increasingly hostile world where Umbrella is expending considerable resources to track her down.

Ultimately the 2022 story is much more interesting than the relatively bland, formulaic post-apocalyptic narrative of 2036, and being flung semi-randomly between the two timelines quickly proves frustrating.

One suspects it would've made more sense to focus on 2022 and keep the flash-forwards to 2036 fitful at best, because as it stands the balance is incredibly unwieldly, and ensures we're often ripped away from a story just when it starts getting interesting.