The two-timeline structure, however, is the show’s weakest link. It also does enough to flesh out characters like Evelyn Marcus, who, thanks to Núñez’s performance, has a place as one of the better villains in the franchise’s history. The Verdict: As a new Resident Evil title, the series passes the test of including just enough nods to the franchise to keep longtime fans happy, while not alienating new viewers at the same time. Reddick’s talent feels wasted while viewers get strung along, waiting for some sort of payoff whether or not they’re familiar with his backstory, and even the biggest twists revealed about the character don’t really feel earned. While taking pains to establish him as a devoted father and scientist with morals during the first half of the season, they make it painfully obvious to even non-fans of the series that there is a much darker, if also compelling, character beyond the surface. However, how Dabb and Sutton handle Wesker is more of a mixed bag. Besides some of the most iconic bio-weapons (such as zombie dogs and lickers), it also includes at least one of the more obscure creatures from the games and a few newer ones that feel right at home in the franchise. Some Things Old, Some Things New: It’s not Resident Evil without terrifying creatures, and the series certainly delivers on that front. It’s a simple enough concept to latch onto even for viewers who aren’t longtime fans, who are shown exactly what an animal infected with the virus is capable of during the very first episode. Joy is the show’s strongest tie to Resident Evil lore, having been derived from the T-Virus that has caused zombie outbreaks in so many iterations of the franchise. It’s delightful to watch the two actors play off each other, and the opaque nature of their dialogue also leaves viewers wondering exactly what Wesker did to be so far into Marcus’ debt. Núñez has some of the best scenes in the show with Reddick, oozing evil from every pore while blackmailing Wesker into doing her bidding. With trillions at stake and delusions about its potential to solve climate change and world hunger, it’s easy for her to willfully ignore Wesker’s warnings about the drug Joy needing more testing before being pushed to market. CEO Evelyn Marcus (the scene-chewing Paola Núñez) is hell-bent on restoring the reputation of the company after the infamous Raccoon City incident led to her father being ousted. “So We Fix It, We Make It Better”: As it always does, the greed of Umbrella brings about the downfall of humanity in the series. Resident evil netflix review lance reddick paola nunez Smart and Agudong do a believable job establishing this strong bond, especially after a scary incident sets up the stakes almost immediately. The present-day timeline focuses heavily on the relationship between the gregarious Jade and the more reserved Billie: Though they have their share of short-lived tiffs and Billie gets jealous about a boy at one point, the sisters are a team that will go to any lengths to protect one another - especially when they turn up some real shady information about what Albert’s been up to at Umbrella. ![]() “It’s You and Me, Always”: As a longtime fan of Resident Evil, showrunner Andrew Dabb ( Supernatural), who co-wrote the series with Mary Leah Sutton ( The Following), understands how the franchise has always emphasized establishing strong relationships between its characters just as much as zombies and the sins of Umbrella. ![]() Meanwhile, 14 years in the future, the grown-up Jade (now played by Ella Balinska) fights for survival in a post-apocalyptic world overridden by infected humans they call “zeroes.” Moving between the two timelines parallels Wesker’s mistakes that led to the end of the world with Jade’s attempts to undo his wrongs. In 2022, Wesker moves his twin teenage daughters Jade (Tamara Smart) and Billie (Siena Agudong) to the sterile corporate housing of New Raccoon City to be closer to his work for the nefarious Umbrella Corporation on the cure-all drug Joy (which may be too good to be true). With such a rich backstory to pull from, Netflix’s new live-action series, simply titled Resident Evil, centers around one of the franchise’s most memorable villains, Albert Wesker ( Lance Reddick), while creating a new set of characters around him. Since the groundbreaking survival horror video game was released in 1996, there have been more than a dozen games that provided source material for six Milla Jovovich-starring films, three animated movies, and a CGI Netflix series. The Pitch: Taking on a new installment in the sprawling Resident Evil media franchise is a daunting task. The post Netflix’s Resident Evil TV Adaptation Stumbles by Serving Two Timelines: Review appeared first on Consequence.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |