Highlights:
* The live-action adaptations of Resident Evil games have been a let-down.
* Various plot holes, an uninteresting protagonist, and disregard of source material are some of the reasons why Resident Evil films are critically panned.
Capcom’s Resident Evil game series is among the most recognizable franchises among horror fans all over the globe. The survival-based games offer spine-chilling zombie horror gameplay, which keeps players on the edge of their seats. At the same time, the majority of the franchise titles boast impeccable story-driven campaigns with many memorable characters. The growing popularity saw the Resident Evil games adapted into films.
Despite the immense success of survival horror video games, the Resident Evil film adaptations have met with negative critical acclaim. Both critics and fans have panned the movies for many reasons, be it poor handling of the iconic game characters, abandoning of the horror elements, or just plain dishonesty with the source material. The Resident Evil films, in spite of good box office numbers, have generally been looked down upon compared to the games.
Why Are Film Adaptations Of The Resident Evil Games Considered Bad?
When a film fails to live up to the fans’ expectations, many reasons can be attributed to the lack of success. Sometimes, the protagonists don’t click with the audience, while on other occasions, the script lacks the potential. In the case of Resident Evil game series film adaptations, almost everything led to a critical failure. Here are some of the key reasons how and why Resident Evil game series films missed the mark with the fans:
An Uninteresting Protagonist
Strong protagonists with solid characterization are crucial for the success of any film and Resident Evil movies lacked the same. The first film introduced Alicia “Alice” Marcus, played by Milla Jovovich, as the primary character, who was also an original creation for the movie adaptations. Therefore, fans could not connect with Alice the way they did with the original game characters.
Alice was an original character and seemed generally uninteresting throughout her six film appearances. Although the makers tried to show her vulnerability at rare moments, Alice was equipped with a plot armor in all six original movie adaptations. On top of having a boring protagonist, the lackluster didn’t help with the Resident Evil film adaptations’ critical performance.
Handling Of Characters From The Games
By the time the first film adaptation came out, the Resident Evil game series had already seen the release of three major titles, along with multiple spin-offs. Players were already familiar with the recurring characters, which had garnered the fan-favorite status. Thus, the fans largely disliked how makers handled original characters like Jill Valentine, Albert Wesker, Ada Wong, and many more.
The poor adaptation of most of the characters was accompanied by their general sideling in the story. At the same time, Bio Organic Weapons and mutations showcased in the games were also unimpressive, to say the least. The portrayal of Alice as an insufferable messiah who undermined almost all of the other characters from the games seemed like another bad creative choice from the makers.
Shift From Horror To Action
The zombie horror, coupled with an ominous in-universe setting, was Resident Evil’s forte, which the film adaptations tried to cash in on for the first two parts. From Resident Evil: Extinction, the movie series revised its approach and switched to more of a mindless action flick genre, which is another reason behind the general dislike.
The movies didn’t capitalize on the horror aspects, which was the reason behind the games’ success. Although the box office numbers might hint at financial success, the film series didn’t reach the critical success of the games. The switch to an action-focused narrative was also observed in the fifth and sixth installments of the games. Fortunately, Capcom reverted to a horror-centric narrative in the seventh part.
Plot Holes And Disregarding The Source Material
One of the most recurring issues with the film adaptations was the general disregard for the source material, especially after the third part. The makers could not do justice in bringing the original game universe to life. At the same time, the narrative was ridden with plot holes, which became quite evident with the later movies of the series.
Finally, Resident Evil game series film adaptations had the potential to excel but were let down by poor creative decisions. Although the films have brought a bad name to the game series, fans can still expect more honest live-action adaptations in the future. Fans have already seen the success that projects like The Last of Us and Fallout have seen in recent years, which can be emulated with Resident Evil, provided the makers remain true to the source material or at least focus on retaining the essence of the original projects.
