The long-awaited new Netflix series Resident Evil has finally dropped today. This new, live-action adaptation of the popular, horror survival video game tells a brand new story over two timelines - acting as an origin story for the franchise's primary villain, Albert Wesker.
In the first timeline, in 2022, 14-year-old twin sisters Jade and Billie Wesker are moved to New Raccoon City - a manufactured, sanitised corporate town. Their father, Dr Albert Wesker, is the top scientist for the Umbrella Corporation, which owns the town.
But the more time they spend there, the more they realise their father may be hiding secrets. And these secrets - surrounding an anti-depressant called Joy, developed from research into the mutagenic T-virus - could destroy the world.
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In the second timeline, 14 years later, there are less than 15m people left on Earth. And there are more than six billion monsters infected with the T-virus.
Jade Wesker, now an adult, fights for survival in this chaotic New World. Amid the carnage, she is haunted by her past in New Raccoon City, her father’s involvement in Umbrella and mostly by what happened to her sister, Billie.
Since Capcom first debuted the survival horror title in 1996, Resident Evil has become one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, with more than 100 million games sold worldwide. Over the course of almost 25 years, the series has expanded beyond games into film adaptations and theme park attractions.
The Resident Evil six-film franchise, produced by Constantin Film, has collectively earned more than $1.2bn worldwide - making it the most successful movie franchise based on a video game.
Andrew Dabb, writer and executive producer of the new Netflix adaptation, said: “I was a huge fan of the games and the movies and I think they each scratch a different itch.The games are very immersive, fun and scary.
“And the movies are big, bombastic spectacles. So, the idea of being able to do something like this where we have a little bit of both was very exciting to me.”
Resident Evil episode run times
The new Netflix series landed in the UK today at 8am - with all eight episodes available to watch immediately. The lengths of them are as follows:
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Welcome to New Raccoon City - 60 minutes
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The Devil You Know - 48 minutes
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The Light - 49 minutes
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The Turn - 53 minutes
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Home Movies - 48 minutes
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Someone's Little Girl - 45 minutes
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Parasite - 50 minutes
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Revelations - 62 minutes
Resident Evil age rating
The series has been rated as 18 in the UK. Viewers can expect horror, gore and blood-soaked, zombie frights.
Resident Evil reviews
The series has received mixed reviews so far. The Guardian gave it four out of five stars - describing it as ‘eight hours of mindless, blood-soaked zombie fun” that you ‘will binge-watch like never before’.
Review Lucy Mangan said: “If it is your sort of thing in even the slightest way (and, if it is not, I suggest you give it a go anyway), you will enjoy yourself so freaking much. There are times when only repeated, meaningless zombie massacres will do – and 2016+ is undoubtedly one of them.”
But the Independent only gave it two stars - saying it was a ‘shonky adaptation…we didn’t need’. It added that the zombies ‘look like a flash mob of A-level drama students’.
Critic Nick Hilton said: “In the Wesker origin story and the skull-crunching violence, there’s something to appeal to devotees of the landmark franchise. But for those unfamiliar with the fabled video game series, this will feel like little more than a muddled, and somewhat tacky, zombie serial, saddled with the baggage of pre-existing lore.
“The video games were a monster hit, but there’s not enough meat on the bones of this rework for anyone but hardcore completists.”
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