WithUnchartedofficially hitting theaters, the conversation of whether video games can make good movies has been raised yet again. Ever since theSuper Mario Bros.movie was released in 1993, the common consensus for many video game-based movies is no, they don’t adapt well into film. Now whether that is because video games with a longer form of storytelling don’t translate well to movies or if it’s just because the filmmakers behind them are incapable of matching the same feeling that the games give fans, they haven’t met the standards the original source has set for their film counterparts.
One of the biggest video game franchises turned film isCapcom’s highest-grossing horror video game franchise,Resident Evil. First being adapted by Paul W.S. Anderson into six movies, it was panned by critics for being narratively sloppy and for being a slog of poorly done action sequences. Just recently,Resident Evilwas given a second chance at a live-action film with Johannes Roberts’Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, but was again critically panned. Although it was done faithfully to its source material, the film was criticized for its un-relatable characters and its disappointingly overstuffed story.
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So this begs the question: can there be a good live-actionResident Evilmovie? Possibly, but it would have to meet certain criteria for both a successful movie and adaptation. It would have to be focused and not jam-packed full of different characters, motivations, and stories. It would also have to hit the horror aspect of the games, bringing in the fun monsters and settings that are in the series' many games, possibly avoiding the monsters being zombies yet again. Last but not least, it shouldn’t take itself too seriously.
With these criteria, a few of the games would be eliminated immediately, likeResident Evil 5and6. With the earlierResident Evilinstallments being subject to the most recent film,Resident Evil 1and2can also be eliminated, with 3 as well due to its use in Anderson’s second installment.Resident Evil 4wouldn’t work dueto its long run time and the spin-offs wouldn’t work because they have less of an audience with many having experienced those installments. So which game could be the red and green herb to fully heal theResident Evilfilm franchise?
In 2017, Capcom introduced a new installment into the franchise that would change the way the series is looked at. It went from third-person to first-person, a more personal story not focusing on the franchise’s long term antagonist Umbrella, and a re-focus on the series' original genre being horror. It is theseventh video game in the franchise,Resident Evil 7: Biohazardthat would be the more likely way to go moving forward with live-action adaptations. It has a singular protagonist being Ethan Winters being put into a situation that makes the audience relate and invest themselves in more. He isn’t a highly trained operative going after an evil corporation, he is only a man looking for the woman he loves. His motivation makes sense from an audience standpoint, and it’s something they can get behind on which in turn makes the story straightforward and grounded. The world isn’t in peril like it is in every other action film in the theater, it’s only Ethan’s that is in danger at the time thusly bringing the focus to his struggle and his search for his wife.
The game also features fresh and uniqueantagonists in the Baker family. A violent sadistic family with motivations that are unknown for most of the film, making it a lot scarier due to their ambiguous nature. The Baker family is infected with the mold by Eveline, the main big protagonist of the game. The mold makes them twisted and demented to the point of being unpredictable.
They aren’t the same large hulking monsters that have eyeballs all over their body, they all have unique boss forms that bring freshness and intrigue to the classicResident Evilboss formula (although later on Jack Baker does mutate into a large monster with eyes everywhere). The antagonists being the Baker family create tension as well with there being a dialogue between antagonist and protagonist. Their interactions with each other and Ethan create a heightened sense of craze in the protagonists that almost bring TheTexas Chainsaw Massacrevibe to them.
The game, for the most part, takes place in one setting, being the Baker family ranch in Dulvey, Louisiana. The ranch has brought a new setting to theResident Evilfranchise with the southern gothic feel of the Louisiana swamp. This works perfectly for the focused, and personal story of the game. It brings a seclusion and isolation mood to the game that emphasizes truly how alone Ethan is in his fight for survival and his wife. The ranch harkens back to many iconic settings likeThe Evil Dead’s cabin andTheTexas Chainsaw Massacre’s southern gothic house, also inhabited by a sadistic family.
Will theResident Evilfranchise be rebooted yet again? Only time will tell, but if they were to, it should be a direct adaptation of one of Capcom’s most instantly iconic games.
