22 Years Ago, A Video Game Movie Sequel Delivered Exactly What Fans Wanted (& Was Worse For It)

When it comes to adapting popular video games into movies, there have been some struggles in Hollywood. While that was more true in the past than in modern cinema, with the likes of Super Mario Bros., Doom, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and Alone in the Dark standing out, it still happens today. Need for Speed, Assassin’s Creed, and Return to Silent Hill are just some examples of it. One reason why many of these films receive poor reception is that they lack accuracy in terms of how they adapt the source material. Fans of the game typically want a carbon copy of what they played, and although that’s an understandable thought process, it doesn’t always translate well. What works in a video game might not make for a good movie plot. The end result is something that feels like what you saw in the game, yet is actually mostly uninteresting.

A great example of this came back in 2004 with Resident Evil: Apocalypse. The second installment in the film franchise adaptation of one of the most popular video game series of all time opted to include more elements from those games than the first. What viewers got was wholly disappointing.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse Was More Like The Games & That Wasn’t Good

2002’s Resident Evil brought the gaming franchise to the big screen, yet didn’t really feature many game elements. There was the Umbrella Corporation, the T-virus, and quick mentions of aspects like the Nemesis Program, but that was kind of it. Instead of featuring popular characters from the games, Milla Jovovich played a completely original protagonist named Alice, and while there are fun survival horror aspects, the adaptation didn’t feel like it was truly Resident Evil. So, the filmmakers opted to go with something different for the sequel.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse continued Alice’s story while incorporating more details from the game. She was joined by game characters Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira, as well as Nemesis as the main antagonist. There are some longtime fans of the game who still say this was the most accurate depiction of Resident Evil in film, yet that doesn’t mean it was any good. The movie received poor reviews from critics and most audience members, which was in line with the rest of the Alice-era franchise and its seven installments.

While Resident Evil: Apocalypse was accurate in a lot of ways, it still had a handful of things that didn’t come from the game. Alice remained the lead and with her there, Jill was just a redundant secondary character. It also focused on action over horror, and although Nemesis was there, he didn’t feel like the threat he was in the games.

Resident Evil Tried Another Accurate Adaptation & Failed Again

After the Alice-led Resident Evil films concluded with Resident Evil: The Final Chapter in 2017, the franchise got rebooted. Without Alice and with no involvement from director/producer Paul W.S. Anderson, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City started fresh and as soon as the trailer arrived, it was clear that this was going to be like the game. Similar to Resident Evil: Apocalypse, though, it looked like the games, yet wasn’t great.

Characters like Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, Chris Redfield, Albert Wesker, and others were included and felt more like their game counterparts than previous film iterations. The setting was also accurate and the horror aspects were there. Unfortunately, this sequel ran into similar problems as Resident Evil: Apocalypse and received poor reviews. It had become clear that Resident Evil is a stellar video game series but is a source material that’s ill-suited for the big screen.

The New Resident Evil Movie Has The Right Idea

Once again, another attempt is being made to bring Resident Evil to life in a movie and this time it looks like they may have cracked the formula. Acclaimed director Zach Cregger (Barbarian, Weapons) is at the helm, meaning the horror is sure to be great. However, what makes his take on Resident Evil sound interesting is that he’s not attempting to tell a story that’s accurate to the games, but rather to deliver a movie that feels like the protagonist is in one.

The trailer shows the main character scouring Raccoon City during a terrifying outbreak of infected monsters, doing things like searching drawers for bullets and running away rather than trying to be an action star. Cregger has even said that the viewer will be aware of how many bullets the protagonist has, which is something gamers know all too well.

Rather than making the mistake that Resident Evil: Apocalypse made by referencing key aspects of the games for fan service, this adaptation is going in the opposite direction. It’s more important to feel like Resident Evil than to simply mimic elements from the game. Longtime fans aren’t too thrilled online with this direction, but if this ends up as the best Resident Evil movie, all should be forgiven.