Netflix’s Resident Evil: 5 Things That Disappointed Gamers

It's true, Netflix's adaptation of the universally acclaimed Resident Evil saga launched to a mixed bag of reviews. Though, to be fair, the negativity was expected from the get-go, as it threatened to sabotage a series that was already known for its rich and successful lineage. By gluing sticks to an already blossoming great oak tree, die-hard fans of the survival horror series certainly felt the backhand of betrayal, and it wasn't long before the community stepped up to protect its legacy.

The fact is, Netflix's Resident Evil isn't the greatest adaptation in the world. If anything, it actually does a disservice to the Capcom franchise, which is why so many have resorted to social media to state their frustration. As for what comes next for the morally bankrupt episode thriller is anybody's guess. That being said, we do know a few things that would help redeem the series of its toothless bite.

5. New Raccoon City, Meet Edward Cullen

I don't know about you, but I remember Resident Evil for its survival horror elements, and not its teen high school drama that Netflix's port so clearly relied on in season one. Truth is, I don't remember there being anything of the sort in the video games, though Netflix evidently missed the memo when drawing up the story to the debut chapter. The only thing stopping it from being a zombie version of Twilight, funnily enough, was a South African clone of Edward Cullen in a designer Umbrella bomber jacket.

Granted, we live in an age where teen dramas are all the rage. The problem there, of course, is that Netflix only wished to capitalize on them by pulling the same old card from the deck, rather than staying true to the video games' roots. This was the nail in the coffin for day-one fans of the series. It was also a discredit to a fantastic timeline of video games that had more than enough content to produce an exceptional TV adaptation. Netflix, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less for the lineage, and it showed. And so, here's our way of saying, you know, fix that.

4. “LEEEOOOOOONNNNN!!”

Besides Albert Wesker who, may we add did an exceptional job at playing the Umbrella techie, Netflix's Resident Evil must've sidelined ninety percent of the series' legacy characters. We understand, of course, that the timeline takes place decades after the original, and yet that burning question of why Wesker made the cut, and not Leon, Chris, or any other prominent pawn from the roster still remains.

To truly win over the gaming community, Resident Evil will need to bring in a cameo of some sort. It doesn't matter if it's an instantly recognizable face or a generic NPC from Raccoon City — we'd honestly be happy to see anyone from the series come knocking in season two. Heck, we'd even settle for Ashely Birkin, so long as the plot doesn't transition into a monotonous escort mission.

3. Remembering the Undead

Remember when Resident Evil used to be about zombies? We certainly do, unlike the guys over at Netflix who, in all honesty, probably hadn't even seen one prior to the series' storyboarding phase. The fact its two or three zombies in the entire season were able to sprint sort of gave that away immediately, to be fair. It was around that time, maybe about fifteen minutes into the first episode, that we realized Netflix wasn't keeping to the script. Like, at all.

Admittedly, the opening scenes to episode one were incredibly promising. They were, however, short-lived, thanks to the sudden shift in time periods. By the time the twentieth minute rolled around, Resident Evil had officially lost its way, and zombies, despite making up the breadth of the video games, were dead and buried. Strange, considering the franchise was actually built on death and reanimated corpses.

2. Don't…Yawn…

It's not that the plot in Resident Evil is bad or anything. It's just that, well, it is pretty slow, and it takes half a season just to reach even the smallest of molehills before taking another episode to decide how to stroll over it. There is no almighty crescendo looming on the far end of the season, nor are there any nail-biting moments sewn between. It is, for lack of a better word, boring.

It goes without saying that season two will need to pick up the pace if it is to retain its streamers. That isn't our way of saying there needs to be action left, right, and center, but it should at least build some level of suspense. Because let's face it, season one was woefully lackluster, and watching it was far more tedious than compelling. And that's just putting it lightly.

1. Please, No More Chase Sequences

Season one of Resident Evil was a lot like a recurring nightmare — drab, painstakingly grueling, and well beyond repair. The thing that wound us up the most about this infinite loop, however, was the chase sequences, and how the show used any given moment to cram one in. By the season's end, a solid eighty percent of screen time was swallowed whole by repetition.

To us, it seemed as though the showrunners had lost their creative touch when drawing up ways to maintain the tension across the season. It was painfully lackluster and one-note, and it became almost too predictable by the time the fourth episode rolled around. Basically, the season was just a ridiculously long chase sequence.

So, what's your take? Do you agree with our top five? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.