Resident Evil (Netflix Series) (2022) 🧟♂️🩸
How do you mess up Resident Evil this badly?
Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers shall we?
Non-Spoiler Plot Overview
After years of live-action movies starring Alice, Netflix decided it was time to reboot Resident Evil once again.
Instead of adapting one of the games, the series tells an original story split across two timelines. One follows teenage sisters Jade and Billie Wesker in New Raccoon City before the outbreak. The other jumps years into the future, where the world has already fallen and Jade is trying to survive while researching the infected.
On paper, that doesn’t sound like a terrible idea.
In execution…
Well…
Let’s just say this show somehow manages to misunderstand what makes Resident Evil enjoyable.
Instead of focusing on horror, survival and bio-organic nightmares, much of the series feels more interested in teenage drama, family arguments and storylines that never become nearly as interesting as they think they are.
Character Rundown
Jade Wesker is the main character, but unfortunately I never found myself invested in her journey.
The younger version is constantly making questionable decisions, while the older version somehow continues making equally frustrating ones years later.
Billie starts off as the more sympathetic sister, but as the series progresses, her character takes some very strange turns that never fully worked for me.
The biggest bright spot is Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker, May he rest in peace.
Even though this version is completely different from the games, Reddick gives everything he has to the role. He easily becomes the most entertaining part of the entire series.
Unfortunately, even he can’t save the weak writing surrounding him.
Most of the supporting cast is either forgettable or simply underdeveloped.
Pacing / Story Flow
The pacing is all over the place.
Every time the future storyline starts building momentum, the show cuts back to the teenage timeline.
Then just as the younger storyline begins getting interesting…
…it jumps back to the future again.
Instead of both timelines making each other stronger, they constantly interrupt one another.
Several episodes also spend far too much time on drama that adds very little to the overall story.
Pros
Lance Reddick is genuinely excellent.
He deserved a much better script because he completely commits to the role.
The production values are solid, and some of the creature designs look fairly good.
There are occasional moments where the series reminds you that Resident Evil can still be creepy.
Unfortunately…
Those moments are few and far between.
Cons
Almost everything else.
The writing is incredibly inconsistent.
The characters repeatedly make baffling decisions.
The dialogue often feels awkward.
The horror is surprisingly limited for a Resident Evil series.
The constant teenage drama quickly becomes exhausting.
Many longtime fans will also struggle with how disconnected the show feels from the games.
It has the Resident Evil name…
…but rarely feels like Resident Evil.
The series also wastes several interesting ideas by never developing them properly.
Cringy Dialogue
I don’t usually dedicate an entire section to dialogue, but the Netflix Resident Evil series almost demands it. There are so many lines that completely pull you out of the moment because they sound like they were written by someone trying way too hard to sound modern. The show constantly throws in awkward one-liners that feel more like internet memes than actual conversations between human beings.
The most infamous example is, without question:
> “Zootopia porn.”
Yes… that’s a real line. Somehow, somebody wrote it, somebody approved it, somebody filmed it, and somehow it survived all the way to the final show. It has absolutely nothing to do with Resident Evil and has become the line the series is most remembered for.
Another standout is Jade randomly saying:
> “I mostly just masturbate.”
Again… why? It adds nothing to the scene and feels like the writers confused awkward dialogue with realistic dialogue.
The show is filled with moments like this, where characters constantly make quips or say bizarre things that completely kill any tension the scene was trying to build. Instead of memorable horror dialogue, you end up remembering the show for all the wrong reasons. It’s almost impressive how often it manages to undermine itself with lines that make you stop and think, “Did somebody seriously read this script and say, ‘Yep, that’s the one.'”
Also, just like a lot of movies and shows this show References, covid, for no reason if you ask me.
Final Thoughts
I really wanted to like this show.
A Resident Evil television series has so much potential.
Longer runtimes should allow for deeper world-building, stronger horror and more character development.
Instead, Netflix delivered a series that spends far too much time focused on the wrong things.
Outside of Lance Reddick’s performance, there’s very little here that I’d recommend.
This isn’t just disappointing as a Resident Evil adaptation…
It’s simply not a very good television show.
Rating
2/10
Spoiler Warning
Everything beyond this point contains full spoilers for Resident Evil (2022).
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Spoilers
The series reveals that Albert Wesker is actually one of several clones created by the original Wesker.
It’s certainly a surprising twist, but one that left many fans scratching their heads.
Billie slowly transforms after being bitten by an infected dog, eventually becoming one of the show’s central antagonists in the future timeline.
The relationship between Jade and Billie gradually falls apart, becoming the emotional focus of the series.
Unfortunately, I never found their conflict compelling enough to carry eight episodes.
The future storyline introduces massive infected creatures, including a giant crocodile and other mutated monsters.
Some of these creatures look impressive…
…but they’re never enough to save the overall story.
The season ends on another cliffhanger involving Ada Wong, clearly setting up a second season.
The problem?
Netflix cancelled the series before that second season ever happened.
So many storylines simply end unresolved.
Honestly…
I can’t say I was disappointed by the cancellation.
Final Spoiler Thoughts
Resident Evil has always balanced horror, action and ridiculous sci-fi ideas.
This series somehow forgot all three.
Instead, it focused on teenage drama that rarely landed, inconsistent writing and characters who constantly made frustrating decisions.
Lance Reddick deserved far better.
His performance is easily the best thing about the entire show.
Everything else ranges from forgettable to downright frustrating.
It’s easily my least favorite live-action Resident Evil project.
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Next Up: Resident Evil (2026)
After revisiting every major live-action Resident Evil project, it’s finally time for the newest movie.
Unlike the previous adaptations, this one isn’t trying to bring back legacy characters or retell the games. Instead, it’s introducing a brand-new cast and aiming for a more grounded survival horror story.
Honestly…
After watching everything that came before, that sounds exactly like what this franchise needs.
🎬 Check out the trailer for the new Resident Evil movie below:
