In 2002, “Resident Evil” sprung forth a zombie tidal wave that has left all other sub-genres in its wake. The film grossed over 100 million dollars and was responsible for getting Mr. Romero financed for two new films (Romero was originally linked to the film,) giving Zack Synder his first big break with the “Dawn of the Dead” remake and making the undead popular enough to bring forth one of the most iconic American shows in history, “The Walking Dead.” After five direct sequels to the 2002 original, Constantin Films announced that they were going to reboot the series with an adaptation closer tied to the series video game roots. “47 Meters Down” director Johannes Roberts signed on as both director and writer for the project. Will this reboot once again redefine and repopulate the undying love for zombie lore or has the wave finally reached its crescendo.
The year is 1998 and Claire Redfield is returning to her hometown of Racoon City after fleeing years before. Claire wants to warn her brother Chris about the horrors of the town’s world-famous empire, the Umbrella Corporation, which is consequently packing up and moving from the city very quickly. Feeling abandoned, Chris does not receive his sister well and brushes off her warnings as he heads to work at the local police station. Once at work, a missing duo of fellow officers, a report of bodies found at a famous mansion, and an emergency siren blaring from Umbrella’s tower gets Chris and the law enforcement team moving to find out what is happening to their city. Splitting up to resolve the escalating peril flowing through the town, each person begins to encounter their fellow citizens who have turned into blood thirsty monsters. Claire dashes in desperate attempt to find her brother and reveal the sinister secrets behind the Umbrella creepy corporation.
The return to Raccoon City is a welcomed yet choppy one. Top marks to director Roberts for presenting much deeper characters and a much more developed plot than all previous entries. Setting the film in 1998, the dawn of the internet, was a great choice as well. Roberts takes the audience back to a time where news and conspiracy theories were chalked up to loners instead of having millions of cult like followers. The director also presents a very dark and foreboding atmosphere with the majority of the film taking place under a rain-soaked city that is cloaked in darkness. What makes this entry intriguing is also what makes it suffer, which is an overabundance of plot with not enough action to grind the pace of the piece perfectly. While fans of the video game series may revel in the deeper tale of their favorite characters, mainstream audiences looking for a fun film will tire through the entire second act. More scenes with the town turning upside down would have fit much better than the long cat and mouse game the protagonist play. Once again and much like previous entries, gamers will rejoice in some of the more monstrous creatures while those simply out to see a zombie film will cringe at the bad and preposterous CGI creatures. This reboot is easily the second best in the series behind the 2002 original and could have sprung much better and more thought-out sequels, but the opening two weeks box office numbers have probably signaled a long stop to the series and perhaps washed up the zombie craze on the shores until the next incarnation rises from the grave.
Scream Score: 7.2/10