I love the Resident Evil video games, but the live-action movies don't necessarily have the best track record, which you can see in my ranking of the horror franchise.
However, I do think that there's hope when it comes to the animated flicks. While I wasn't in love with the last animated Resident Evil venture, Infinite Darkness (which was more of a series, but it played like a movie), I did enjoy 2017's Resident Evil: Vendetta, and I have a soft spot for 2012’s Damnation, as well as 2008’s Degeneration.
That said, I think I now have a new favorite Resident Evil movie, and I don’t just mean when it comes to the animated flicks, either. I mean ever. And that movie is 2023’s Resident Evil: Death Island. Here are my reasons!
It Has Almost Every Classic Resident Evil Character, And They’re All Game Accurate
We’ve gotten classic characters in the live-action movies before, like Johann Urb played Leon S. Kennedy in Resident Evil: Retribution, and Avan Jogia played him in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (the latter of which we didn’t give a great review to). We’ve also gotten Jill Valentine in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, played by Sienna Guillory, as well as in Raccoon City, played by Hannah John-Kamen.
But honestly, none of the live-action versions of the characters really feel like the characters from the games. Sure, they may look the part, and that’s something, but the live-action movies just feel like they miss the boat when it comes to the characters we know and love from the games.
Well, I’m happy to report that Death Island features pretty much all of the mainline heroes prior to Resident Evil 7 and 8 in which Ethan Winter became the series’ new protagonist. I’m talking Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, and Rebecca Chambers, the latter of whom wasn’t in Welcome to Raccoon City.
Now, some of these characters have appeared in the other animated films, like Leon S. Kennedy, who has appeared in all of them, but this is the first time where we have ALL of these characters together. In fact, Leon and Jill have actually never been on screen together before, so their interaction in this movie is really making Resident Evil history.
The only super notable character who is really missing in this movie, though, is Albert Wesker, but we haven’t gotten him in any of the animated films yet, so maybe they’re just holding onto him.
Having all of these characters WORKING together really makes an impact for this fan, as it almost feels like fan-fiction. But it’s not! And not only that, but all of the characters feel video game accurate, which may be the coolest thing of all. This movie almost doesn’t feel real, but it is. And we’re all the better for it.
Speaking Of The Video Games, Death Island Feels Like It Could Have Actually Come From One Of The Titles In The Series
I have played every mainline Resident Evil title, and let me tell you, the only live-action movie that has kind of gotten it right was Raccoon City (though certainly not in its portrayal of Leon, that’s for sure) and even that one was more about locations than anything else.
But, that’s the thing about video game movies of yore - they didn’t HAVE to be like the game they were based off of in order for fans to go see them. Have you WATCHED the original Super Mario Bros. movie? I mean, nowadays, I’ll defend it to my dying breath, but back then, I HATED it, because it was nothing like the games.
Flash forward to the end of 2023, and that’s just not cutting it anymore. Many critics didn’t like the recent Super Mario Bros. movie, but I (and the fans!) loved it, since it was VERY much like the games. The Last of Us TV series was sometimes 1:1 with the original game, and was praised for being so accurate.
So, no, a lot of Resident Evil fans no longer want something like it anymore. We want the real deal, baby. And Death Island feels like the real deal. In fact, it almost feels like one of my favorite RE video games, Resident Evil: Revelations, with the way it’s told, and the stunning action. The story mostly takes place in Alcatraz, and the plot legit feels like it could have come from one of the video games. In fact…
There Is A Healthy Dose Of Both Horror And Action Elements
I just mentioned how this movie feels like the game, Revelations, but I would also say that it feels like one of the more maligned titles in the series, Resident Evil 6.
The reason why a lot of people didn’t like RE 6 at the time was that it relied a lot more on action than frights, so some fans believed the series was straying too far away from its horror roots. But, games like Revelations were proof that the franchise still had it. You just had to find it on the Nintendo 3DS at the time.
Well, I’m happy to say that Death Island successfully melds the utter ridiculousness of RE 6's action and the frights of Revelations.
Because look, not only does this movie feature two of the series’ toughest characters in Leon AND Chris Redfield, just like in Vendetta, but this time, it also features the hard-as-nails Jill Valentine, so that’s another ass kicker this film needs to make way for.
This movie does an excellent job of making all of the scary scenes extra action packed, so it’s the best of both worlds. It really feels like the perfect mix.
The Mystery At The Center Of The Story Is Legitimately Compelling
I’ve gone all the way through this article thus far without even going over the plot! Well, in this story, something strange is happening in San Francisco, as there seem to be zombies, but no bites on the victims.
Now, as an aficionado of the best zombie apocalypse movies, I’m well aware that there are several different ways that people can transform into zombies, but when it comes to the world of Resident Evil, there are only a few ways that people and animals can acquire the T-virus. Strangely enough, none of those reasons seem to apply to the people in this film.
In fact, it seems like people can just turn into zombies at random, and they don’t even have to be bitten, which is bizarre. Throughout the narrative, we slowly learn just what is going on, but until that point, it’s largely a mystery – and a good one! - until we learn the truth.
The Villain Is Actually Sympathetic
Lastly, the final reason I really loved this Resident Evil movie was because I actually sympathized with the antagonist. The character’s name is Dylan Blake, and he used to work for the Umbrella Corporation with the task of trying to contain the outbreak back in Raccoon City. Unfortunately, most of his squadmates turned into zombies, and he was ordered to shoot them.
Dylan was conflicted, however. This was before he even knew what zombies were, and he didn’t want to kill his squadmates, since they were his friends. His immediate partner, JJ, however, had no problem following the directive, and shot his former squadmates with extreme prejudice.
Eventually, something terrible happened, and Dylan never lived it down. So, in the present day, when he sets his plans in motion, you can tell that to him, it makes perfect sense. Yes, it would technically be genocide, but he doesn’t see it that way.
While I don’t condone his plan at all, I understand just why he feels he must go through with these horrific actions. It’s not the most three dimensional character arc I've ever seen, but it at least feels compelling enough to hear him out, which I can’t really say for any of the other bad guys in these films.
Have you gotten a chance to watch Resident Evil: Death Island yet? For more news on all things Resident Evil, be sure to swing by here often!
