Ready for a return visit to Raccoon City? Considering that the film reboot Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City came out only last year, you’d be forgiven for feeling slightly confused by the constant continuity-juggling and rebooting of this long-running zombie video-game franchise. You’d also be forgiven for some light scepticism, given previous Resident Evil adaptations have veered towards the trashy. And yes, true to form, this latest live-action, small-screen series remains firmly in ‘guilty pleasure’ territory.
But despite those caveats, there are plenty of pleasures to be had, guilty though they may be. Unlike the Paul W.S. Anderson films or the recent big-screen reboot, this series is both pre- and post-apocalyptic, depicting the lead-up to the T-virus outbreak in 2022, and its dystopian aftermath in 2036. The earlier timeline is somewhat less engaging, playing like a high-school soap with Zoomer zombies thrown in, but while not short on YA clichés, it will doubtless appeal to its target audience. The later dystopia at least offers an intriguing (and often canon-diverging) take on the Resident Evil mythology, a nightmare of six billion zombies with an evil Apple-slick corporation thrown into the mix.
This is a show not short on gleeful gore, which, let’s be frank, is why we’re all here.
It’s not short on ambitious imagery (though it’s bold of any zombie story to open on a deserted post-apocalyptic Westminster Bridge, considering the legacy of 28 Days Later). But even with some occasionally wobbly CGI, showrunner Andrew Dabb recognises the importance of regular big-impact moments. This is a show not short on gleeful gore, which, let’s be frank, is why we’re all here.
In keeping with this bloody genre, there is an implicit understanding not to get too attached to anyone. But among the longer-life-expectancy ensemble, there are some decent performances elevating the schlock. Lance Reddick reliably improves every project he’s in, and he offers a different and surprising take on Albert Wesker, traditionally a series villain but here given more surprising dimensions. Ella Balinska (Charlie’s Angels) is strong too as his daughter Jade, as is her high-school equivalent Tamara Smart for the flashbacks — both provide the right balance of toughness and humanity.
It is, admittedly, slightly curious that there is supposedly a 14-year gap between the timelines, yet Jade is played by two actors only eight years apart in age. But that’s the thing about this series: you’ll notice something that doesn’t quite work, and then you’ll notice a zombie being gouged by a chainsaw, and it doesn’t seem to matter as much.