Resident Evil: 5 Reasons Why The Movies Need A Reboot (& 5 Why They Don't)
With the sixth installment of the live-action Resident Evil movie franchise spearheaded by Paul W.S. Anderson, The Final Chapter, bringing a close to the long-running movie series in 2016, and not much word on a followup to the last animated Resident Evil movie in 2017, fans have been wondering what the next step will be.
Rumblings of a reboot have circulated for years, and there has been a steady stream of progress, but is it really necessary? Here's why Resident Evil does (and doesn't) need the movie reboot treatment.
10 Need a reboot: There's still demand for a huge zombie movie franchise
With The Walking Dead steadily working towards a proposed slate of original movies, and the surprising demand for a World War Z sequel looking like it's never going to be met, there's a zombie-shaped hole in Hollywood franchises.
All things considered, the Resident Evil brand is still the best-positioned to deliver on this if the producers are willing.
9 Don't need a reboot: It wouldn't outshine The Walking Dead
Even if the stars align for the Resident Evil movies to come back to life, there's still a very real possibility that zombie fans would be too engrossed in the seemingly-unstoppable Walking Dead universe.
It's a franchise that has its own fair share of problems but its best days have gone far beyond anything the original live-action Resident Evil movies ever accomplished and the skepticism could be too hard to shake.
8 Need a reboot: Justice for fan-favorite characters
As foolish as it may seem, the heart wants what the heart wants and some people's hearts just want to see Leon S. Kennedy kicking zombie behinds in live-action in something more than a supporting cameo.
The original S.T.A.R.S. team, also, would almost certainly be welcomed back with open arms by even the most embittered fans.
7 Don't need a reboot: The original movies covered most of the bases
While they may not have been flawless adaptations of the characters and events from the original games, the live-action Resident Evil movies did play most to all of the hits.
Due to the fundamental differences in how video-games and movies are structured on a story level, it's reasonable to assume that straight adaptations of the original game plots would never have worked anyway. But it's also very possible that this is all producers would want to do in the event of a reboot.
6 Need a reboot: R-rated franchise movies are back in style
One thing that most people can agree on as a given truth is that a PG-13 Resident Evil movie series would never work. You need zombies, horror, gore, and action. But that's not as big of a deal as it once was in Hollywood.
With the success of R-rated comic book movies like Deadpool and Joker, which made huge profits off of relatively low budgets, the adult fantasy-action franchise is a much easier sell.
5 Don't need a reboot: Video-game-to-movie adaptations rarely ever work
As mentioned, there are some deceptive differences going on in how video-games and movies weave their experiences. Video-games are often cinematic, and the Resident Evil franchise has often been a pioneer in that field, but history just doesn't support the union of the mediums.
Many movie fans have fond memories of at least one video-game-to-movie adaptation, even if it's so-bad-it's-good appreciation, but it's hard to justify wasting any real time and talent on what amounts to a fool's errand.
4 Need a reboot: The original movies were still left open-ended
As unlikely as it may be, there's little stopping the Resident Evil movie franchise from essentially picking up where it left off again, but with some essential tweaking here and there.
They may not have been universally beloved by audiences but the original live-action Resident Evil movies do have a fanbase and the best elements from those movies could be carried over to something bigger and better.
3 Don't need a reboot: There are other franchises that deserve it more
As pointed out, there are numerous reasons why a Resident Evil movie franchise could still easily succeed in today's climate but you could truthfully apply most of those reasons to a number of other more deserving video-game titles. Many of them also owned by Capcom.
The Street Fighter games are just as popular and have had fewer attempts at forging a successful cinematic legacy. The Dead Rising series, also, seems like a better fit for what audiences respond to.
2 Need a reboot: There are limitless possibilities
While it's true that producers almost certainly wouldn't want to stray very far at all from the icons that have made the games so popular, it's also true that a new Resident Evil movie franchise could go wherever it wanted to.
While the game remakes are doing very well, fans have shown themselves to be very open to change with recent games also and the basic elements could be adapted for a limitless number of new horror scenarios.
1 Don't need a reboot: The zombie craze is winding down again
The Walking Dead may always be looking to the future, getting bigger and always promising more. However, fans have been talking about nothing but its impending demise for quite some time now.
The viewing experience has changed substantially over the past decade but The Walking Dead's loss of millions of viewers in ratings has got many fans thinking that the whole zombie craze could be heading for a recession.