Netflix's Resident Evil Series Has Seriously Divided Critics

Back in May, when we got our very first proper look at Netflix’s live action Resident Evil series (simply titled Resident Evil, to keep things easy), it, uh, certainly looked like a show that exists. Frankly, dear reader, it looked quite questionable, and many long-time fans of the franchise were pretty concerned about how it’d turn out, and if it’d tarnish the beloved game series. 

Well, the time is almost upon us to find out, as the show is set to premiere on Netflix tomorrow (14 July). As such, that also means that critic reviews have now gone live, and it seems that it’s been a really divisive watch. 

Take a look at the latest trailer for Resident Evil right here.

Kicking things off, IGN remarked that despite their concerns, the show “makes for an interesting watch for the biggest Resident Evil diehards”. They summarised: “Resident Evil’s first season offers a new, original, and compelling story that leaves plenty of room for a second season. Despite the quality imbalance, the acting, special effects, and overall storytelling keep me wanting more and leave plenty of worthy story threads to explore should it get renewed for a second season.”

Polygon, on the other hand, weren’t so impressed, slating the series as “boring”, and “just not that fun to watch”. They concluded: “Instead of using the world as a loose justification for the weird horrors that lurk in the corners, Netflix’s series spends most of its time desperate to justify its own existence in the Resident Evil Universe, and none building a new story that’s worth caring about.”

GamesRadar+ were in agreement, stating that the show “does little to rise above what’s come before”, and “falls apart thanks to questionable creative choices, inconsistent production values, and an odd reluctance to dip into the source material’s deep pool of lore and mythology”. Collider went in even harder, saying that “in a franchise full of poor adaptations, Netflix’s new Resident Evil series might be the worst yet”. Ouch.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum were GameSpot, who dubbed the series “the best adaptation of the zombie franchise yet”. They wrapped up their review with some super high praise: “Its storytelling approach of unfolding the plot at two separate points in time over a decade apart keeps things unique and engaging, while tracking the characters through an impending apocalypse in hopeful future seasons should be thrilling to watch,” they wrote. “In all, Resident Evil is well worth your time and, ultimately, you may be very surprised by how deeply it draws you into its web.”

So how about that? It seems we’ll all have to wait to judge this one for ourselves, and we’ll be able to do so very, very soon.