Top 10 Dumbest Changes in the Resident Evil Movies

The first “Resident Evil” had it made in the shade. It was blessed with a fantastic and enormously popular video game to source from, and even had the late horror icon George A. Romero to write and direct. This was particularly fortuitous, as Shinji Mikami was influenced by Romero’s “Living Dead” films in creating the video game. Romero reportedly wrote multiple drafts, each of them faithfully adapting the first game in the series. All the beloved characters were there, it took place in the iconic Spencer Mansion, and there was all the blood and gore you would expect from “Resident Evil” and Romero. However, Constantin Film rejected his vision on the grounds of it being too violent, as it would have received an NC-17 rating.

We enjoy industrial rock as much as the next person, but it really doesn’t fit with the “Resident Evil” brand. The music of the games is very low-key and atmospheric, emphasizing the games’ macabre mood. It’s creepy when it needs to be, and the save room theme is some of the most reassuring music ever heard in a video game. Meanwhile, the film’s producers got Marilyn Manson of all people to score the movie adaptation, resulting in industrial tracks like “Seizure of Power” that, while awesome, feel at odds with the “Resident Evil” tone. The movie also employs the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Slipknot for the soundtrack, with a remix of the latter band’s “My Plague” playing over the end credit.

Poor Wesker was done dirty by the adaptation process. In the games, Wesker distances himself from Umbrella, wanting instead to rule the world by himself as a God. In the movies, this is totally flipped on its head, with Wesker being subservient to both Isaacs and Umbrella. Wesker is just another corrupt corporate pawn, not an ambitious megalomaniac. Yawn. We also get to know Wesker much earlier in the games, as he was a part of the original S.T.A.R.S. team. Then there’s the poor casting, acting, and writing, making Wesker seem like a man going as Agent Smith for Halloween. The games aren’t perfect, but they look like Shakespare next to the later movies.

We’re not blaming editor Doobie White for this disaster, as the decision probably came from higher up. But holy cow are the action scenes of “The Final Chapter” horribly edited. It seems like each individual shot lasts all but two seconds, with some even coming and going in less than one. Even something as simple as turning a car - which can be accomplished in one shot with a competent stunt driver, cinematographer, and editor - requires half a dozen shots. It’s not just bad - it’s nauseating. Contrasting this are the excessive use of slow motion in the other films, although that is easier to forgive given that the games started utilizing slo-mo in their cutscenes beginning with “Resident Evil 4.”

For some bizarre reason, the “Resident Evil” series completely abandoned the storyline of the games in favor of the Anderson universe. These movies really are “Resident Evil” in name only. “Apocalypse” is arguably the most faithful, as it took numerous elements from “Resident Evil 3: Nemesis,” including the titular monster, the characters, and the destruction of Raccoon City. But aside from that, the series wildly diverges from the source material. The first movie took many creative liberties (including an entirely original cast), and from the third movie on, the video games are completely abandoned in favor of an apocalyptic story. The series still borrowed elements from the games, including Jill’s mind control, but most of it is unique to the Anderson universe.

A consequence of abandoning the games’ story is a complete butchering of the Umbrella Corporation. In the games, Umbrella is a conglomerate who uses its countless subsidiaries to cover up their more clandestine activities. Their true goal was to cleanse the world and replace modern civilization with virally-enhanced superhumans. In turn, Umbrella’s founders would rule over their super subjects as Gods. In the movies, Umbrella seemingly has a different objective every movie and wants to wipe out most of civilization simply because it’s gotten out of hand. You know, global warming, overpopulation - all that derivative stuff. Umbrella’s founder and true ruler, Alexander Isaacs, is also an Anderson original. He has clones, superhuman enhancements, and is even Palpatine’d back to life. It’s a mess.

“Resident Evil: Afterlife” completely botches the franchise’s biggest rivalry in Chris and Wesker. These two characters have a long and storied history throughout the video games, spanning “Resident Evil,” “Code: Veronica,” and “Resident Evil 5.” Simply put, the story earns Wesker’s line about Chris being an inconvenience to him. That confrontation scene is adapted for “Afterlife,” complete with Wesker’s line. Only, it doesn’t make a lick of sense within the context of the movie, as Chris and Wesker have no known history in the Anderson universe. Not only does it sound inorganic, but it completely bungles a fantastic interaction from the source material. Unfortunately, you can’t just lift lines from the source and expect them to work within an entirely different story.

Marcus is one of the co-founders of Umbrella, alongside Oswell Spencer and Edward Ashford. In the games, he created the T-virus to practice eugenics and eventually went mad in his quest for power, even using children in his illegal experiments. The power rift between him and Spencer eventually grew so monumental that Spencer had him killed and wiped from Umbrella’s history. This is all radically changed in the Anderson universe. Marcus accidentally discovers the T-virus while trying to save his daughter and even tries to have the research shut down. Oh, and we also learn that he is Alice’s sort-of dad, as Alice is a clone of his daughter Alicia. This benevolence and heroism feels like a serious downgrade from his villainous video game origins.

Alice is an Anderson original character. She doesn’t even have a video game counterpart. As such, many viewers were hesitant to follow her as the series’ protagonist. But it also doesn’t help that she’s a really, really boring character. From the outset, Alice doesn’t have much of a personality, and she delivers all of her lines in a flat, emotionless tone. Maybe that’s the point, but if so, it was a poor creative decision. She also doesn’t have any engaging or interesting character flaws, as she is ridiculously overpowered thanks to her superhuman abilities. It all makes for a really bland and unengaging protagonist, and she makes the other, more human characters look borderline incompetent by comparison.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions.

The Nemesis
He Is Just a Mutated Matt

Nicholai
Villain Turned Throwaway Side Character

Ada Wong
Ada Suffers from Poor Characterization and Being Retconned Out of the Story

The Umbrella Prime Facility
Nothing About This Underwater Facility Makes a Lick of Sense

The “Resident Evil” movies aren’t just bad adaptations - many fans of the video game franchise feel that they harmfully affected the entire brand and changed it for the worse. The first movie contains some horror elements, but it’s still an action-heavy, heavy metal-blaring extravaganza. The horror is completely ditched with “Apocalypse,” and it only got more ridiculous from there. Unfortunately, the movies were so financially successful that Capcom started veering the game franchise into action-heavy territory, which was seen most prominently in “5” and “6.” Even elements from the movies, like the laser corridor and the Red Queen, were integrated into the games’ canon. Nearly everything about the infamous “Resident Evil” slump (from which it has thankfully emerged) can be traced back to the movies.