With the arrival of the film on the big screen Super Mario Bros in 2023, we can only take a second to regret the good times of our childhood. Hours and hours of joy and frustration spent on that cursed (and wonderful) rainbow track. It is not the first time that a videogame comes to life beyond ours joystick. The transpositions of the world of video games into cinema have been varied. We have examples ranging from the early 2000s with the movies up Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie. Up to other more modern ones, such as Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (with Justice Smith and the voice of Ryan Reynolds) e Uncharted (con Tom Holland e Mark Wahlberg). This galaxy of playful virtual universes has evolved over time, reaching a new level: TV series. Sometimes obtaining extraordinary results, as in the case of Arcanein others a little less as in the case of Resident Evil.
Netflix has taken this transformation game particularly to heart, sometimes working with animated versions, and sometimes with real-life actors. The latest project of the streaming platform is the TV series The Witcher:Blood Origin, spinoff Of The Witcher, inspired by the video game of the same name.
Another hit that Netflix can boast on its catalog is the animated TV series Arcanethat has won 9 awards garlic Annie Award (the “Oscars” of animation) of 2022, including the award as Best Video Game Adaptation.
Arcanaand is the first TV series made by Riot Games and originates from the virtual dimension of League of Legends. In celebration of the game’s 10th anniversary in 2021, Arcane comes up Netflix e serves as a prequel to the main story, telling the roots of the genesis of the champions of the regions of Piltover e Fence.
Every player of League of Legends knows Vi, admire Echo e Caitlynand love (and fear) Jinx. Jinx she is a deranged young woman, equipped with an impressive arsenal of weapons, with which she enjoys wreaking havoc. She might seem like a tribute to Joker of comics DCbut the truth is that the character of Jinx has a life of its own. Jinx has a unique talent for anarchy and shows it with a style never seen before. Long blue tresses, eyes that seem to change color according to her mood glitchante and a colorful explosive device always at hand. Like all self-respecting anti-heroes, the young woman zaunita she was once a sweet little girl relatively innocent.
an inventor with big ideas who never managed to fit in
this is how Riot Games describes it. If in the video game no one knows for sure what turned that sweet little girl into a loose cannon, the TV series Arcane manages perfectly to respond to trace her background like that of her sister Vi and the other characters. Arcane seamlessly combines hand-drawn animation and perfect CGI, which she conquers from the opening to the last (ninth) episode. From the construction of a lively setting with attention to the smallest details, through intriguing characters and a soundtrack signed by the Imagine Dragons, Netflix con Arcane doesn’t miss a beat. In fact, the TV series set the record for the most watched series on Netflix, just a week after its debut. Not only did Arcane thrill fans of the video game, but it also attracted a new group of viewers who weren’t familiar with League of Legends.
Unfortunately for Netflix and for many viewers gamer not all transpositions come with a hole
In fact, the TV series is segregated in the darkest meanders of Netflix Resident Evilreleased on July 14, 2022.
Although the Resident Evil video game (created by Capdcom) has written the history of the “survival horror” starting with its first appearance in Japan in 1996, the adaptation in TV series form fell short.
The saga of Resident Evil had already been subjected to a film adaptation, with Paul WS Anderson films starring Milla Jovovich, Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City and today it sees a new light as a TV series. Light that was dim and very short, given the cancellation, not even a month later.
The show created by Andrew Dabb from the horror idea of Shinju Mikami follows a double time scenario (first failure). In fact, in the series both the events of a present post-apocalyptic scenario (2036) and those of 14 years earlier (2022) that led to the origin of the problem are told with an alternating (not too convincing) montage. A virus mistakenly generated byUmbrella Corporation, changed life on Earth. A part of the human population has been transformed into zombies, while other monstrous creatures have emerged from the natural fauna. The main problem of the tv series of Resident Evil it is in its superficial and unfinished writing, which does not reflect the least videogame. And not because it offers an original point of view, as for example the film did Pokémon:Detective Pikatchu. The tv series Resident Evil It’s a failure mix of different genres.
The story of the contemporary line is practically a teen dramaslow and monotonous, devoid of any nuance that could be the least bit frightening, apart from the episodes of bullying and references to Covid 19. Riverdale did better. Instead, in the post-apocalyptic world of 2036 it is anonymous and devoid of suspense. There isn’t that sense of constant danger that pervades every survivor of the zombie menace in The Walking Dead.
Beyond the low budget used for the CGI and the unrealistic sets, the question we ask ourselves the most is…
But where are the zombies in Resident Evil?
Le scene con i not dead they are too few if we consider that they are the real stars of the show. On the contrary we see more of these animal-like giant creatures, which recall the vibes Of Gozilla e Love and Monsters.
Not to mention the mediocre fighting skills of the protagonist, Jade, who is unknown how she survived up to that point.
The only positive factor is the innovative shooting style of a scene of the third episodewhere the attack of is shown Lickers e Spiders to Jade. The camera resumes the point of view that our avatar would have had in the video game. We finally manage to immerse ourselves in that cold, dark and humid atmosphere of the underground. There suspense has a significant weight. We can hear the anxious breathing of Jade, the constant presence of monsters around us. We feel the adrenaline and intense inner desire to survive. An innovative idea, which hints at the component interactive of video games without bringing it directly to the screen. Sadly this moment of genius directorial skill was short-lived, like the series itself.
This time, Netflix has not taken into account that it is not enough to throw the name of a beloved character on the scene like Albert Wesker (historic video game antagonist) nor orchestrate a shootout with i Licker to please fans of the game.
We just have to hope for a better future, perhaps further from 2036 and closer to 2023, in which HBO announces the arrival of the TV series of The Last of Us, inspired by one of the most popular video games of the last few years, by Naughty Dog.
