Analysis of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, A Series that Fails to Infect at All

 The new Resident Evil animated series follows in the footsteps of the previous films and places Leon and Claire in the world that would come after Resident Evil 4.

Analysis of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, A Series that Fails to Infect at All

Analysis of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness

Although the cinematographic repercussions of the Resident Evil universe have always permeated more around Milla Jovovich's films , the truth is that the franchise already has a few ( three, specifically ) animated films behind it, which are usually characterized by deepening in the lore of history among the main games and for presenting a very colorful animation.

That is the case again in Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness , the first Resident miniseries for Netflix . Actually, it could also have been a movie, because it consists of only 4 episodes, each lasting less than half an hour.

The story of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness takes place between the events ofResident Evil 4 Y Resident Evil 5. Leon S. Kennedy is a hero for having rescued the President's daughter and now he travels to the White House to help in a strange hacking and biological weapons conspiracy in which China itself could be implicated. 

But of course, he will soon discover that there are much more evil inquinas behind, while his old companion of fatigue, Claire Redfield, investigates for Terrasave the carnage that took place in the fictional nation of Penamstan.

Each episode usually ends with a little cliffhanger and, of course, we cannot complain about a lack of movement in the chapters. 

In less than two hours of footage, the heroes travel to environments as different as the White House itself or a submarine and, along the way, we meet new characters whose relevance is limited only to the series, but who are interesting, such as the agents Shen May or Jason ... In addition to the President himself , the father of that Ashley Graham who made us so dizzy in Resident Evil 4.

The main hero is Leon , who stars in the most intense and heroic moments, to the detriment of a Claire who, once again (the same thing happened to him in Resident Evil: Degeneration ), remains in little more than a comparsa and the "investigator in troubles ".

It's a shame, because the design of both is very attractive and lends itself to seeing them in action like in the old days of Resident Evil 2, but this time it is Leon who marks almost all of the great action scenes. Some of them, of course, are very showy. 

It is true that 3D animation sometimes still seems "unhuman" with certain secondary characters, but both the modeling and the animation have been improved compared to the original films.

In any case, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is a series designed almost exclusively for those of you who are fans of games and want to delve deeper into their mythology. 

The rest of the spectators will not enjoy references to past events whose knowledge here is taken for granted, although the main plot of this series is quite self-concluding .

His narration uses flashbacks to explain events that we see at the beginning and that may not be clear, which helps to understand the personal drama of some new characters and that, without a doubt, are one of the most interesting facets of this Netflix series .

The reflections on human nature (and our egoism) give a certain game, although the series falls into a cliché very typical of Japanese fictions: the characters who live "attached" to a mantra that they repeat over and over again , as if they were not capable of processing beyond there. 

That weighs down a narrative that is sometimes quite silly in its dialogues, including some "lapidary phrases" from Leon that, it is understood, seek to make fun, but are a bit forced on a character who smiles less than a plaster cat.

Resident Evil Infinite Darkness

Even so, it is true that the progression of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness has an unmistakable aftertaste to that of the video games themselves, with obvious references to the use of iconic weapons, the gestation of certain malevolent corporations or how the villains are physically degenerating to outsource your inner demons. 

There is no doubt that the very essence of Resident Evil , particularly the more classic ones , applies very well . 

In that sense, the chapters will not win any prizes for their elaborate plots, but they are fast, direct and entertaining, which will be more than enough for anyone who wants some fleeting escape. 

Escape with good doses of gore, as expected. But do not worry, the voice of Lorenzo Beteta returns as Leon and, although there is violence and action everywhere, his hair will continue to be perfect, as we like it.