Yesterday, Netflix teased a teaser for its upcoming Resident Evil show. The result of this teaser-ception is a trailer that, if not for the Resident Evil name, looks like your standard zombie affair. There are nods to the Umbrella Corporation, of course, because it’s always Umbrella. But beyond that, we’re looking at your popcorn zombie romp. There are shots of what appear to be Lickers, and they look damn scary. Oh, and if you have a fear of spiders, you might want to find something else to watch.
The Resident Evil show’s teaser starts off following the Wesker family as they start their peaceful life in Raccoon City. Naturally, things don’t go well — as any RE fan will gladly tell you. Wesker, played by Lance Reddick, knocks out a couple early lines before the trailer cuts to Umbrella labs. Lab rats undergo a zombification, and then the footage snaps to a moment in the future.
It appears that Netflix is prepping the show to bounce across two times. Some of the scenes seem to be set in the current time, but the show will also snap to a full-on zombie apocalypse set in London in the year 2036. The show appears to cover how the fall began, as zombies and other mutated creatures begin their reign. Later, we see humans living in enclaves, surrounded by the shambling undead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tb9ENbFWvQ
Back and forth
Like I said, much of it looks like zombie works we’ve seen before, namely something like Land of the Dead. However, there is plenty of Resident Evil sprinkled throughout the teaser to connect the show with the game franchise. Lurkers are something the show’s protagonists will have to deal with. At the 48-second mark, the teaser coyly sneaks in a brief look at the giant spider found in Resident Evil 2, where the show takes the most influence.
This will be the latest attempt at a Resident Evil series from Netflix. Last year, we got Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, which followed series mainstays Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. The general consensus is that it was pretty okay. I’m on the fence for this latest Resident Evil, and the teaser trailer hasn’t quite got me sold. We’ll see how it fares once it arrives on July 14.
