The following contains spoilers forResident Evil: Infinite Darkness.
There’s a moment halfway through the second episode ofResident Evil: Infinite Darknessthat wraps the series up in a neat, albeit ominous bow.Leon S. Kennedy, former babyfaced cop turned presidential lapdog, is aboard a submarine to a bio-research facility (because it’sResident Evil)with Jason, the proclaimed “hero of Penamstan.” The soldier suffers from nightmares from his time in the “Mad Dogs” operation, a US intervention into the fictional nation in Southern Asia that ended with a zombie outbreak, covered up in typicalResident Evilfashion. He talks about how humans fear the unknown, how nothing is more unknowable than humanity itself, especially went pushed to its limits. His final remarks cut through Leon: “The Greeks said it best: There is much to fear in this world… but nothing more so than humans.”
If viewers are expectingResident Evil: Infinite Darknessto be full of zombie attacks and fast-paced action, they may be in for a surprise. The four-part series takes a quieter approach than itssurvival horrorsource material, throwing out the majority of flashy set pieces in favor of plot-driving conversations about conspiracy and fear. The real enemies here are rarely bioweapons and more likely the hands that create them.Resident Evil: Infinite Darknessacknowledges that those hands are everywhere and won’t untangle without major change.
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The series takes place in 2006, after the events ofResident Evil 4and beforeResident Evil 5. Leon is working for the White House when he runs intoClaire Redfield, now an activist for the group TerraSave operating in the wartorn country of Penamstan. Claire has discovered evidence of a cover-up involving bioweapons after the “Mad Dogs” operation six years prior. Leon is too focused on his own matters to give the evidence much thought, though, as the United States is facing a potential hacking from China regarding top-secret files coming from — shockingly — a bio lab in Shanghai.
The series switches between Leon and Claire’s perspectives. Leon gets most of the action familiar toResident Evilfans, from zombie shooting to beating out a self-destruct timer on a submarine, while Claire is back in the United States, doing detective work on an evidence board a laJill Valentine inResident Evil 3. While separate for most of the series, Claire and Leon’s work is anchored together through the “Mad Dogs” experience at the end of the Penamstan Civil War, captured in ahorrifying opening scenealready known to fans. It’s through this government-led military lens thatResident Evil: Infinite Darknessbegins to feel less like the survival horror experience audiences are used to and more akin toSpec Ops: The Line, full of themes of soldier’s guilt and one’s duty.
That doesn’t mean the runtime isn’t sprinkled with moments that just screamResident Evil, though. Viewers are treated to laughable one-liners from Leon that feel perfectly ripped fromResident Evil 2, including his use of pet names for a rocket launcher and puns for creatures he encounters. The action of the last episode feels like an homage to the final stretches ofResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3, with Leon running around a sprawling underground facility shooting a giant bioweapon mutated within an inch of its life.
There still are shortcomings, though. With only four episodes running around 20 minutes each, a lot of plot is crammed into little more than an hour. There is rarely a moment for the series to breathe, ultimately letting hard-hitting moments of dialogue be quickly replaced by the next big development or explosion. By leaving most of the action to Leon, Claire’s involvement — which first propels the story into action — ends up falling flat. It would have been interesting for Claire to have had more to do in the series either than being shooed away by government officials.
That being said, Claire does more of the heavy lifting for Leon’s arc than he actually does, acting as a person to fight his morals against. Claire acknowledges how much Leon has changed, not just over the course of the runtime, but since she has last seen him since theRaccoon Cityincident. She tells him that his outfit doesn’t suit him, not his slacks, but his active work in helping the government hide the truth about bioweapons and the events of Penamstan. The series ends at a crucial moment for the characters ofResident Eviland itstimeline, acting as a bridge between the events of the first four games and the most recent four.
While it may not be perfect for casual fans of the series,Resident Evil: Infinite Darknesspacks a lot of lore into a short runtime, taking a step back from zombies and discussing the monsters within.With the yearResident Evilhas planned, though, it seems the best is yet to come.
Resident Evil: Infinite Darknessis now streaming on Netflix.
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Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness
Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is a CG animated movie that stars Resident Evil 2 protagonists Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield in a new story that takes place between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. Leon and Claire’s paths again cross when a new viral outbreak occurs at the White House with an unknown hacking attempt leading to a zombie attack. However, the attack may lead to a deeper conspiracy than either could have ever expected.
