Resident Evil 4... and counting?

(Insert obligatory spoiler warning here)
I keep this blog for fiction purposes, but everyone else is complaining about Resident Evil: Afterlife. I may as well get in on it.

So, most people who know me know that I’m in to the traditional geek ware: comic books, video games, cartoons, etc. I have a fair number of fandoms that I’m pretty into. Among these is Resident Evil, which I used to sneak into the back room to watch my cousin play when I was seven and such things were forbidden (“But mom! They’re not killing people! They’re killing zombies!”). I still remember boys in 9th grade being surprised when I brought in a Resident Evil novel for a free-reading period. I think it was City of the Dead (and actually, since we're talking about Resident Evil adaptations, I have to say I think the books are good. They make enough changes to be interesting, but don't mess up the series)

I’ve never been outright against the movies. I mean, they’re just movies. I have always had minor issues with them, however. With the release of a shiny-new article from IGN, I really feel like it would make me feel better to join in the fandom’s bitching.

The article in question can be found here: http://movies.ign.com/articles/108/1082207p1.html

Let’s do this point by point.

1. There is a line between fanfiction and adaptation.
Essentially when you create a movie of something, there are three main methods: direct adaptation, adaptation with some new twist or interpretation, or something based on and inspired by the original, but that is essentially new. As far as I’m concerned, the first mistake with the movies was making them take so much directly from the games, only with the nice, new insertion of the writer’s wife as the be-all, do-all character.

Suddenly the bosses that we spent hours trying to destroy (Nemesis, anyone?) are easy targets for the almighty Alice, who clearly is unbeatable (and when she has any real trouble, another Alice shows up to save her because of course only Alice is worthy of saving Alice), and our favorite characters are pretty much extras. Jill has had the most attention so far, and I do have to give props to Sienna Guillory for apparently really getting into the research of the roll. Jill wasn’t perfect obviously, but it was a fantastic attempt and hard not to like her. Anyway, essentially what the movies are saying is “Yes, we see your characters and franchise that you love, but clearly they aren’t good enough. We’re going to give you something better.”

This forces us to take the movies in the context of the games while alienating the fanbase.

2. You’re just doing what the games have done.
And really, there’s not much wrong with this. It’s even the way I’d prefer to see it happen. But the emphasis on “We’re being different! Oh yeah... the games did it too...” is beginning to sound sugar-coated to make it seem like this is some completely original idea.

"The dogs, their mouths open up like a flower, and these huge jaws and teeth come through. So we're keeping within the realm of undead, but we're just doing an interesting twist on the creatures. Like the games have done."

Well yes. Been there, done that. Maybe I just read these statements wrong, but it really does constantly sound as if someone is trying to say all of it is so shiny-new.

3. You did not inspire the setting of RE5
"I know for a fact that the last game, which is set in Africa and a warmer climate -- we influenced that with our last movie," he says. "So there is a kind of respectful collaboration going on”
Yeah.... no. I’ll believe it when there’s an official statement saying “Oh yeah guys! See, the movie being set in the deserts of the Southwest United States really made us what to put the fifth game in Africa. Using a warm climate is so new and fresh!”

As someone who apparently was very into the games, Anderson should know that the T-Virus was predated by the Progenitor virus. Any guesses on where that one originated from? West Africa. This was long before the movies, and bringing Resident Evil 5 to West Africa is a way of bringing everything around full-circle. Well, that and Wesker is a jerk who likes to try to pick on out of the way places.

4. Keep your God Sue Alice out of my video games
A good bit of the fandom seems quite vocal about this, and I agree. Having Alice in a game? Why?

Essentially Alice invalidates everything that’s happened in the games. Jill and Claire are essentially ineffective. Actually. Everyone except Alice is ineffective. This is troublesome. If Alice is brought into an official game, it is saying that “Well, everything else doesn’t matter. Alice is here.” Not to mention, I really am assuming it wouldn’t do very well. This is an uneducated assumption, but I’ve heard enough long-time fans say that they would not buy a new Resident Evil game starring Alice. And of course – Resident Evil has been pretty good with its characters. They are strong, smart, fun to play... and they have been important throughout the entire franchise, with the exception games such as Outbreak, and other non-main series installments.

“"We have Alice flying a plane in this one”
“And so he wrote this really great scene during the clone sequence, where my clones crash through this plate-glass window and then get into this needle dive going down like 50 stories of the Umbrella headquarters."
I hope she can bake cookies too.

5. Again, demoted to extra
“But what about a return for Jill Valentine, who was last seen in the second film? "There might be," is all Bolt will say when asked. Oded Fehr's Carlos Olivera is definitely not back -- no surprise there, judging by the events of the last movie”
I can deal without Carlos. He was important, like, once. If I wanted a minor character back, I’d like to see Billy, personally. But I don’t understand the treatment of Jill as if she’s a minor character. Jill is highly important to the series. She was one of the first two playable characters, and the heroine of Resident Evil 3 entirely. Her part is Resident Evil 5 was more behind-the-scenes, but the addition of Lost in Nightmares and Desperate Escape gave her more play. Now suddenly... she’s shown up in one movie, been outshined by Alice, and no longer really matters.

6. Chris Redfield is not a grab-bag of personalities
“Miller did some research and found that there are several different interpretations of the character, including Anderson's take on Chris in the script for the film.”

As my best friend Danielle said, “different interpretations of Chris ROFL. I'm convinced they read a lot of OOC fanfics on ff.net.”

Chris hasn’t really changed much in personality over the years. He is a loving brother, a can-be-funny-during-serious-business kind of guy, and quite determined. Kind of like a teddy bear. Or, in Resident Evil 5, a teddy bear on steroids, but a teddy bear nonetheless. I’m not sure what kind of “different interpretation” of Chris they’re talking about here, but that could be a very, very bad thing.

7. Clothes do not equal the character
“And yet, it's also the fans' Chris Redfield, says Miller. When it came time to put together the character's wardrobe, Miller and the filmmakers harvested what was already out there for Chris.”

I think it’s safe to say I’m speaking for a majority of the fandom when I say that what we are most interested in when it comes to Chris is not what he’s wearing. Also.... sword? Chris.... does not use swords. But maybe that’s too nitpicky.

8. Oh Claire Redfield, how the mighty have fallen
“"I have a very exciting sequence with the Axe Man, which is so cool," says Ali Larter, who's just as hot in person as you'd expect her to be.”

Well I’m not sure why suddenly it’s the “axe man” instead of the executioner. I guess we’re just not so great with big words? But regardless...

Now Claire, you have done some kickass things in the past.
At the age of 19 with minimal self-defense training you rode into the Raccoon City incident in your bike-shorts, kicked some ass, saved a little girl, and made it out in one piece, still full of determination to find your brother. At the age of 8, you were my hero. You are the only recurring main character who came without serious training. You’re also among the youngest. I still want to be you.

You then booked it to Europe, infiltrated an Umbrella facility alone, which takes guts even if you did end up getting caught (I will say though that I do judge you a bit for the people who died there, but that’s another story). When things went to hell in Code Veronica where you were locked up for being so kickass, you handled it like a pro. Seriously. Alexia Ashford was about as insane as they get. Hell, you even got beaten up by Wesker and still kept on being good, old, awesome Claire. Hence why, in Degeneration, we see the “... and later...” Claire who is active in trying to change the world and still remains to be insanely kickass.

So... I guess I’m not really impressed that in the movies you’ve basically led a resistance group, and get to fight with an enemy that really only makes me want to cry when I’ve got three handgun bullets left and there’s not an incendiary grenade to be found.
Also, I’d prefer you’re Claire-like, regardless of whether or not the outfit is the same as in the games. See point 7.

9. Some of us have ovaries
"I think a lot of the fanboys are going to be thrilled because it is beat-by-beat from the videogame,"

Um, excuse me, what? I don’t know demographics. I’m actually a firm believer that demographics are rather more pointless than people would like them to be. So I don’t know how many girls play RE, but I know there are several of us. Most of the friends I discuss these games with are female.
I go over to my best girlfriend’s house occasionally to blow the heads off some zombies. And really? We have a bit of work to do, but we’re not too shabby.

My issue is that people tend to say "fanboys" when the underlying assumption is that it's a boy interest. My boyfriend tries to insist "fanboys" can include girls, but if it did, it would not be "boys." The noun there says a lot, because it is a rather descriptive one. Political correctness is overrated, but dammit, it’s one less syllable to just say “fans,” and it makes me hate you a lot less.

10. If it were for the fans, it would be different
This is fanfiction. That’s all the script ever was. It was fanfiction retelling the games with the addition of a character based off someone close to the writer. There are even a few times where the name “Milla” is used when referring to Alice the character.

If you want to give us something new, okay. But don’t give us what we already loved, with our characters ruined and a character that makes all of the work we’ve done in every installment seem like child’s play.

I’m tired of hearing “It’s for the fans” and then seeing the feedback from the fans.

I suppose that I’m taking a movie too seriously. They’ll do what they want, and people who enjoy it will go see it. But clearly I’m not the only long-time fan who is bothered by what’s been portrayed, and for how long. If it ever invades the video game franchise, I’m out.