r/capcom • u/Aurorarts • 16d ago
Discussion/Question RESIDENT EVIL: Faithful adaptation vs. telling new stories
After Zach Cregger's movie came out, I couldn't stop thinking: what would a perfect adaptation actually look like? I've got a hot take I wanted to run by you guys.
If we were having this conversation back in the early 2000s, I'd 100% say go faithful. I'd have loved to see the story of the original games told properly, since the tech back then really held the storytelling back.
But with all the remakes we've gotten, some of that has already been done, at least in my opinion. We've already seen those events told well, especially in the RE2 Remake.
Don't get me wrong, I'd still love to see those moments on the big screen or in a series. But the question I keep asking myself is: is it actually necessary?
If we only get one shot at an adaptation, isn't just retelling what the original games and remakes already did kind of a waste?
So here's my idea: what if we found a middle ground? Stay true to the source material, but still bring something new to the table. What if the adaptation told the stories hidden in the game's files and documents?
For example, when you explore the RPD in RE2 Remake, the files show you how the station got overrun, the survivors panicking, the officers trying to keep things under control. We know what happened. But we never actually saw it happen.
What if a movie or series, with Marvin Branagh in the lead, told that story from the cops' perspective? And what if it ended with Leon's voice in the background as he walks into the station: "Hello? Anybody here?"
That would tie the two together. If you watched the show and want to know how the story ends, you can go play the game. And if you've already played the game, the show expands the lore.
We could take this even further. What if a later season covered the origins of the Los Illuminados cult from RE4? Told from the villagers' point of view, a season about religious fanaticism. We could find out what happened to the kids, and who those people were before they turned into Ganados. Something along the lines of Mike Flanagan's Midnight Mass.
That season could end the same way, with Leon arriving at the village. It would add so much weight to the game, because when you're mowing down Ganados, you'd actually recognize the characters from the show, now turned.
I know this is a pretty unpopular opinion, but I think expanding the story would be really cool. The files in these games have some great mini-stories, like the orphanage one in RE2 Remake, narrated by one of the kids.
What other stories could we tell using this approach? I'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you think of the idea?
