Resident Evil: Death Island (Review)

Director - Eiichiro Hasumi (Mozu the Movie, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness)

Starring - Matthew Mercer (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match), Nicole Tompkins (Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made, American Horror Story), and Kevin Dorman (Resident Evil: Vendetta, Avatar: The Way of Water)

Release Date - 2023

Genre - Horror

Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      I’m an avid gamer and that’s a part of my personal life that I rarely get to talk about on Horror Society. When I’m not at work or watching horror flicks I’m in front of my PC hacking away at whatever game I’m obsessed with at the time. I’ve been gaming for decades by this point and while I hate to admit to my age I still find it impressive that I’ve been gaming for so long. I remember playing the original few Resident Evil games on PlayStation but I was never really a huge fan of the games. I did enjoy the fourth installment but I wouldn’t call it one of my favorite games. However, I fucking loved the first film adaptation and didn’t mind the sequels that much. I also adore Welcome to Raccoon City. While I may be in the minority here I know I’m not alone. When it comes to the animated films I find myself on the fence for most of them. They are the middle of the road in terms of entertainment. When I received the press release for Resident Evil: Death Island I almost skipped on it. I thought about it for a few days and decided to continue watching the series even though they have been a bit underwhelming to me. I’m glad I didn’t sleep on it. It was surprisingly decent and one of the better films in the animated series. 

      The film follows Leon who finds himself in San Francisco searching for a missing scientist while Claire is also in the city investigating something that is attacking orcas. When Jill and Chris show up battling a new form of zombies that are turning without being bit they realize that something is happening in San Fran and a new T-Virus may have been released. 

       The first live action adaptation of Resident Evil was something that I watched continuously when I was in high school. I’m not a fan of Marilyn Manson but his score for that film was spectacular. I liked the sequels but they were nowhere near as good as the first film. I know hardcore fans of the games didn’t care for Welcome to Raccoon City but I loved it almost as much as the first RE film. When it comes to the animated films I find them to be films you turn on when you want some background noise. They don’t really do anything for me but that seems to be changing. Death Island held my attention and I found myself really enjoying it. I don’t care for this political and terrorist centered story lines these newer animated films have but it’s not something that completely turns me off from the film. The voice acting is great which has never really been a complaint I’ve had for these films. There was a few instances where it feels like the cast was just reading from a script with no emotion behind their voice but it’s not consistent or enough to drag the film down. I liked the voice casting and really enjoyed most of the scenes. The story for this one doesn’t really feel like the original Resident Evil games that I remember playing and I think that is why I’m a bit reluctant to this series. It’s a film series full of bioterrorism, espionage, Mission Impossible style action along with dashes of Resident Evil lore. It’s not a bad mix but this is the first film in the series that I was fully behind. With that being said, the pacing in this one is off. Some scenes are long winded and not very enjoyable while others are more fast paced and action oriented. The slower scenes go on for far too long which does strain the viewer’s patience. Finally, I liked the animation style. It looks good and on par with the other films. We also get some bloody moments and I loved the looks of the mutations. Overall, Resident Evil: Death Island doesn’t really scratch that itch that I may have for a new Resident Evil film but it is one of the better animated films in the series. Fans of the other films will enjoy where the story is taking them but more traditional Resident Evil fans may dislike this approach to the franchise. Regardless, I liked it and would recommend it to genre fans.