by Emily Nagle
Yesterday marked the premiere of Netflix’s “Resident Evil”, a show based on the eponymous horror video game series. It’s the franchise’s second go at a TV series, having been preceded by CGI anime series “Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness” last summer, and the eighth live-action adaptation of the games, with the previous installment, “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City”, being released last fall.
While the games are renowned for helping create the most profitable horror franchise in the world, the live-action adaptations of “Resident Evil” are notorious for being terribly received by critics. So of course, when “Resident Evil” got announced at Netflix two years ago, people weren’t exactly sure how this project would fare for the franchise. And so far, this series is not looking too good.
For context, the “Resident Evil” video games are all about surviving in a zombie-infested world. The show builds off of this by basing its episodes around two timelines: the main story is set in 2036, when most of the world’s population has been turned to zombies after contracting a nasty virus that has ravaged the globe, and Jade Wesker (Ella Balinska) is on the run from the powerful Umbrella Corporation. Think of it as if Breakdown meets zombies. The B-plot is told through flashbacks to 2022, three months before the pandemic started, and follows 14-year-old Jade (Tamara Smart) and her twin sister Billie (Siena Agudong) as they uncover nefarious activity behind a struggling Umbrella Corporation, where their father, Dr. Albert Wesker (Lance Reddick) has recently been hired as an executive.
With that being said, the story is a mess. Now, the problem isn’t that it’s apparently unfaithful to the games (although I may be a little biased, because I’ve never played a Resident Evil game in my life); while Dr. Wesker is prominently featured in the games, his daughters did not exist before, having been created for this show. As mentioned before, each episode switches between a present Jade and teenage Jade. The A-plot and B-plot situation wouldn’t be a problem if the two timelines were related in some way, but they both have such different energy. In 2036, Jade is running for her life from zombies, while in 2022 she and Billie are uncovering dark secrets about their father’s company and adjusting to life in New Raccoon City. They would’ve worked better if they were just made into separate shows. Instead, we’re left bouncing between a horror series and a coming-of-age thriller, and you just sit there like, “Wait…what’s going on?”
Episode one opens on Jade in 2036, when she is away conducting research on the zombies, and video chatting her husband and daughter back home, wishing her daughter a happy birthday. It starts off super sweet, and it’s clear what’s going on in this universe. There’s some pretty good dialog and character development until it flashes back to 2022. In the past, Jade and Billie are moving to New Raccoon City following their father’s promotion, and it’s filled with pop culture references that try way too hard to be relevant. I’m talking Elon Musk and “Zootopia” porn (yes, really). It’s as if the writers are trying to shove in our faces how historically accurate this fictionalized version of 2022 is, instead of actually being funny.
The CGI is unimpressive, particularly for the animals. A scene that stood out to me was when a dog broke into the Umbrella facility where Jade and her sister were hiding, and it moved super swiftly in a way that was more reminiscent of a video game creature than something from a Netflix show. Although the show is based on a video game, but considering everything else takes place in the real world, and isn’t particularly cartoonish, it’s unclear if this was intentional.
While the visuals and story were weak for “Resident Evil”, the show boasts a catchy soundtrack. Each episode features pop tracks from artists like Billie Eilish, Halsey, and Dua Lipa, as well as artists from a variety of other genres, including the Sex Pistols.
My final verdict for this show? “Resident Evil” has poor writing, and it’s like a disjointed version of The Walking Dead. The acting and soundtrack are good, but the two separate plotlines and awkward dialog completely undermine these.
by Emily Nagle
Marvel’s latest “Thor” film, “Thor: Love and Thunder“, has been out for less than a week, and it’s already one of the top ten films of the year! Critics love it for the unique, fun approach it takes to the God of Thunder’s return to crime-fighting. While Marvel’s superhero version of Thor is perhaps the most well-known pop culture depiction of the Norse God of Thunder, other franchises have created their own versions of him, each with their own variations on the mythology figure.
Marvel’s Thor
Marvel turns Thor (Chris Hemsworth) into a superhero, making him one of the founding members of the Avengers in the 2012 film. His immense strength, speed, and stamina make him an essential piece of the team, as well as his trusty hammer Mjolnir (and later his axe Stormbreaker). “Love and Thunder” picks up on Thor after the events of “Ragnarok”, when he’s taking a break from the fast, action-packed life of a superhero and taking time to figure himself out. However, when Gorr (Christian Bale) threatens gods and humankind, it’s time for this god to rally together Stormbreaker and his old team to stop Gorr’s evil plans once and for all.
Thor: End of Days
Invincible’s own depiction of the Norse mythological figure in “Thor: End of Days” (available to stream for free on Galxy) is more sci-fi, taking a supernatural approach to his story. Thor (Max Aria) is depicted as crash-landing on Earth with neither Mjolnir nor any memory of why he is there. All the while, his brother Loki is in San Diego, beginning his plan to corrupt humanity to recruit them for his nefarious causes. Time is tight as Thor journeys to regain his power and honor, as well as put a halt to Loki’s wrath.
Record of Ragnarok
“Record of Ragnarok” puts an anime twist on the Norse god of thunder. Originally published as a manga in 2019 before getting adapted into a Netflix animated series last summer, this series depicts Thor as a bloodthirsty god on a mission to exterminate humankind. Like Marvel’s Thor, he wields his trusty hammer Mjolnir, except this iteration of it is much larger. That’s not a problem for Thor, though – with his immense strength, he swings it around, taking advantage of momentum to make his attacks even more powerful.
Who’s your favorite Thor? And which one do you think would win in an ultimate crossover battle? Drop your guess in the comments!
by Emily Nagle
Crime fans, get hyped! A “Criminal Minds” reboot has been confirmed for Paramount+.
After lingering in development hell since early 2021 – last summer, OG cast member Paget Brewster wrote on Twitter that “Sadly, we think it’s dead”, before development for the series was finally confirmed to be “alive and well” earlier this year – Paramount has finally greenlit a 10-episode revival series for the long-running procedural crime show, which ran for 15 seasons on CBS from 2005 to 2020. For almost its entire run, “Criminal Minds” remained one of the channel’s most-watched programs.
In addition to Brewster, series vets Adam Rodriguez, A.J. Cook, Aisha Tyler, Kirsten Vangsness, and Joe Mantegna are also slated to return. Prior to the news breaking, Mantegna teased the announcement on Twitter yesterday, posting a photo of himself on set.
The “Criminal Minds” reboot will focus on one case for the entire season, as opposed to the original CBS series, in which the team solved a different case for each episode.
“Criminal Minds” follows a team of criminal profilers who work in the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, analyzing the minds of suspects to be one step ahead of their next crime. All episodes of the original series are available to watch now on Paramount+ and Hulu.
by Emily Nagle
Netflix’s latest trailer for upcoming vampire slayer flick “Day Shift” features Jamie Foxx as Bud Jablonski, a pool cleaner-turned-vampire hunter who just wants to provide for his family.
He’s not alone; Foxx will be joined by Snoop Dogg and Dave Franco, who play his friend Big John Elliott and his new partner in crime, respectively. The thrilling new trailer depicts Foxx as a blue-collar worker who picks up a secret side hustle as a vampire hunter in order to pay for his daughter’s braces and tuition, and keep his family from moving to Florida.
Marketed as being “From the guys who taught John Wick how to kick ass,” the production team for “Day Shift” features many names from the John Wick film series. Most notably, “Day Shift” is directed by J.J. Perry, who makes his directorial debut after serving as stunt coordinator for John Wick: Chapter 2, and co-written by Shay Hatten, who wrote John Wick 3 and 4.
You can catch “Day Shift” on Netflix later this summer; the film’s release date is August 12.
by Emily Nagle
Top 5 Highest Grossing Films for Weekend of July 1-4, 2022
5. Jurassic World Dominion ($8.4 million)
4. Elvis ($11 million)
3. Top Gun: Maverick ($15.5 million)
2. Minions: The Rise of Gru ($45.6 million)
1. Thor: Love and Thunder ($143 million)
This weekend marked the premiere of Marvel’s latest installment in its “Thor” series, “Thor: Love and Thunder”, starring Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, and Natalie Portman. It dominated the box office not only in the U.S., but worldwide; to date, “Love and Thunder” has grossed a total of $302 million, making it the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2022. Just over half of this amount coming from international box offices; overseas, “Love and Thunder” made $159 million. Despite its opening receiving mixed reviews from critics due to taking a more light-hearted, comedic look at the God of Thunder, audiences enjoyed it, giving it a 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
After arriving in theaters last week, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” continues to thrive at the box office. While its total gross for this weekend was a 57% decrease from last weekend, it’s still popular at theaters across the world, having become the highest-grossing animated film of 2022 (overtaking Universal’s previous animated film “The Bad Guys”) and the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2022, right behind “Uncharted” (however, it’s just $2 million behind, so this is likely to change quickly!). The film’s immense financial success is likely thanks to a bizarre TikTok trend in which Gen Z youths have been showing up to theaters dressed in formal attire to see the film. As a result of this trend, “The Rise of Gru” has experienced an unusually high amount of teen viewers, with 34% of audiences being between the ages of 13 to 17.
by Emily Nagle
On Wednesday, Hulu’s new series Maggie premiered, revolving around the life of a thirtysomething psychic of the same name (Rebecca Rittenhouse). When she catches a glimpse of herself in someone else’s future for the first time ever, Maggie struggles to accept things as they come, and takes drastic measures to change her fate.
When this show was first announced, it sounded interesting, kind of like a grown-up version of Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven. Accepting things as they come is a universal struggle; it’s not easy to just sit back and tell yourself that whatever happens, happens. With so many people experiencing anxiety over the future, it sounds like being able to tell what’s coming up is a gift, right? It turns out that Maggie feels the opposite; once she sees herself in a vision, it becomes hard for her to live in the moment, as she becomes fixated on preventing these things from happening. She goes so far as avoiding wearing a certain outfit just because she saw it in a bad vision.
The main problem with Maggie is that even though it’s supposed to be a rom-com, its humor falls flat. At the beginning of the first episode, Maggie’s mom is attempting to purchase a single açai berry on her iPad. You could argue that it’s more of a drama, but the plot feels too light to be considered one. It’s not in soap opera territory, but it’s also not enough to rope you in, since due to much of the dialogue being mostly based around awkward jokes, there’s not a whole lot to say about the characters. Which is strange, because isn’t establishing characters what the first season of a show is for?
I’m not unsure how to describe many of the characters in this show. Their chemistry could be better, particularly in Maggie’s friend group. Her parents are among the first people we meet in the show, and they don’t have much personality as of yet. Her mom’s (Kerri Kenney-Silver) whole character is mostly based around being out of touch with technology, while her dad (Chris Elliott) has no traits that stand out. There’s also Maggie’s best friend Louise (Nichole Sakura), who’s super spontaneous and goofy, and encourages Maggie to live in the moment. As for Maggie, it’s hard to say what her personality is like. All we know is that she keeps trying to fight the future.
It’s unknown right now if Maggie will be getting a second season, but hopefully if it does then we’ll get more character development.
All episodes of “Maggie” are available to stream now on Hulu.
Get Some Strange!
