Jill Valentine Actress

And we’re back at Resident Evil Remastered. Yes, we know. We already wrote several posts about Resident Evil and the movies inspired by this franchise. Yes, they’re so much fun, some good, some not so good!

But, here in this post, let’s take a look at titles Resident Evil remastered and what they are probably planning. The remake from a different perspective. From the success perspective and what can the movies learn from the success of a Resident Evil Remastered game.

You know… Since the newest Resident Evil Remastered shipped over two million copies within its first week and got favorable reviews as well.

Resident Evil 3 Remastered

Resident Evil 4: The rumors are spreading

Indeed, several media outlets already reported of Resident Evil 4 remake that’s apparently in the works by Capcom. As a result of the success that followed Remastered RE 2 and RE 3, Capcom is apparently trying to seize the opportunity, and deliver the next project.

While still relishing on the initial positive response from Resident Evil 3, the company is trying to bring the 2005 game back to the workshop. In order to get her the same remastering treatment of course.

Resident Evil 4: Can you improve perfection?

But really. Here’s the trick. Resident Evil is already very good. Moreover, it’s apparently a masterpiece. Resident Evil 4 won both critical acclaim and rather strong financial success. The 2005 game is now widely considered as one of the best video games ever made. So it begs the question. Do we need it? I’ll leave that to you to ponder.

However, we’re not here to debate whether or not Resident Evil 4 should be remastered. Personally, I don’t think that anyone can settle that debate. We’re here to discuss what movies should learn from the success of the Resident Evil Remastered games.

Resident Evil Remastered: Some bad examples

On the contrary to the remastered Resident Evil games success, there are numerous examples of how remastering didn’t really work out for the best. Warcraft III: Reforged is one example of that, while GTA San Andreas – X Box 360 is another.

Warcraft III: Reforged was quite controversial due to the numerous changes from the original game. Not to mention all the technical issues of the game. Next, the Xbox 360 version of GTA San Andreas had framerate problems, and the changes in Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop pissed a lot of people.

But it’s not all that bad. On the other hand, Metal Gear Solid’s HD Collection received critical and fans praised the improved quality of the remastered ports. There’s hope after all.

Fury Road

Resident Evil Remastered: Lessons To Be Learned

The first thing to remember is… Sometimes changes are good. While the previous remastered versions of the Resident Evil game were more or less, faithful to the original material, Resident Evil 3’s remastered version had quite some changes.

The gameplay, the graphics and the overall presentation of the game were changed, indeed for the better. Next, so was the length. Some disliked the short length and the pacing, but this was a classic example of “don’t overstay your welcome“. and Capcom implemented that motto here.

How does it apply to the movies?

First of all, let us start by saying that there are indeed some really good film remakes out there.

Therefore not all remakes are terrible attempts to cash-in on the original source material. Mad Max: Fury Road, for example. The movie’s success let’s you know that changes are good if there are done wisely and sparsely. Not that many movies can pull off changes like this, but George Miller did it effortlessly and beautifully. Don’t you think?

Fury Road is the fourth installment and a “revisiting” of the Mad Max films, but it IS a modern improvement to the franchise (we’ll have an article about them soon). Much like with Resident Evil 3, some big changes are present in Fury Road too. But, the overall tone and atmosphere remained the same for the satisfaction or the fans.

The big changes in Fury Roads were quite drastic (new characters, new feminist undertones), but yes. The overall atmosphere of the franchise was there from the beginning and until the very end. It was still the dystopian mayhem that we all love and cherish.

It didn’t feel foreign and unfamiliar to us. Despite the novelties introduced in the movie, it still had the Mad Max feel. And that’s what made it work.

The same applies to Ocean’s Eleven, The Departed, True Lies, Dawn Of The Dead and The Thing. The original source is respected, but the changes are put in order to serve a purpose. To elevate the story and to entertain the public as well.

im serious jeff goldblum GIF

The visuals are also important

In addition to the changes in the story, one of the purposes of a remastered product, is the improvement of the visuals.

Much like with Resident Evil 3, almost every good remake of a movie had better direction, cinematography and special effects than the original material. Certainly, the visuals are a no-brainer when it comes to remastering or remaking something.

Take The Fly as an example. While the 1958 movie was good in terms of the visual presentation, the 80’s remake was way better. Not to mention, it won an Academy Award for Best Makeup.

Respect the original, respect the fans

However, there’s something to be said about the original material as well. After all, it was the original game or the original movie that got the fans hooked. The original source is to be respected, regardless of how the company (thinks) can make it better.

The environment and the gameplay were Resident Evil 3: Nemesis’s strongest assets and fans really like those assets even now. It’s what made them love the game in the first place. Ultimately, the same things apply to the movie remakes.

You can have the best CGI, the greatest cast and the most talented director in the world and still fell short with the fans. In all honesty, the safest thing is to stay true to the original spirit of the game or the movie.

Modern Family GIF by ABC Network

Your thoughts

What are your thoughts on the remakes? Are they better than the original material? And what can the movies learn from Resident Evil 3’s success? Tell us in the comments below. We’d love to know all about them.

1 COMMENT

  1. Hi there, good article!

    First off, I’d like to argue that Resident Evil 2 (2019) and Resident Evil 3 (2020) are not remasters,but remakes. There is a considerable difference. If Resident Evil 3 was merely remastered, it would have the exact same content, only with updated visuals such as new character and item models, higher resolution backgrounds, etc.

    The Resident Evil 2 remake is a fantastic example of how to bring a classic game to modern times. New but familiar visuals, updated game play, controls, camera angles, familiar but updated story, etc. Capcom knocked it out of the part with that game. The Resident Evil 3 remake was a natural next step. A lot of the locations of the game were already there, but I feel like Capcom rushed it out the door. The original PS1 version of Resident Evil 3 is not a super long game, but they managed to make it even shorter. I took a considerably long time playing through it, even leaving my game on idle a few times, and I finished the game at around 9 hours. There is even an achievement/trophy for finishing it in under 2 hours. I won’t go into specifics as to not spoil the game, but quite possibly the most iconic location from the original RE3 is not in the remake.

    As for the Resident Evil films, the first few Milla Jovovich films are enjoyable for what they are, but are almost insulting to Resident Evil fans. Characters the fans are familiar with will show up mostly in name (and sort of costume) alone, but are a far cry from their video game counterparts. If the “Jill” from the Milla films wouldn’t have been wearing the RE3 outfit and called Jill, I wouldn’t have guessed that’s who she was. The personality is way off, so much so that I said to myself “What have they done to Jill?!” It started to go way downhill with Afterlife, but Retribution was so terrible that it wasn’t even in the “so bad it’s good” category. The Final Chapter wasn’t as awful, but was mostly forgettable because I… well don’t remember hardly anything about it. I really hope Paul W.S. Anderson isn’t involved in the film reboot (which is supposedly going to be more faithful to the games, which is not difficult), but I don’t know for sure.

    Saying all that, I don’t want the films to be a 1:1 with the games, as that wouldn’t be super exciting. The plots and pacing of the games work really well for games, not so much for films.

    For your comment about Resident Evil 4, I’m actually very excited about the possibility of a remake of the game. I’ve been a Resident Evil fan since the first game released on the PS1, and Resident Evil 4 honestly rubbed me the wrong way when it came out. It didn’t feel much like a Resident Evil game, and it had very clunky controls. I’ve tried playing it a few different times on different platforms, with the Wii version being the easiest to control IMHO, but I still haven’t gotten super far in the game. An updated version of the game with a control scheme like RE2 Remake and RE3 Remake though, I’d be all over that.

Chatter with us