Dracula Spelled Backwards

Unpopular opinion: the idea of telling a new story in Raccoon City isn’t the problem. Honestly, following an original civilian during the outbreak could’ve been one of the best ways to approach this movie. The problem is changing the rules that made Raccoon City and the original outbreak so distinctive. If you’re going to use the RE2 era, the T-Virus, Umbrella, the creatures, and the 1998 setting, those things should feel like the foundation not obstacles that need to be rewritten. You don’t need Leon or Claire to make it feel like Resident Evil. You just need the world to actually feel like Resident Evil. Give us the panic, Umbrella’s presence, the slow-building outbreak, survival horror, and that feeling that ordinary people are completely out of their depth. An original story doesn’t have to mean an unfamiliar universe.