Entertainment

RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness – Side quest turned anime

A series built on the lore, but doesn’t overstay its welcome

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I’ll admit that I don’t have too much experience with the Resident Evil franchise because of my aversion to horror games. Although, what truly piqued my interest with Capcom’s survival-horror game was its interwoven storyline. For the most part, I picked up any knowledge of the lore and the characters by reading about it on walkthroughs and game reviews.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the video game franchise, and Capcom went all in with its commemoration. Just this past May, the company released Resident Evil Village, the canonical eighth game in the franchise. In July, another big release is coming with RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness, a television anime available on Netflix.

I got the chance to see the entire series before its release, and I went into it with whatever knowledge of the game’s storyline I had. Will this be something worthwhile for fans and newbies alike? 

A premise of darkness and violence

The premise of RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness is an interesting one, and tackles mysteries beyond the lore of the first few Resident Evil games. In this rather short anime series, it starts with a depiction of events in the fictional war-torn region of Penamstan in the year 2000. This sets up the timeline for the majority of the events of the series set in the year 2006.

Jason and his squadron about to drop into wartorn Penamstan in 2000

For as crazy as it sounds, the United States government suffered a hacking incident, and the President called upon four agents to investigate. Eventually, a zombie attack ensues in the White House and a virus infects several members of the government. Naturally, everything breaks into chaos before Leon S. Kennedy shows up.

Infinite Darkness

Back in Penamstan, Claire Redfield serves as a volunteer for TerraSave when a young boy shows her a disturbing drawing. On her return trip to America, she runs into Leon in the White House post-zombie attack, shows him the drawing, and suggests a correlation to the events in Raccoon City. Eventually, these two go on their separate ways for their own investigations.

A story that would make a decent DLC campaign

The rest of the story unravels in a four episode series filled with flashbacks and, well, zombie killing. Honestly, it feels right at home with how the video game franchise works except that it’s just mostly storyline with no gameplay. At first, I thought that maybe it would have been best if it was just a movie, given how long each episode was.

The U.S. Army Mad Dogs, a group of soldiers sent to Penamstan

In my short interview with Director Eiichiro Hasumi, he mentioned that he envisioned the series to unravel itself with each episode. In essence, you learn more about the characters and their intentions slowly but surely. As the series progressed, I’m starting to see what he meant by that, and it’s straight to the point.

Leon Kennedy, Jason and Shen May: three of the four agents called by the President

It doesn’t try to confuse you with multiple subplots, and any piece of new information is easily digestible per episode. Also, I felt that the producers structured the episodes quite well to avoid overloading you with information in each of them. If this ended up like a DLC in a main game, it fits quite well, plot-wise.

A form of fan service for the diehards

Throughout my entire watch time, I can’t help but notice that this series caters a lot to the diehards. First off, Resident Evil fans will delight in seeing the more detailed character models for your Resident Evil 2 protagonists in Leon and Claire. They stay true to their designs based on the video game franchise, except Leon is now in a suit instead of a police uniform.

The character design for Claire Redfield for RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness

Secondly, this series also features some easter eggs and references to the games themselves, particularly with several character relationships. I already mentioned one of the references in the premise section, so the rest is entirely up to the diehards when they watch the series. Honestly, it serves as a good form of fan service to hint at these all throughout.

Something for everybody?

Prior to finishing the entire series, I asked myself whether new and old Resident Evil fans will appreciate it. After finishing the rather short anime, I’m sure that RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness caters more to longtime fans than the casual ones. From the story to the characters, it sells itself as a great representation of the video game franchise.

This doesn’t mean, however, that casual fans of the video games and even zombie enthusiasts won’t appreciate the series. If, like me, you’re familiar with the lore but haven’t played the games as much as others, it’s a great watch. Although, I feel the story will leave you with more questions than any definitive endings.

Overall, RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness provides a digestible yet gruesome viewing experience for an anime series. It keeps things simple and straight to the point, and doesn’t have you overanalyzing things too much. Honestly, it’s a worthwhile side story that diehard fans will appreciate more, but it’s something for everybody.

Uncover the darkness in a war torn world as RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness arrives on Netflix on July 8, 2021.

Entertainment

Street Fighter special look: Blanka vs. Ryu

Jason Momoa, Andrew Koji’s characters face off

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Paramount Pictures has released a new special look for Street Fighter featuring Jason Momoa and Andrew Koji.

The short, minute-long clip shows the actors’ respective characters, Blanka and Ryu, in battle.

It opens with a chained prisoner struck by extreme electrical charges, transforming into the green-skinned, electricity-infused Blanka.

He unleashes a fierce roar. Meanwhile, Ryu drops into a fighting stance, but tells Blanka he does not want to fight him.

Forced to defend himself, Ryu then fires a signature Hadouken fireball towards Blanka, as the teaser cuts to the Street Fighter title card.

Street Fighter debuts in cinemas starting October 14. It is directed by Kitao Sakurai and stars an ensemble cast that includes Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoai as Akuma, and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog, among others.

The film is set in 1993 when estranged Street Fighters Ryu and Ken Masters are thrown into combat when Chun-Li recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament.

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Entertainment

Now Playing: Spider-Man: Brand New Day

It’s a must watch for Spidey fans who want to see Peter Parker enter his sad boy era.

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The Holland-led Spider-Man trilogy is one of my favorite franchises in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Compared to other series with admittedly disjointed plots, all of Spidey’s storylines have a clear thread leading from one to the next. Since the fourth entries after trilogies are historically lackluster, I had a lot of trepidation heading into Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Thankfully, all those worries were unfounded. Brand New Day follows the same throughline as its predecessors, once again reinforcing Spider-Man as the strongest franchise that Marvel offers fans today.

A brand new day indeed

Coming from No Way Home, Brand New Day still has Peter Parker live a new life as a literal nobody where no one remembers who he is. So begins his existence as just Spider-Man with no friends or family.

When a new and unseen threat ravages through New York City, Spidey starts to wish that he still had friends to help him out, which leads him on an inevitable collision course with Ned and MJ. Ironically, it also leads him to other characters in the city, including the Hulk and the Punisher.

A cacophony of villains

When I first saw the trailer, I was worried about the astounding number of villains from the get-go. After all, one of the biggest problems in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, the most maligned entry in Spider-Man movie history, was the villains. Though far from the movie’s biggest problem, having too many bad guys without a solid plot led to its terrible reception. You can see why Brand New Day’s trailer raises some flags.

If you were thinking the same thing, Brand New Day does indeed have a cohesive plot. Everything flows neatly into one another. Each emotional beat of Peter feeling for his solitude mixes well with the action. In here, fight scenes feel like they have a purpose.

And there is a big bad here. It’s not just a collection of guys that Spidey has to go through. That big bad, who shall not be named at this time, doesn’t feel like just a placeholder for Peter’s internal struggles. They have a character of their own and their own struggles to solve. I wouldn’t say they’re at the level of Loki just yet, but they definitely have a better go at it than most of the MCU’s other villains.

Marvel’s New York City finally debuts

Despite being a prime location since 2012’s Avengers, New York City never really felt like the quintessential city for superheroes in the comics. In the movies, the city was just another city to be ravaged when a new villain comes along.

For the first time, Brand New Day makes the city feel like a lived-in world with a bunch of superheroes living in the neighborhood. And they do pop up.

Does Peter have a scientific problem that only a very specific hero can solve? It’s a good thing Bruce Banner is just around the corner. Does he need some muscle? Well, the Punisher is skulking around somewhere. Plus, there’s even a succinct reason why other superheroes can’t help out.

In this way, Brand New Day presents itself more like a comic book series than a one-off movie. It’s like following the story alone from issue to issue. It’s not the most perfect adaptation of the landmark city, but it goes a long way from just another ravaging of New York.

Peter’s sadness

Everything here hinges on Peter’s loneliness. Despite meeting a trove of characters across the cinematic universe, Peter yearns for time with his loved ones. But they’re gone.

Unlike the past three films where he always had someone to go home to, he has no one here. Tony Stark is dead. Aunt May is gone. Happy has gone to parts unknown. Ned and MJ have no memory of him. Brand New Day has a way of making you feel for his aches, whether the way he still keeps track of MJ or some physiological changes as a result of his predicament.

It also helps that the movie’s big bad has similar motivations. Both serve as perfect mirrors against each other, elevating both their stories effectively. And that’s all I’ll say about that.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a few steps behind from being a perfect Marvel movie, but it’s still an extremely strong part of the Spider-Man mythos. The trilogy, now quadrilogy, remains Marvel’s most consistent franchises to date. It’s an absolute must-watch.

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Entertainment

UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony hits Makati in October

Determination arrives in October.

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For so small of a game, UNDERTALE quickly made it into the gaming world’s hall of fame. Despite being only a decade old, the small title has had a major influence for modern-day gamers because of its unique gameplay, its lo-fi art, and, of course, its catchy soundtrack. If you’re a fan of UNDERTALE’s soundtrack, a unique concert experience is headed your way.

On October 17, Film Concerts PH, in partnership with SOHO Live, is hosting UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony at the Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati.

The concert will be performed by the Filharmonika Orchestra and conducted by Thanapol Setabrahmana. Personally curated by creator Toby Fox and developed by Lambert Jackson with Materia Music, the concert experience showcases the game’s most recognizable tunes laid over gameplay footage playing simultaneously. Plus, for the world tour, the experience will have expanded scoring.

In the game, you play as a small child stuck in the mysterious Underground filled with interesting characters and monsters. Unlike traditional RPGs, UNDERTALE asks players to choose between building relationships and chasing after wins. It’s a unique experience that’s defined by whether you chose to make friends or fought your way to the top. It teaches players to value different ways to solve problems, all while showering them with its one-of-a-kind humor.

Pre-sales for the concert, exclusively for members of the Film Concerts PH community, start on August 4. Public sales, however, will start on August 11 via Ticketmelon.

SEE ALSO: The hunt begins: The Witcher in Concert hits Manila with surprises in tow

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