Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Sony Resident Evil movie come across my desk. At least since the end of the live action series with Milla Jovovich. However, this really isn’t an animated MOVIE per se. Instead it’s a Netlfix mini series (4 episodes of 25+ minutes each) that takes place after the events of Resident Evil 4 (the game, not the movie) with Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield and detailing the plot of the T-virus spreading past Raccoon City. It’s a solid entry into the Resident Evil world, and actually sets itself up nicely for more self contained mini shows like this in the future. I guess with the Anderson movies wrapped up and Milla working on new projects, it seems like Sony is once more trying to revitalize the horror/action franchise that has netted them millions upon millions in profits over 20+ years.

Set in 2006 the show revolves around Leon Kennedy moving to become a White House special agent after the events of Raccoon City. Turns out that even though Raccoon City was leveled by the government to make sure the virus wouldn’t spread, the virus is still out there. The White House falls prey to the zombie outbreak, proving that this is more than simply a rogue virus, but rather a bio weapon that is being used to target the U.S. government. Sending out Leon along with Shen May and Jason “The Hero of Penamstan” to check on who might be behind it, the government tries to figure out a way to avoid war with China, and possibly another outbreak.

However, Jason and Shen May have a different mission. They’re working under cover to disclose a secret plot of corruption and treason within the U.S. government itself, all pointing back to the civil war of Penamstan where Jason and his men ran head into the virus and the mutated bio weapons years before. Claire Redfield simultaneously is uncovering clues about Penamstan, as she finds a young boy who seems to draw picture strangely familiar to someone who survived Raccoon City, and soon finds herself embroiled in a plot that very well may tear the country apart.

Infinite Darkness is a fun world of Resident Evil show that goes back to the actual events of the games instead of just tagging off the live action movies or doing it’s own thing. The show is very short and tight, keeping to about an hour and 45 minutes and almost runs like a movie if not for the episodic nature on the disc. I never watched the show when it aired on Netflix a while back, but I have to say I’m rather impressed. It’s a fun little adventure that wraps up very neatly in the 4 episode runtime, but also lays the ground work for Netflix to create more of these mini-series after the success of this one.

I did feel that the animation was a bit “off” though, and one of the only things that I think is an annoyance during my watch. It has that nearly realistic video game feel to it, with that sort of wonky movement that screams “fake!!!” when characters move. It sort of brought me out of the whole experience when watching and something I’ve never been able to get over in this attempt to make photorealistic CGI animation.




Rating:

Rated TV-MA




Video:

The 1.85:1 AVC encode Blu-ray looks great on home video, with only a few minor caveats. The animation is pretty good for the most part, with incredible clothing details and a rich red and blue and dark black saturated image. There’s a few spikes in noise during the submarine scene, as well as some minor banding that comes and goes throughout the darker bits. It’s not a whole lot, as the richly colored show is sparkling with all sorts of positives, but it’s there if you know where to look.







Audio:

Sony is the king of audio mix variation, as they’ve put not one, but FOUR different language tracks in 5.1 DTS-HD MA on the disc. Of course I’m listening to the English one for this review and it’s a great sounding mix. Very intense and action filled with tons of bass and a great sense of immersion. The sub explosion really shakes the room and the there’s a few gun battle scenes later on that really bring out the surrounds and make it a 3 dimensional listen. Being that this is a TV show and not a movie, it’s not AS perfect as it could be, but it certainly checks off enough of the right check boxes to make for an exciting track.









Extras:

• The Making of RESIDENT EVIL: Infinite Darkness

Final Score: ​

As I said, Infinite Darkness is a fun bit of Resident Evil distraction. The show isn’t going to blow your doors off or bring the animated Resident Evil world back into the limelight, but it’s a fun popcorn munching jaunt for those of us wanting to dip our toes back into the game world once more. I had a good time with the show, and I think most fans of the games will too. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, but there’s only one 30 minute extra found on the disc (pretty typical of Netflix movies/shows that make it to Blu-ray) to delve into. Fun watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Jona Xiao, Kellen Goff, Stephanie Panisello, Nick Apostolides, Bill Butts, Armen Taylor
Created by: Hiroyuki Kobayashi
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, Spanish, German DTS-HD MA 5.1, Thai DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Sony
Rated: TV-MA
Runtime: 105 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: December 21st, 2021

Recommendation: Fun Watch