Fans have been speculating on where the Resident Evil franchise will be heading next in terms of movies after the last live-action movie, The Final Chapter, in 2016 and the last animated movie, Vendetta, in 2017.

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While the movies have never exactly been critical darlings they had been consistently around in one form or another for close to 20 years and there are a few things that any new movies should be aiming to keep the same, as well as a fair number of things that need to be changed.

Reboot: Godlike abilities

While superhuman abilities were shown to come under the control of more human characters in the games, the survival horror aspect of the whole thing was enabled by the protagonists being relatively normal people in extraordinary circumstances.

Nothing would deflate the much-needed tension faster than superheroic characters that barely seem to struggle no matter what fantastical opponent they're pitted against.

Keep the same: Focus on Umbrella

Resident Evil The Final Chapter Umbrella

While some of the core elements clearly need to be shaken up in order to make a live-action Resident Evil reboot work, it's also very clear that the producers should be mindful to not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

The Umbrella Corporation, and their nefarious experiments, are the real source of horror in Resident Evil and, while you could even lose the conventional zombie in favor of bigger and scarier genetic monsters, the mad science element is really what sets the franchise apart from so many others in the same field.

Reboot: Main characters

Resident Evil Retribution cast

Considering that what audience members would really be paying for is the name Resident Evil, it's not really essential to carry over characters from either the previous movies or, in fact, the games for that matter.

The Resident Evil movies may not have an outstanding track record for original characters but that is something that's going to have to change at some point or another if it's ever going to grow legs and start moving under its own power.

Keep the same: Firepower

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter NYCC trailer

One thing that the live-action Resident Evil movies carried over quite successfully from the games was the love of firepower. Resident Evil has always been about the arsenal at your disposal to use against the hordes of the undead.

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While a greater emphasis on ammo conservation would be nice, to keep in line with the survival horror roots of the franchise, the plethora of interesting weapons is something from the movies that should be, if anything, increased in the future.

Reboot: Story

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter - Ali Larter, Milla Jovovich and Ruby Rose

There are a lot of fans of the story woven across the six live-action Resident Evil movies but, by the end, that story had become not only very complicated but played out to its fullest extent.

Things just kept getting worse and worse for humanity throughout the live-action movies and it's hard to see how you could make an engaging Resident Evil story out of what's left of that world, and even harder to see why you would want to.

Keep the same: Copious gore

resident evil first movie licker

Much like the action scenes and choreography, the live-action Resident Evil movies always sought to make up for lapses in quality with sheer quantity.

The steady stream of gore throughout the movies was not only one of its biggest selling points but it's something that can be taken even further in the future to greater effect. With the success of bloodier comic book movies, the R-rating can become something that the Resident Evil movies should really lean into.

Reboot: Style

A still from Resident Evil: Afterlife

There's nothing wrong with something under the Resident Evil banner looking dark or grungy, it is still horror at its core after all. But the eclectic styles and designs found in so many of the games just often weren't present at all during the movies and, if so, not for very long.

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If people are looking for crazy action and gore then they'd be more than happy to see some more flair injected into the cinematography and music, not to mention the set design and art direction.

Keep the same: Plentiful action

A battle scene in Resident Evil

As mentioned, the quality of the action may never have been exceptional in the live-action Resident Evil movies but there was always plenty of it to go around.

Audiences are unlikely to ever see an arthouse take on the material and it's even less likely that something like that would work. Just keep the action scenes plentiful and fans will be happy.

Reboot: Cast

Claire and Chris Redfield point guns in Resident Evil: Afterlife

There are a lot of great actors scattered throughout the live-action Resident Evil movies, and a lot of them have even been resurrected in the franchise, but it's undeniably the time for some new blood.

With the superhero boom drawing big-name actors to more long-lasting franchise deals, it's not as unreasonable as it once was to think about a major Hollywood star leading the movie franchise in the future.

Keep the same: Tongue-in-cheek tone

Whilst almost anyone, fan or non-fan, would agree that they'd like to see the people behind the movie taking the job seriously, it's also a given that nobody wants to see a Resident Evil movie that takes itself too seriously.

One of the best qualities of the live-action Resident Evil movies was that they clearly understood when to give up all pretension and simply be as silly as they could. The objective is, after all, to be entertaining and not a profound philosophical or moral debate.

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