Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness

I've been waiting for RE: Infinite Darkness for quite a while now. I've followed all the trailers and announcements, often occurring at the same time as the Resident Evil Village announcements. RE8 came out earlier in the year, I loved it, and now Infinite Darkness (ID from here on out) is out, and I have... rather mixed thoughts on it. These are all fresh in my mind, having just binged it all on release day, so bare with me as I collect all of my thoughts and try and make them cohesive here. Story - 6/10 The story was actually really enjoyable, I thought. I feel asthough I would totally benefit from a rewatch soon so that I can maybe get all of the little convoluted bits I missed. While I would rather get my Leon and Claire CGI fix from Resident Evil: Degeneration, I think they're handled well enough here. I would have liked for there to have been a little more balance between the individual A and B-plots involving Leon and Claire, respectively, but I did enjoy it plenty. My only gripe is that I feel like Infinite Darkness would have worked so much better as another movie. Each episode feels like an excuse to disconnect Claire's side plot from the main plot as a cold open. Maybe it is just me needlessly complaining, but I do personally prefer the nonstop action in the three CGI films that preceded this series. Bottom line is, good story, some pacing issues. Art - 8/10 I don't really have any issues on this front either. Not much of a difference from the CGI in Resident Evil: Vendetta, but even there, the CGI was near-perfect. Some characters look a little choppy in motion (For example, the closing shot of Leon walking towards the White House) and some characters do look a little stiff sometimes, but I think that's to be expected. All of the environments look fantastic, arguably better than they did in Vendetta, and in ID, I noticed that there seems to be a little more experimentation with visuals (Such as shadows dancing on walls to signify graphic deaths, lighting changes in the submarine in the second episode, etc.) Overall, really solid. Sound - 7/10 I thought the opening was badass, and the soundtrack really suits action sequences well, but I thought it was a little out of place for scenes that try to go down the tense, survival-horror route. I can't recall the soundtrack from the CGI movies but, just from my experience of the games, even the action-centered games, not to mention the genuine horror titles in the franchise have fantastic soundtracks that know when to be loud, and when to subdue a little bit. Considering Infinite Darkness seems to toe the line between full-on action and quieter horror at times, I feel like this balance would have benefitted the series more. Character - 9/10 It's Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy, what more do you need? (Might I add, played to perfection by RE2 Remake alums Stephanie Panisello and Nick Apostolides.) They merit a 10/10 alone, in my opinion, but I also found myself liking characters like Shen May too, even if she does seem like something of a knockoff Ada Wong. Otherwise, the other characters were rather forgettable, even the President, father of RE4's Ashley Graham, but many characters were super boring in the three CGI films and I still found myself loving those despite it all. I didn't like that they left Leon and Claire on something of a sour note, though. The only issue when it comes to making a piece of media that takes place midway through the timeline of the franchise is that it has to gel with everything that comes afterwards, chronologically. At the moment, this is the last chronological appearance of Leon and Claire together, and so I just sort of wish that they didn't leave one another with any sort of issue or quarrel between them. Enjoyment - 8/10 Despite my few issues, I did find myself really enjoying this. For the most part, it riffs off of both the horror and action elements of the games that we've come to know and love. Even in comparison to RE Village, you can clearly see stark influences with the way that the story progresses. I thought that this was an enjoyable, if a little mismatched, experience. Overall - 7/10 And I've pretty much said my piece. Sorry for rambling!! I'd totally recommend this if you're a fan of the games, or if you enjoyed the CGI films that came before. It is a fairly short watch so, even if you're not a fan, if you have a couple of hours spare, maybe give it a try.