Nearly 20 years after the Resident Evil franchise leapt to the big screen, it continues to crank out new adventures. Late 2021 brought Welcome to Raccoon City, a new live-action tale, and Infinite Darkness gives us Season One of a computer animated series that ran on Netflix.

The basic premise remains the same: a lab-created virus spread in “Raccoon City”. This turns the infected into zombie-like creatures, and despite the efforts of authorities, it may have leaked outside of Raccoon City. The episode-specific synopses come from the Netflix website.

Episode One: “Now at an NGO in Penamstan, Claire Redfield (voiced by Stephanie Panisello) discovers signs reminiscent of Raccoon City. Leon Kennedy (Nick Apostolides) makes his way to the White House, unaware that it's under attack.”

“E1” comes with two obstacles that will continue to dog Darkness. For one, the animation seems stiff and unconvincing.

Darkness opts for the kind of “photo real” style pioneered more than 20 years ago with Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Despite the technological advances over those years, Darkness doesn’t seem any more natural or convincing than its dawn of the millenium sibling, so the animation remains off-putting and awkward.

Is it possible the filmmakers intentionally chose to use this style to better match the videogames? I guess, but if so, it seems like a bad decision, as it just leaves Darkness as ugly.

In addition, the voice acting feels generic and bland. The performers just lack real chops, so their characters feel as blah as the visual representations.

In terms of story, at least, “E1” manages to set the table in a moderately engaging manner. The notion of a zombie assault on the White House boasts intrigue, so we’ll see where it goes from here – and whether or not the action/plot can overcome the weak animation and acting.

Episode Two: “Along with agents Jason (Ray Chase) and Shen May (Jona Xiao), Leon embarks on a covert mission to infiltrate a research facility in Shanghai aboard a nuclear submarine.”

A few moments of “E2” muster some creepy thrills, mainly when an oddball creature attacks. However, much of the show feels stuck in place, as it doesn’t seem to develop the story especially well.

Given the fact Season One boasts only four episodes, each show needs to seem more dynamic. This one comes across as oddly flat.

Episode Three: “Claire discovers a grim scene at the home of one of the last surviving members of the Mad Dogs Unit. Shen May warns Leon about an ominous conspiracy.”

As Season One approaches its conclusion, one might expect Episode Three to ramp up the action – and it does, in the series’ sluggish way. The show concentrates more on conspiracies and plot points than action, though.

If the story beats felt more compelling, I wouldn’t mind, but “E3” continues the series’ fairly dull narrative. Without a lot of action to buoy it, “E3” turns into another bland affair.

Episode Four: “Secretary Wilson (Doug Stone) threatens Claire's life, demanding that she drop her investigation. Leon and Shen May rush to the vast subterranean bioweapons lab.”

In the season finale, Darkness threatens to come to life – vaguely. When it reveals the impact of the virus on soldiers, it shows some signs of creativity absent from the prior programs.

Toss in some decent action, and “E4” manages to finish the season on a moderately positive note. However, it feels like too little, too late, as the lackluster nature of the first three shows means the last episode fails to provide the kick it needs.

Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Across the board, the episodes looked terrific.

Virtually no signs of softness marred the shows. Instead, I found nice, tight delineation from start to finish.

Jagged edges and/or moiré effects never turned into a concern with Darkness. Edge haloes remained absent, as did source defects.

Colors tended toward a fairly dull green/amber palette, with a little teal tossed in for good measure. The hues felt appropriate for the story elements and looked well-rendered.

Blacks appeared deep and dense, while low-light shots became smooth and concise. No problems manifested through the series.

Though I didn’t expect much from “made for streaming” programming like Darkness, the series’ DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio became surprisingly immersive. The soundscapes boasted better than anticipated involvement.

With plenty of action on display, the mix involved the viewer in a satisfying manner. From zombie shenanigans to vehicles to military firepower, the soundscape placed material all around the room to form an engulfing track.

Audio quality pleased as well, with speech that seemed natural and concise. Music felt lively and vivid, with good range.

Effects packed a nice punch, as those elements appeared accurate and dynamic. Everything about the soundtrack satisfied.

The Making of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness runs 34 minutes, 59 seconds and provides comments from writer/director Eiichirô Hasumi, executive producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, CG producer Kei Miyamoto, military supervisor Akihiko Sai, action coordinator Yuta Morokaji, CG director Tomohiro Shimizu. Cinematographer Jun Watanabe, and actors Nick Apostolides, Armen Taylor and Stephanie Panisello.

“Making” covers the project’s origins and development, design, motion capture and animation, cast and performances, and action and photography. With a mix of comments and footage from the production, this becomes a reasonably informative program,

The disc opens with ads for Don't Breathe 2, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Resident Evil: Annihilation, Resident Evil: Vendetta, and Death of a Telemarketer.

A mix of unattractive computer animation, mediocre voice acting and dull stabs at action, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness goes nowhere. Despite the potential for lively horror violence, the shows fail to generate excitement or tension. The Blu-ray boasts excellent picture and audio with a decent behind the scenes featurette. Darkness turns into a dud.