Although many film critics have calledApostle(2018) on Netflix an homage to the 1973 British folk horror filmThe Wicker Man, gamers might find that it has more in common withResident Evil 4remake. Capcom’s retooled version of the original 2005 hit game brings state-of-the-art survival horror to 2023, but leans into the compelling story that madeResident Evil 4a must-play GameCube exclusive.
The game’s standout story, characters, and atmosphere are not only key reasons why Capcom has ported the game multiple times before the 2023 remake, but can also be credited for drawing a new generation of fans tothe enduringResident Evilseries. Given the memorable nature of special agent Leon S. Kennedy’s mission to rescue the U.S. president’s daughter from a religious cult, it’s easy how Netflix’sApostleparallelsResident Evil 4. And that also makes the horror film a perfect watch for gamers who have sunk hours into theResident Evil 4 remake.
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What Is The Resident Evil Series About?
For the uninitiated,Resident Evil 4markssomething of a departurefrom the series’ typical storyline. The game’s predecessors center on the Umbrella Corporation, a pharmaceutical company with deep pockets and terrifying secret ambitions. The main goal? Develop mutagenic viruses to further the company’s research into bio-organic weapons (BOWs). Of course, the t-Virus — the series name for the series of mutant Progenitor virus strains — also turns humans into flesh-hungry zombies.
In the originalResident Evil, players follow Special Tactics and Rescue Service (STARS) agents Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, who learn that Umbrella effectively controls the fictional Raccoon City, and even set up a research facility under an abandoned mansion on the city’s outskirts. Chris and Jill are eventually betrayed by their supposed comrade Albert Wesker, who’s actually working for Umbrella. If that wasn’t all bad enough, another outbreak of the t-Virus occurs in another Umbrella-operated research facility beneath the streets of Raccoon City, turning nearly all the residents into mindless zombies.
InResident Evil 2, rookie officer Leon S. Kennedy, and Claire Redfield, Chris’ sister, arrive in Raccoon City during the chaos. This all happens concurrently withResident Evil 3: Nemesis, which follows Jill’s escape from the city and Umbrella’s STARS agent-killing BOWs. At the end of the game, all of these protagonists make it out of Raccoon City before the U.S. government “sterilizes” the zombie-infested city with a missile strike.
What Happens In Resident Evil 4?
Set six years after the Raccoon City incident,Resident Evil 4follows Leon S. Kennedy(voice of Paul Mercier), who’s now working for the U.S. government. After the U.S. president’s daughter, Ashley Graham (voice of Carolyn Lawrence), is abducted by a cult, Leon heads to a remote, rural town in Spain to rescue her. But the villagers end up being hostile toward Leon.
Called Los Ganados, thesezombie-like threatscan wield weapons, transform into mutant monsters, and work together to thwart Leon’s efforts. These villagers, who were once regular old farmers, pledged their lives to the Los Iluminados cult after becoming infected by the mind-controlling parasite, Las Plagas.
The cult’s leader, Osmund Saddler (voice of Michael Gough), plots world domination. His plan is to inject the kidnapped Ashley with Las Plagas, so that she can do the same to her father upon returning home to the White House. From creepy churches to trap-filled castles tochainsaw-wielding Los Ganados sisters,Resident Evil 4contains all defining, atmospheric thrills of the survival horror series, even if it is something of a departure.
In true franchise fashion, though, the cult and the parasitedoconnect to the larger series’ story. Later in the game,Leon is separated from Ashley again, and tracks her to a nearby island research facility. There, Leon discovers that Ada Wong (voice of Sally Cahill;voice of Lily Gao, remake) — a double agent fromResident Evil 2who shows up earlier inResident Evil 4to seemingly aid Leon — is actually working for Albert Wesker (voice of Richard Waugh). Wesker, who’s been manipulating things behind the scenes, has Umbrella’s own nefarious, BOW-centric purposes in mind, and wants to get his hands on a sample of Las Plagas to further his research.
What Is Apostle About?
Set in 1905,Apostlefollows Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens), a former missionary who’s lost his faith, as he travels to a remote Welsh island to rescue his sister, Jennifer (Elen Rhys). The people holding Jennifer for ransom are part of a strange religious cult, so Thomas poses as a convert. There, he meets the cult’s leader, Malcolm (Michael Sheen), who claims they transformed the once-barren island into fertile ground through blood sacrifice. That’s where the plot diverges fromitsResident Evil 4similarities.
Apostletakes adecidedly supernatural twistwhen Malcolm visits an isolated barn. Inside, an old woman (Sharon Morgan) is imprisoned in tree roots. Malcolm feeds her his own blood, and her vegetation-made prison blooms. It becomes clear that Malcolm and his cronies, Frank (Paul Higgins) and Quinn (Mark Lewis Jones), captured the old woman — the island deity and guardian — after realizing her powers. As it turns out, blood sacrifices are expensive. The cult plans to either collect Jennifer’s ransom to buy more sacrificial animals, or use the girl (and any children she bears) to ensure the island’s lasting fertility.
How Are Apostle And Resident Evil 4 Similar?
ApostleandResident Evil 4don’t justshare a genre. The two horror works rely on similar premises, though they diverge from each other pretty sharply after that initial setup. Both Ashley and Jennifer are abducted — seemingly at random — by mysterious cults with religious leanings. Said cults are situated in remote locations.
WhileResident Evil 4leans into zombite-lite locals who have pledged their loyalty to their religious cult,Apostlefeatures folks who are zealots to their core. Malcolm, Frank, and Quinn are devious and self-motivated — not brainwashed by a parasite. And while Thomas is no Leon S. Kennedy, he certainly takes ona similar mission, and winds up in way over his head. Tonally,Resident Evil 4andApostlehave a lot in common, and the horror folk film will surely delight gamers looking for similar thrills and chills.
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