From the moment thirty years ago when a zombie dog burst into a hallway, Resident Evil has been a franchise that thrives on unpredictability. The exciting thing about each game, and to a lesser extent, previous movies, is that anything could be waiting for you around every corner. That infinite possibility, bursting with grotesque imagination, is what drove every scare, surprise, and memorable moment.
Now, with the latest film to carry the Resident Evil title, co-writer and director Zach Cregger lives and relishes in those moments. There is rarely a scene in his Resident Evil where you’re able to guess what’s coming next. And even if you guess “what,” you’ll never guess “who” or “how.” In fact, more often than not, Cregger does the opposite of what you’re expecting to happen. The result is a film that keeps you entertained and interested by having a little bit of everything. It’s scary, gross, funny, and shocking. There are a few areas it’s lacking in, too, but you’re having so much fun on the ride, those don’t hurt the film as much as you’d expect.
In Resident Evil, Bryan (Austin Abrams) is a medical courier who is tasked with one last job on a cold, snowy evening. He has to transport a high-priority package to Raccoon City Hospital as quickly as possible. What exactly is inside the package? We don’t know. We just know that Bryan is a good guy who believes his job is important. It saves lives. And once he hits the road, he’s going to have to save his own again and again. Almost instantly, everything goes wrong in every way.
Resident Evil is all about escalation. Bryan’s problems and resources start relatively small, but with each scene, they escalate. Like in the games, he first finds a handgun, then a shotgun, then a machine gun. The villains start relatively normal and get progressively bigger and crazier. And all the while, Bryan does whatever he can to survive, whether that’s blowing the head off a creature, smashing through a gate, or entering an ominous, dark tunnel.
No matter what Bryan does, though, you can be sure it’s going to be new and unique. The underlying threat of the Resident Evil series has almost always been the Umbrella Corporation, a pharmaceutical company that makes viruses that turn people into monsters. That’s the case here, too. But Cregger only uses a handful of monsters fans will recognize from the rest of the franchise. For the most part, he’s created completely disgusting, new creatures to terrorize Bryan. We’d give some examples, but never in a million years would we spoil any of those reveals. As they continue to unveil themselves, though, the audacity of each continues that pattern of escalation with often hilarious and disturbing effects.
And while there are a few other characters in the movie here and there, for the most part, it’s the Austin Abrams show. Abrams gives a star-making performance, turning Bryan into a protagonist who is scared and confused, yet heroic and determined. He’s more John McClane than John Wick, and that underdog vibe gives him several standout moments and mountains of relatability. It also helps that he’s in on the joke of just how absurd all of this is. He has to laugh at it because what else would you do if you kept running into these absurd monsters?
As Bryan makes his way through the world, you are fully (and sometimes literally) in his point of view. If he doesn’t see it, we don’t see it. And so, eventually, Cregger figures out a way for him to learn just a little about what the hell is going on. That type of revelation and worldbuilding is another crucial aspect of the Resident Evil franchise, and while there’s not a lot of it in this movie, Cregger weaves what little there is in well. However, you can’t help but feel that despite its inclusion, the film is lacking a bit in this area. As wild and entertaining as it may be, by limiting things just to Bryan, you never quite feel the full weight of what’s happening. We’re told about it at a few points. But the film loses some of its trademark tension and drama because Resident Evil, for the most part, is forced to ignore its global, apocalyptic stakes.
Cregger’s choice to make the film roughly play out in real time also stops us from getting too attached to Bryan. We spend some time with him dealing with his girlfriend, Michelle, and a few challenges he’s having with her. But Bryan is so wholly engrossed in the moment—and rightfully so—the film also ends up with less of the emotional impact Cregger has leaned into in his previous films. We like Bryan, we feel for him, but we could’ve felt more.
And yet, lore and emotion are clearly not Cregger’s aim here. He’s here to put the audience into his own Resident Evil video game, filled with subtle nods, jump scares, crazy creatures, and gory action. To that end, the film is a massive success. It’s not quite up to the level Cregger has shown he’s capable of, but that doesn’t hold back Resident Evil from being an all-time great video game adaptation.
Resident Evil is in theaters September 18.
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