Resident Evil (2026)

Synopsis

Medical courier Bryan (Austin Abrams) is on his way home when someone asks him to make a last-minute delivery. While initially hesitant because he wants to spend time with his girlfriend, he agrees after hearing it’ll be double pay. Bryan has to take a package to Raccoon City Hospital but is warned about the terrible road conditions. Unfortunately, these are the least of his worries as he runs into strange monsters and the resurrected dead. Along the way, he meets Paul (Paul Walter Hauser) and Maxine (Kali Reis), who are agents of the Umbrella Corporation. Paul reveals that Umbrella was researching a new evolution-acceleration formula in Raccoon City, but it caused a viral outbreak. What Bryan carries could stop the outbreak before it spreads outside the city and infects the rest of the country. Will he make it in time, or will Bryan fall victim to the virus?

Review

For years, Hollywood has struggled to make a good video game movie adaptation, usually because they don’t understand the material. Some filmmakers have come close, such as Paul W. S. Anderson’s Mortal Kombat, but they’ve missed more than hit. Even the initial run of Resident Evil movies, while fun, failed to capture what made the games work. However, Zach Cregger has delivered a video game movie that captures its essence and can be enjoyed by general audiences. Cregger and co-writer Shay Hatten created a unique story set within the games rather than directly adapting one of them. This works in the film’s favor because it lets them explore more opportunities instead of sticking to specific plot points. Of course, the filmmakers sneak in plenty of nods for fans, but they never feel out of place or forced. You can tell this was made by fans for fans.

Austin Abrams, a standout as a junkie in Weapons, shines as Bryan, a medical courier who’s way over his head. He comes off as a regular guy stuck in a horrible situation, not a tough-as-nails action hero. Bryan makes all the wrong decisions and makes things worse, but you understand where he’s coming from. For instance, when he sees a padlock that requires a specific key, he tries brute-forcing it, but it backfires. With zombies and monsters chasing him, he’d probably worry more about dying than properly unlocking the gate. Since most of the film focuses on him, he does a great job carrying the weight on his shoulders. The rest of the cast are fine, but most are there either as cannon fodder or to provide exposition. This film is largely the Austin Abrams show, and he does a commendable job.

Similar to Cregger’s previous films, this one injects comedy into the horror, and it mostly works. For the first two acts, the humor is on point and doesn’t detract from the tension and suspense. However, once the film gets to the third act, I feel like they could’ve dialed back the jokes a bit. Another positive is how the film captures the feel of playing a video game, especially through its camera angles. Oscar-nominated cinematographer Dariusz Wolski creates some fantastic first-person and third-person views that feel ripped from the games. The visual effects are a solid mix of practical and CGI, though some digital effects look slightly spotty in parts. At roughly 90 minutes, the film is a breeze to watch and never feels bogged down by unnecessary filler. Overall, despite some slight flaws, Resident Evil is the closest we’ve come to a perfect video game movie.

Resident Evil is in theaters.