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There have been plenty of attempts to bring Resident Evil to the big screen, but Zach Cregger’s new take on the iconic video-game franchise feels like a filmmaker finally understanding what makes these games so much fun in the first place.
Rather than getting bogged down in decades of mythology or trying to recreate every familiar character and storyline, Resident Evil strips things back and puts us alongside one very unlucky man. Austin Abrams stars as Bryan, a medical courier whose seemingly routine delivery turns into a desperate fight for survival when he finds himself caught in the middle of a terrifying outbreak.
It is an incredibly simple premise, but Cregger knows exactly how to keep squeezing tension, laughs and gruesome surprises out of it.
Abrams is terrific in the lead role. Bryan isn’t your typical action hero, and that is precisely what makes him so entertaining to watch. He feels like an ordinary person thrown into an absolutely extraordinary nightmare, and Abrams brings plenty of personality and vulnerability to the character. His reactions to the increasingly bizarre situations around him provide some of the film’s funniest moments while also making the danger feel considerably more immediate.
Cregger also finds an enjoyable balance between horror and comedy. There are genuine moments of tension and some wonderfully nasty creature work, but Resident Evil isn’t afraid to let the absurdity of its world shine through. The humour never completely undercuts the horror; instead, the two elements work together to create the kind of unpredictable tonal shifts that feel surprisingly appropriate for the franchise.
And then there are the monsters.
For fans of creature-driven horror, there is plenty to enjoy here. Cregger embraces the grotesque side of Resident Evil, filling the film with disturbing imagery and mutated creatures that feel as though they have stepped directly out of a particularly terrifying game level. The practical effects and creature designs give the movie a tangible sense of menace, while the cinematography helps turn seemingly ordinary locations into increasingly nightmarish environments.
What makes the film particularly enjoyable is the way it captures the experience of playing Resident Evil. Bryan moves from one increasingly dangerous situation to another, constantly searching for a way forward while the world around him becomes more hostile. There is a genuine sense of progression, discovery and escalation that makes the movie feel almost like a playable adventure.
That approach also allows Cregger to have fun with the franchise’s history without requiring audiences to be experts on the games. There are familiar touches and references for longtime fans, but the movie works perfectly well as its own horror adventure.
At around 90 minutes, Resident Evil is also refreshingly economical. It gets moving quickly and doesn’t spend unnecessary time explaining every piece of its mythology. Instead, it throws audiences into the chaos and allows the story to unfold through Bryan’s increasingly terrifying journey.
The result is a surprisingly entertaining reinvention of the franchise. It is bloody, funny, occasionally unsettling and packed with the kind of larger-than-life creature mayhem that makes horror movies so much fun on the big screen.
Most importantly, Resident Evil feels like it has its own personality. Cregger doesn’t simply attempt to recreate the previous movies or make a straightforward video-game adaptation. He takes the basic ingredients of the franchise and turns them into something energetic, strange and wonderfully unpredictable.
Austin Abrams gives the film an instantly likeable centre, while Zach Cregger’s direction ensures that the movie rarely sits still for long. It may not be the Resident Evil story audiences expect, but that is part of its appeal.
Resident Evil is a bloody good time — a horror-comedy that understands the fun of survival horror and delivers a fast, chaotic and entertaining ride from beginning to end.
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