Resident Evil (2026)

Several video game properties have felt the burn of a poor movie adaptation, and while the landscape has dramatically improved from how they started with many solid if not great films and television shows being made, one that has had several failures was Resident Evil. Somehow gifted three attempts over the course of two decades with each pulsating and withering as much as its zombified creations, the Capcom action-horror series wasn’t graced with adaptation that satisfied fans, who were so burnt out after the latest failure of the 2021 Welcome to Raccoon City, that they weren’t all that interested when another reboot was announced. While cinephiles and move-heads were thrilled when they learned that rising auteur horror director, Zach Creeger would be spearheading the film, fans expressed outraged that he intended to create a fresh story and not any of the game plotlines, with many believing they were setting up for another disappointment, but if only they knew what they were going to be blessed with.

After delivering a package to a nearby hospital, medical courier Bryan Hodukavich (played by Austin Abrams) is asked to take a last-minute package to Raccoon City General Hospital, ignoring the warnings of the harsh snowy weather as he uses this time to mull over recently learning that his girlfriend, Michelle (played by Sara Paxton) is pregnant. While stuck in thought, Bryan hits a woman on the side of the road and is shocked to learn that she hasn’t died from impact, instead sprinting after him in a deranged fashion. Fleeing for his life while still clinging to his package, Bryan needs to make his way on foot to the hospital, coming across all kinds of horrific mutated creatures that seemingly came from deceased people and animals, and he’ll soon realize that what he’s carrying may hold the key to ending this pandemic, but he’ll have to make it there in tact in order for things to work out.

Performing fantastic at the box office and already being labelled as the highest rated video game adaptation of all time, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is a thrill ride that captivates all audiences with breathtaking imagery, a very connectable leading performance, and absolutely stunning execution and direction that takes a very straightforward premise and makes it incredibly engaging, impactful and unforgettable. Not really remaking the wheel in terms of scripting and diehards of the original Capcom gaming series still may not vibe with the new direction, but for everyone else, Resident Evil is a definite win.

After the massive success of his 2025 supernatural horror mystery, Weapons, Zach Cregger quickly became one of the next big things in horror, and seeing such a name want to take on one of the biggest video game franchises seems like a net win, but the negative reaction he received from fans couldn’t have made his experience easy. Saying that he wanted to create a new story unattached to the gaming universe may’ve made fans fearful that they’d receive another poor adaptation akin to the Paul W. S. Anderson series and the 2021 reboot, Welcome to Raccoon City, but Cregger is able to demonstrate how he not only understands the universe of Resident Evil through how this film is characterized, visualized, tonally constructed and executed, but that he’s capable of making the film play like a video game without coming across as lazy, pandering and desperate. At its core, Resident Evil is a cheesy, action-heavy survival series that can get a laugh as much as it can get a scare, and this movie perfectly encapsulates that energy by featuring a story that is incredibly singular and focused entirely on a specific directive and yet manages to never be boring or repetitive. Because the direction by Cregger is so intricate, emotive and full of gaming personality, the movie speaks for itself in many ways and manages a lot with seemingly very little, not needing a hyper elaborate deep storyline to keep your attention and can just be a straightforward ‘’Point A. to Point B’’ narrative while enriching its viewers through notable yet non-intrusive easter eggs, an engaging leading character, and enough titbits about this environment that make you want to know more.

Running purely on adrenaline and the captivating feeling of surviving threat after threat while trying to find sanctuary, the plot and overall script written by Cregger and Shay Hatten doesn’t waste time on outside fluff and weaves a very straightforward but nonetheless engaging tale that flows pretty smoothly, drops in enough moments of tension to keep up the scares but still provides levity to not fall into sullen territories, and features plenty of references to the series but in a way that enhances the experience and pays tribute to what fans liked about it rather than just coming across like a desperate ploy to mindlessly cater. It certainly isn’t a film that offers a ton in terms of unique swerves, deep characters or poignant messaging, but the feelings that it can illicit is enough to make it worth the time for newcomers and veterans.

Having to mostly carry the film on his shoulders solo, Austin Abrams was given the starring role in Cregger’s next film after acting as a prevalent supporting role in Weapons, and it feels like the rest of the world is beginning to see the potential he has in the same way that the director clearly does. Being able to convey a wide spectrum of emotions without ever leaning too hard in any one direction, Abrams leads the movie without much issue, and while not a character that could confidently exists alongside series favorites like Leon, Claire or Jill, his everyman nature allows him to be easily sympathetic and cheer worthy as he tries to survive the chaos thrown in front of him. The rest of the cast are nothing special, but at the very least, they don’t drag down the experience. If this series is to continue, they will need to do better with handling an ensemble as the games are known for their colorful characters (prominent and supporting), but in this specific movie with its specific presentation, it’s not a big deal.

Kali Reis and Paul Walter Hauser are the only two who get some time to shine, and they do that mostly fine, Sara Paxton, Johnno Wilson and Zach Cherry are passable for what they are, and the rest are purely there just to say lines, but no one feels like they’re not trying and it’s not a fault of them that they don’t stand out, rather the script doesn’t care enough about them.

Both prior attempts at Resident Evil in the theatrical space could never really create a perfect execution of the tone, with the Paul W. S. Anderson movies diving so deep into the camp and over-the-top theatrics that it became a bland unrecognizable sci-fi action series, and Welcome to Raccoon City tried to play more horror but lacked any sense of personality that it just felt like a generic horror flick. Thanks to Cregger’s assistance, the horror has been incorporated back into the series, with plenty of creepy moments of tension that are elevated by the absolutely fantastic cinematography by Dariusz Wolski and constant musical score by Hays and Ryan Holladay, but it also manages to be strangely funny too. There’s quite a few moments of solid levity throughout that never break the mood and are always perfectly placed as to give this world a slight campy feel, and when matched against the creepy unsettling ambience and grotesque monster design that goes beyond standard zombie fare, it showcases a familiar world in a brand-new light.

The way the movie is able to incorporate a first person and third person perspective (in a way that matches how the games can be played) alongside a typical cinematic delivery is truly remarkable, with each different look offering its own form of horror and mood, and thanks to Cregger’s vision and Wolski’s fantastic composition, angling and lighting, it results in a fantastic looking feature that goes all in on the gore and body horror monstrosities, but always looks crisp, clean, and gloriously high definition. While the visuals aren’t quote-on-quote realistic looking, Sony’s involvement plus the decent budget of $70 million means most of that money would’ve gone into these creatures and set pieces, which does elevate the picture as the direct narrative might’ve resulted in it feeling low-budgeted and small-in-scale without them.

Resident Evil finally got a win in the movie space, and with the franchise currently succeeding in the gaming space as well with both a successful remake and original release, it’s arguably never been in a better spot, so it’s exciting to think where it’ll go next in both fields. While it’s still hard to tell if those who complained prior to its release were silenced by the good press or just did a turn around when they learned it was good, it’s nice that people who do know the series are enjoying it just as much as those who’ve never played it, opening up plenty of opportunities for future instalments. It would be smart for follow-ups to incorporate more characters and scenarios from the games as while this movie is fantastic in many ways, containing outstanding direction, great pacing, a strong leading performance in Austin Abrams, and exhilarating action, visuals and music, it would need to shake some things up if it were to become a series, as the weak supporting cast and narrow-minded script only work in this specific presentation and wouldn’t be as strong in a wider, more expansive set-up. Regardless, this zombie series may’ve finally gotten a resurrection that didn’t immediately decompose upon wake-up.