Resident Evil (2026)
Director: Zach Cregger
Starring: Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Paul Walter Hauser
Primary genre: Horror
Weapons (2025) was released only last year, yet Zach Cregger, within 12 months, has managed to make a new Resident Evil movie. After all, a decade has passed since Paul WS Anderson’s billion-dollar saga starring Milla Jovovich ended with The Final Chapter (2016) and the less said about Johannes Roberts’ disastrous reboot (Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)), the better.
Following Anderson’s example, Cregger does not elect to adapt any specific entry from Capcom’s long-standing gaming series. Like the Brit director before him, he creates a story within the setting of Resident Evil, in particular, Resident Evil 2 (1998) using the POV of an innocent bystander. Consequently, don’t expect fan favourites to pop up and save the day. This is a one-man show where Austin Abrams’ medical courier embarks on an Odyssey full of roaming undead and disgusting monstrosities across Colorado’s snow-kissed mountains to deliver a mysterious item.
“I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I hit you with my car! Please fuck off!”
Cregger’s film cannot (and should not) be considered a faithful adaptation by any metric, a tactic that assists his effort to avoid direct comparisons or criticisms about its degree of faithfulness. Although the script does not assassinate the ethos of popular characters or key moments from the 30-year-old franchise, Cregger’s enthusiasm, like the T-virus, is highly infectious. He is keen to remind us (perhaps too much) that his movie is a shrine to all the things Resident Evil is known for: gore, gross mutations, persistent stalkers, visual Easter Eggs (e.g., green herbs, first aid sprays), over-the-shoulder shots, inexplicably locked doors, and blocked paths forcing our hero to take a certain route.
Cregger is a master at crafting suspense through the minimalism of John Carpenter and the patience of Stanley Kubrick, setting up several tense moments to deliver expertly timed jolts under spectacular sound design. The direction creates a superb sense of foreboding dread, especially in the first half within the isolated, snowy landscapes. Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski’s work (The Crow (1994), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)) is a powerhouse here dressing each frame with an incredibly vibrant, high-contrast color palette and dynamic light sources that obscure juicy details on purpose. Let’s say road accidents have never looked so beautiful on the big screen before.
At 94 minutes, Resident Evil keeps throwing things at Abrams at a remarkably fast pace, echoing Ash’s torment in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 (1987) both in grossness and absurdity. However, as more complex enemies appear, so too our protagonist’s arsenal gets upgraded to reflect the severity of the threats (just like the games themselves). Speaking of the antagonists, they are glorified, well-made homages to John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), a minor dent for any fan who desires to see in live-action the actual game designs.
Despite his talent though, Cregger bears the same weakness as a more visceral James Wan that sees his horror outputs (Barbarian (2022), Weapons) deflating towards their goofy finales. And unlike his previous two movies, Resident Evil is a full-on horror-comedy with strong emphasis on comedy which completely overtakes the second half, undercutting any tension. The Marvel-like jokes rarely land, giving birth to a hybrid tone like one of the monsters chasing our lead. Abrams gives a relatable and solid performance but his constant bumbling and rambling during every nightmare scenario he finds himself in becomes quickly tedious and monotonous.
Taking this into consideration, is Resident Evil a good adaptation? Not at all. Is it a good movie set within the world of Resident Evil? Yes. Is it a good horror-comedy? Yes. Its strong production values and craftsmanship (especially its cinematography, sound design, and a gloomy score by the Holladay brothers) elevate it among the video game adaptation pantheon. Yet, it feels a bit of a stepdown from Weapons boasting a more mainstream appeal even if its subject matter is braindead.
A thrilling science fiction epic
+Amazing cinematography
+Great foreboding score
+Atmosphere and clever jump scares
+Gross effects
+Solid pace
+Likeable lead
-Too much of a Thing homage
-Rushed finale
-Disrupting humor