Fantastic Fest 2026 Screening – As a kid who grew up rationing weed and bullets in every Resident Evil game I could get my hands on, I had big feelings about the first movies allegedly based on the games. The few I sat through weren’t good and missed what made the games epic. However, it was cool to see a woman-led survival horror/action franchise led by Milla Jovovich because those subgenres are still overwhelmingly filled with generic white male leads. Because of all these complicated feelings, and being terminally unimpressed with what I sat through, I’m one of the video game nerds who was happy to hear Zach Cregger would do something different with his movie. It was absolutely the correct decision and why this sick gem sings.
Resident Evil introduces us to a medical courier, Bryan (Austin Abrams), who takes a last-minute run to Raccoon City for the extra cash. While driving this package through the snowy mountains, he hits a woman with his car. He’s distracted by guilt and panic, so he takes a minute to realize something is seriously amiss while trying to get her to a hospital. However, things take a swift turn, leaving him no choice but to face the unexplainable circumstances he’s thrust into. As bodies pile up and the creatures morph into even bigger problems, Bryan realizes this package is more important than he thought.
If you understood Abrams was the secret weapon in Weapons, you’ll be excited to see him playing another character having the worst day ever in a Cregger film. Bryan is a regular man-child with good intentions but also has a hard time figuring out his own shit. We find out an added bonus to picking up this last-minute run was getting out of a conversation with his pregnant girlfriend about what to do with this fetus. Michelle (voiced by Sara Paxton) tries to have this adult conversation but becomes understandably frustrated. Bryan’s immaturity is counterbalanced by his need to do what seems like the right thing (most of the time), though. He puts himself on the line and hesitates in a couple of moments that make it clear he’s a precious baby not meant for this chaos.
Because we spend the entire movie with Bryan, all the other characters wander in and out of his story. This also means that those characters usually end up dead, which is great because this subgenre lives for the kills. Sadly, we do not get enough time with Kali Reis’ Maxine, who seems like a badass, or Zach Cherry’s Carl and his group. Similar to the games, these characters pop up to give missing pieces of information and then leave the main character burdened with more knowledge and questions. We get fleeting moments of screen time with so many faves and are left wishing they could somehow be utilized a bit more. However, Resident Evil is chaos, and that’s the way it goes.
Cregger & Shay Hatten’s script is fun and builds a version of events that feel like they belong in the Resident Evil canon. Bryan’s journey from regular dude to accidental almost-hero because he wants to do the right thing even if he’s not traditionally brave is interesting. Abrams is also naturally funny as an average Joe, making it hard not to laugh even when it feels like things are repetitive. One of the biggest flaws with the movie is that it somehow feels too long even though the runtime is perfect. I love the atmosphere; I love many of the bits; however, sometimes things linger too long. There are definitely a couple of moments that feel long simply because the film takes the scenic route. It’s hard to not forgive and forget while you’re watching shit go down, though.
Seeing Racoon City decimated by a zombie apocalypse is also a thing of eerie beauty here. The snowy and blood-stained backdrops feel like home to fans of the game like me. Art directors Pavel Krejci and Martina Ter-Akopowá, set decorator Nora Sopková, director of photography Dariusz Wolski, and everyone who worked in their departments really bring this sick world to life and do it justice. That in itself is a win for people who love video games and movies. While this isn’t a story we’re familiar with, it feels like the world we know and love. The aesthetics make it feel like slipping into your favorite pair of PJs after a particularly long day. It’s the cozy chaos we love.
Resident Evil gives us a protagonist trying to put one foot in front of the other in unprecedented times. We also have even more proof that Abrams is ready to lead films in case you somehow missed that memo. The film understands the weight of its IP without letting it distract from the story it wants to tell. More importantly, it doesn’t try to wrap everything up with a neat little bow in the end. Resident Evil knows life is messy, scary, and always on hard mode. We might not see a happy ending because sometimes there is just another level and another struggle. That doesn’t mean we can’t laugh as we brace for what’s to come, though. In that way, it’s a very millennial tale for those of us who engage with the depressing news cycle and are still managing our pandemic trauma. It also reminds us that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, even if they can’t get a handle on their own baggage.
Cregger’s background in comedy has led to some darkly comedic horror bangers like Barbarian and Weapons. Because the titles have broken containment, and adapting such a cherished IP like Resident Evil comes with a large demographic of haters, there has been a lot of noise. Luckily, I can report back that this Resident Evil actually gets it right. It has the vibes of PlayStation’s Resident Evil 2 (1998) without inserting characters or specific situations. It’s an excellent adaptation because it feels like the filmmaker truly respects the source material as he layers on his sick aesthetic. Resident Evil isn’t about fan service so much as it’s trying to capture the feeling of excitement when we would crack into a new Resident Evil and discover where this zombie-filled journey would take us. This movie succeeds because it knows what it’s about and doesn’t try to be anything more than a good, weird little time.
