Opening in theaters on September 18 is ‘Resident Evil,’ directed by Zach Cregger and starring Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser.
Related Article: 5 Things We Learned At The ‘Resident Evil’ (2026) Event With Zach Cregger
Initial Thoughts
Full disclaimer: I have seen just two of the previous seven ‘Resident Evil’ movies, and am only passingly familiar with the overall aesthetic of the game. That makes it more imperative that a viewer like me can enjoy a new ‘RE’ movie on its own merits – and Zach Cregger, who wowed the world last year with ‘Weapons’ (and ‘Barbarian’ before that), has made that movie.
The cornerstones – Raccoon City, the Umbrella Corporation – are here, but Cregger tells an original story that, even if it doesn’t incorporate characters or narratives from the games, channels them through its atmosphere, visual sense, and relentless pacing and tension, while seasoning it all with a hefty dollop of humor and chaotic, gruesome glee, anchored by a winning performance from Austin Abrams.
Story and Direction
Bryan (Abrams) is an amiable slacker and medical courier (which he describes as a ‘medical version of a Postmates driver’) who has just received some life-changing news from his girlfriend when he gets one last assignment for the night: an urgent delivery to the main hospital in remote Raccoon City. Thinking he can use the double-time pay – and perhaps reckoning he can avoid facing the music at home – Bryan heads up the snowy, slippery, darkened road to his destination.
It’s not long before someone leaps out in front of his car on that icy roadway, kicking off a long, nightmarish journey through the woods, a nearby farm, and finally Raccoon City itself – a hellish trip that finds the bumbling Bryan confronting all kinds of mutated humans, grotesque monsters, and mind-blowing horrors, culminating in his discovery of what’s happened in Raccoon City and why he holds the key to stopping it.
Right from the start, ‘Resident Evil’ comes out swinging and never stops, building in intensity from its opening scenes to its dread-soaked first encounter in the woods to a wild third act that pushes the movie into over-the-top territory.
The screenplay by Cregger and Shay Hatten operates with a kind of dream logic, offering just enough in the way of exposition (save for a brief explainer of the Raccoon City virus halfway through, courtesy of a cranky Paul Walter Hauser) to propel the story forward. And man, does it move: this is where the director supercharges the tension, non-stop pace, and immersive quality of the games, with many of his shots either first-person or ‘over the shoulder’ third-person in a way that earlier ‘RE’ movies never really explored (I’ll leave the other Easter eggs to the hardcore ‘RE’ gamers).
Many of DP Dariusz Wolski’s compositions are also quite striking or even beautiful, such as a long shot of Bryan’s vehicle driving away from the camera as the darkness seems to reach toward it, or a chase in a snowy field illuminated only by the red and blue lights of an overturned police car. The monsters are truly macabre and disgusting, referencing classic creatures features like ‘The Thing’ and ‘Re-Animator’ (with a nice emphasis on practical effects), while the blood flows and spatters by the bucketful. But Cregger adds a new jolt of energy with an elevated streak of comedy that verges on the slapstick sensibility of Sam Raimi’s ‘Evil Dead’ movies – which recent entries in that franchise are completely lacking.
This is no ‘elevated’ horror movie though – this is a rocketing, exhilarating, scare-stuffed thrill ride for most of its length. Even if the last third drags a bit before going a little too haywire (Cregger doing his best to top the previous hour or so), with an ending that all but screams ‘sequel,’ the movie’s tight 90-plus minute runtime guarantees that it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Cast and Performances
Yes, Paul Walter Hauser (‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’), Kali Reis (‘True Detective: Night Country’) and Zach Cherry (‘Severance’) all make brief appearances, but this is essentially a one-man show, and Austin Abrams gives it everything he’s got.
Fresh off his turn as the drug-addicted James in ‘Weapons,’ Abrams effortlessly turns on the charm as the relatable Bryan, who finds himself about as far in over his head as one can imagine, yet does his best in the face of insurmountable odds.
Hapless and bumbling (there’s a running joke about his inability to shoot a padlock off a gate), yet decent and in his own shambling way courageous, Bryan gives ‘Resident Evil’ both its heart and its comedic center, with his running self-monologue (c’mon, you know you talk out loud to yourself too) providing some of the movie’s best jokes. It’s a tremendous, detailed performance of a character you really end up rooting for.
Final Thoughts
‘Resident Evil’ is Zach Cregger’s third horror feature and most linear; while ‘Weapons’ and ‘Barbarian’ moved backward, forward, and sideways in time, this one draws a straight line from start to finish. But it also amps up the comic aspects glimpsed in both those films, escalating it to an anarchic, gleeful high while still finding just the right balance of genuine dread, some heart-stopping jump scares (aided by excellent sound), and clearly defined, frightening stakes.
Has Cregger made the best ‘Resident Evil’ movie? There’s already been some naysayers online grumbling about the movie sight unseen, and I suspect that any new take on a beloved property won’t be universally embraced. But he has made a great horror movie called ‘Resident Evil,’ cementing his status as a horror auteur and literally changing the game for this longstanding, iconic horror franchise.
‘Resident Evil’ receives a score of 85 out of 100.
What is the plot of ‘Resident Evil’?
Bryan (Austin Abrams) is a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself in a race for survival, as he must fight through a viral outbreak of infected monsters in Raccoon City during a delivery.
Who is in the cast of ‘Resident Evil’?
- Austin Abrams as Bryan
- Zach Cherry as Dave
- Kali Reis as Maxine
- Paul Walter Hauser as Carl
- Johnno Wilson as Max
