Resident Evil (2026) review: Zach Cregger’s horror-comedy riot
Zach Cregger established himself as one of the most exciting original horror directors around with Barbarian and Weapons, so I was surprised when he moved into the world of IP with Resident Evil, based on the video game series.
However, having the Resident Evil stamp on the film has not stopped Cregger from coming up with an original story. His reboot follows hospital courier Bryan (Austin Abrams), who is tasked with delivering very important cargo to Raccoon City General Hospital at the same time as the outbreak of the virus.
Cregger has made a highly entertaining movie that is both funny and scary. But it’s barely a Resident Evil film. It’s almost as if Cregger had a pre-existing original story that was able to be easily fashioned into a Resident Evil film. There are no characters from the games; it’s set in the modern day in a snowy setting; the mentions of Raccoon City, the Umbrella Corporation and the virus are brief, and it doesn’t dig into the lore or backstory. According to Cregger, he wanted the film to mirror his experience with the games rather than repeat their narrative, and you can see that from his choice of first-person and third-person POV shots and the gameplay-like setpieces.
The first 30 minutes or so are a simple, self-contained story with Abrams on his own in the remote, snowy outskirts of Raccoon City. He crashes his car into an infected woman, all hell breaks loose, and he finds himself in a fight for survival. Poor Bryan really goes through it, with one disaster after another propelling him forward. It’s a fast-paced, action-packed and surprisingly funny section.
The film gets crazier as it goes and becomes a bit more like a Resident Evil story when Bryan arrives in Raccoon City. There are more zombies and a large portion of the action takes place in the hospital. There are some sickening monster creations, scary moments and memorably gruesome horror setpieces. The story moves at a propulsive, relentless pace and the final act is bonkers. It gets a bit silly towards the end, and I didn’t love where it ended up, but I had a lot of fun with it.
The hilarious Abrams capably carries the movie on his shoulders. He is in every scene, running, screaming, wielding weapons and generally being put through the wringer. His bad day just won’t quit, and the threats to his life just keep on coming. Bryan is a fumbling guy, not an action hero. He is clumsy in his state of panic, has a high-pitched squeal, sucks at guns (his words), and often his escape plans go wrong. He has very normal, relatable reactions to the horrors he faces (most of his dialogue is just repeating the word “f**k”), and it’s refreshing to have this type of character lead an action-horror-comedy.
Resident Evil fans may be disappointed by the lack of connective tissue to the games, and that will colour their experience with this film. That would be a shame because this is a good horror movie on its own, and it really didn’t need the expectations that come with IP and preexisting fandoms. This horror comedy (yes, I think it fits that description) is easily Cregger’s most fun and entertaining horror film so far.
In cinemas from Friday 18th September