Why the 2026 Resident Evil movie is great.
RE has always had this B movie vibe that takes inspiration from films like The Evil Dead. There’s also a really long history of horror comedies involving zombies / monsters - see Shaun of the Dead, Tucker and Dale Vs Evil, Zombieland, etc, etc.
Not only was Cregger’s attempt full on and proper Resident Evil in every sense of the franchise, it was also the best game-to-film adaptation in to date. It’s also just a really fun rollercoaster ride of a film at 95 minutes long.
Personally, here’s all of the things it did absolutely right that makes it a RE experience:
- location changes: civilisation, dark roads and first encounter, creepy farm house, tunnels, city centre, sewers, hospital into laboratory.
- zombie / monster design and mutations
- sound design
- gore and violence
- weapon upgrades
- tragic side characters
- humour and comedy violence that straddles that line between horrid and funny
- the sense that a much wider problem was developing in the background
- first person scenes
- the fact it all gets a bit silly at the end
- References to the game, from diamond keys to actual references to gaming
- Racoon City’s general vibe
Here’s somethings Gregger changed but were successful:
- a lack of shambling zombies - I think this trope has been done to death (mind the pun) so a fresh take / reference to later titles was more fun.
- an unprepared and lacking protagonist - let’s be real, in the games we’d be playing as Maxine (I think that’s her name). Focusing on a clumsy, dorky guy worked well with this story though.
>!- the ending - I think it makes it unique that it ends badly for the protagonist. This is not a video game after all.!<
Honestly, I really enjoyed it and this it did everything it set out to do. It’s a proper romp, a fun, exhilarating, faithful adaptation that makes changes where it seems sensible for the medium. It’s really, genuinely a great film.
I sincerely hope Cregger doesn’t visit this forum, because there is a slew of bullshit takes from so-called fans who can’t fathom what interpretation is; they want a carbon copy of something that already exists, and anything less than that is shite. Those people are not true fans.