CARTER SIREIKA
Special to The Leader
Graphic by ANDY MULDOON | Special to The Leader
Based on the hit video game, Zack Cregger’s “Resident Evil” hit theaters last weekend just in time for Halloween season.
The film is already finding success both critically and financially.
When the first looks came out, fans of the games showed heavy criticism for its inaccuracies to the source material.
Cregger has defended his film, claiming he just wants to tell his own story while showing his love for the video game series.
As a newcomer to the “The Resident Evil” series, I am not familiar with the games’ lore. Therefore, any criticisms or highlights will not involve how accurate the film is to the games; I am looking at this as its own movie.
The film follows Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, who is a delivery driver sent to Raccoon City to deliver an unknown package.
Little does Bryan know; Raccoon City has been overrun by an infectious virus, contaminating the residents and causing them to act out in a cannibalistic rage and attack Bryan. Regardless, he still has a job to do and must deliver the package to the center of Raccoon City and stay alive.
The first highlight of the film is the acting done by Austin Abrams. He plays the character we spend much of the movie with and he is not disappointed. What I really like is how he’s not playing some skilled zombie hunter who can fight his way out of every situation.
He is an ordinary man thrown into this horrific situation. Abrams’ portrayal makes you genuinely root for Bryan’s survival. He is just a kind everyday man who is unprepared for the journey ahead of him. This creates some really funny and awkward moments in this movie.
Unfortunately, this leads into my main issue with this movie. While Austin Abrams is funny and I found myself laughing at many points, this movie had so much comedy to the point where it took you out of the horror. Which is a shame as I thought the film had some horrifying scenes and shots, but at random points the intensity will be interrupted by a joke or an awkward line of dialogue. I do appreciate the comedy not being slap stick and more dark comedy as it fits more in this setting; it is overused to a point.
When talking about horror, Cregger excels with his horror scenes. The movie has great creature design. Not all the infected just look like typical zombies. They come in many different shapes and sizes and some look very unhuman which adds to the fear.
There are a lot of complaints about the film’s inaccuracies to the games. However, I feel it not only pays tribute to the Resident Evil games themselves, but to video games in general. Thanks to Cregger’s directing there are scenes in this movie — such as the point-of-view and third-person shots — that feel like they are ripped straight from a game.
The movie is paced smoothly throughout the story. It doesn’t move too fast or slow. However, I believe Zack Cregger has a problem when it comes to his endings, as the ending to this film felt very underwhelming and rushed. I had the exact same issue with his 2025 film, “Weapons.”
While Resident Evil does have an overuse of comedy for a horror flick, it is still a very fun and exciting movie. Austin Abrams puts on a very charming performance, and Cregger’s directing excels. I would say this is a fun movie to check out during the Halloween season whether you are a fan of the games or not.
Resident Evil gets a seven out of ten from me.