There is something undeniably frustrating about watching Resident Evil and realizing that, underneath all the blood, monsters, tension, and impressive filmmaking, there is a genuinely solid horror movie that sometimes seems to forget it is supposed to be a Resident Evil movie. Zach Cregger has already established himself as one of the more interesting voices working in modern horror with Barbarian and Weapons, and his transition into one of gaming’s biggest franchises is certainly an intriguing one. His Resident Evil is not afraid to be brutal, strange, or relentlessly violent, and there are moments throughout the film that demonstrate exactly why Cregger was such an exciting choice for this material. Unfortunately, the further the movie moves along, the harder it becomes to ignore the feeling that this could have been almost any horror film with a different title attached to it. The biggest strength here is, without question, Cregger’s direction. There is a clear understanding of how to create tension without constantly relying on jump scares, and the film frequently knows exactly when to slow down before throwing its characters into absolute chaos.
The atmosphere can be genuinely unsettling, while the creature work and practical effects give the movie a physicality that makes its more disturbing moments hit considerably harder. Cregger also understands how to make horror feel unpredictable. There are several sequences where the movie suddenly shifts gears, turning what initially appears to be a straightforward encounter into something considerably more disturbing. His visual language is confident, and there is an obvious attention to composition, lighting, and movement that separates Resident Evil from a lot of conventional studio horror. The problem is that good direction can only carry the movie so far. At times, Resident Evil feels less like an adaptation of one of the largest video game franchises in history and more like Zach Cregger was given the opportunity to make a new horror movie and simply placed it inside the Resident Evil universe. The film does contain recognizable elements, references, creatures, and ideas associated with the games, but they can often feel secondary to the story Cregger actually wants to tell.And that is where the movie becomes complicated. There is absolutely nothing wrong with creating a new story within an established franchise. In fact, Resident Evil does not attempt to directly adapt one specific game, instead introducing a new protagonist and an original survival story. But when your source material has decades of mythology, iconic characters, locations, gameplay mechanics, and a very specific identity, there needs to be a stronger sense that the franchise itself is shaping the movie rather than simply decorating it.
For long stretches, it doesn’t quite feel that way. The movie follows Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, as he finds himself caught in a nightmare and desperately tries to survive the chaos unfolding around him. The premise works perfectly well as a survival horror story, but structurally, the movie can sometimes feel like Bryan is simply running from Point A to Point B, encountering increasingly horrifying obstacles along the way before being sent to the next location. That approach creates momentum, but not necessarily progression. One of the defining pleasures of the Resident Evil games is the feeling of exploration. You are not simply running away from monsters. You are searching for resources, solving puzzles, unlocking new areas, managing ammunition, discovering files, connecting pieces of a larger mystery, and slowly understanding the nightmare surrounding you. There is a sense of discovery that makes the player feel like they are actively participating in the horror. The film occasionally captures that feeling, but never quite commits to it.
Instead, the narrative is frequently propelled by survival itself. Run. Hide. Fight. Escape. Keep moving. Repeat. And while that can make for an entertaining horror movie, it can also make the experience feel surprisingly linear for a franchise built around exploration and discovery. This becomes even more noticeable because the film is only around 90 minutes long. There is very little time to develop the world, its mythology, or the characters beyond what is necessary to keep the story moving. The result is a movie that is remarkably efficient but occasionally feels like it is rushing through ideas that could have benefited from more room to breathe. Still, there are moments where Resident Evil genuinely feels like Resident Evil.
The creatures are easily among the film’s highlights. Cregger has an impressive eye for grotesque imagery, and some of the monsters feel appropriately nightmarish rather than simply being generic CGI threats. The film also understands the importance of making its protagonist feel completely outmatched. Bryan is not an unstoppable action hero. He is constantly overwhelmed, which allows the horror to retain a sense of danger. Austin Abrams also deserves credit for carrying much of the film on his shoulders. His performance sells the desperation of someone who has been thrown into an impossible situation, and his physicality throughout the film helps make the constant survival aspect believable. The atmosphere is equally effective. When Cregger slows down and allows the movie to breathe, Resident Evil can be genuinely terrifying. There is a sense of dread hanging over several sequences, and the film’s sound design and score do a great deal of work in creating that feeling. These are the moments where you can see the filmmaker’s vision coming together with the DNA of the games. Unfortunately, those moments are not always enough to overcome the film’s larger identity crisis. There is a strange contradiction at the center of Resident Evil.
Cregger clearly wants to capture the feeling of survival horror rather than simply recreate the plot of one of the games, a choice he has discussed publicly. That approach is understandable, especially considering how many previous adaptations have struggled with the franchise’s identity. But adapting the feeling of Resident Evil is different from simply making a good horror movie. And sometimes this film gets so focused on being a Zach Cregger horror movie that the Resident Evil part becomes an afterthought. That doesn’t make the movie bad. Far from it. There is plenty here to enjoy. The direction is strong. The horror is often effective. The practical effects and creature designs are impressive. The violence is appropriately nasty.
The pacing rarely becomes dull. And there are enough moments where the movie successfully captures the atmosphere of the games to remind you of what this could have been with a little more commitment to the franchise’s identity. But those moments also make the missed opportunities more frustrating. You can see the better Resident Evil movie hiding inside this one. A movie that embraces exploration. A movie that makes its locations feel like puzzles waiting to be solved. A movie that allows its characters to investigate the outbreak instead of constantly running from it. A movie that uses the franchise’s mythology as an essential part of the narrative rather than as background material. Instead, Resident Evil often feels like a very good horror filmmaker making a very good horror movie inside a franchise that occasionally feels too small for his own vision. That may work for audiences who simply want another brutal horror experience. For fans of Cregger, there is plenty to appreciate here. But for longtime Resident Evil fans hoping to finally see the games translated to the big screen in a way that understands what makes them special, the result may be considerably more complicated. Resident Evil is at its best when it feels like a game. It is at its weakest when it feels like a generic horror movie. And unfortunately, the movie spends enough time in that second category that its strongest elements never completely overcome its biggest problem. Zach Cregger has made a stylish, bloody, frequently tense horror film with some genuinely great sequences and an unmistakable visual identity. But somewhere between Raccoon City, the monsters, the references, and Bryan’s desperate attempts to survive, Resident Evil sometimes forgets that the franchise is about more than simply surviving the night. It is about exploring the nightmare. And that is the part this adaptation never fully understands. Resident Evil is not a complete failure, nor is it the definitive adaptation fans have been waiting for. It sits somewhere in the uncomfortable middle: a well-directed and often entertaining horror movie that struggles to justify why it needed to be Resident Evil in the first place.
The ending is another aspect of the film that ultimately left me disappointed. After everything that comes before it, the final stretch doesn’t quite deliver the payoff the story seems to be building toward. Some of the choices made in the last act feel rushed and underdeveloped, and instead of bringing the different pieces of the story together in a satisfying way, the finale left me wanting more. It is not necessarily a disastrous conclusion, but it does feel like a missed opportunity, especially considering the potential established by some of the film’s strongest sequences earlier on. By the time the credits rolled, I couldn’t help but feel that the movie had more interesting ideas than it ultimately knew what to do with.
Resident Evil releases in theaters on September 18.
