Joey Magidson
He did it. He really did it. Zach Cregger has made the first great video game movie. Now, that’s an exceptionally low bar to clear, but nevertheless, we have a legitimately strong adaptation of a game. Resident Evil has cracked the code and not just made a fun horror film, but one that understands how the game franchise is played, mimicking its escalation in the process. I have one or two things I didn’t like, and the ending fell short for me, but by and large, this is an absolute blast.
Resident Evil is Cregger’s version of the horror franchise, filled with easter eggs and love letters to the games, but telling his own story within that world. Anyone with even a passing knowledge of the games will be able to tell what he’s doing, while those who never played a second will still be treated to a wild flick. Cregger has found a way to merge the two worlds, while still making a film that has his DNA all over it. It’s actually quite an achievement, further establishing how he’s among the most exciting voices in the genre.
Bryan (Austin Abrams) is a hapless medical courier about to have a really bad night. After dropping off his last delivery, all while talking to his girlfriend Michelle on the phone about her pregnancy revelation, he’s convinced to make one more run. This is a better paying and longer job, as it will take him to Raccoon City, upsetting Michelle. While on the icy road, he loses cell signal with her, then strikes a woman who walks in front of his car. Upon inspection, she’s alive, though something is very wrong with her. That’s his first encounter with the deadly outbreak that’s about to infect nearly everyone around him.
As he navigates from the road to a farmhouse, then towards Raccoon City and its hospital, things escalate. The zombie like figures who attack at all turns are also mutating, leading to one bizarre and horrific (though also humorously gross) encounter after the next. Through it all, Bryan stumbles from one situation to the next, completely in over his head, but determined to finish the job. There’s a lot of fun in discovering where this one goes in the second half, as it escalates, much like the games. The ending will prove divisive and didn’t land for me, but up until then, I was having a blast.
Austin Abrams gets a great showcase here, building on the empathetic and funny work he did for Cregger in Weapons. Bryan is a bit of a buffoon, but a lovable one. Whether it’s his gun mishaps, the way he celebrates part of a victory without thinking of what comes next, or just the way he talks to himself throughout, Abrams makes the character someone you want to spend 90 minutes with. The small supporting cast also includes Zach Cherry, Paul Walter Hauser, and Kali Reis, but Abrams is the star, as well as really the sole focus.
Director/co-writer Zach Cregger shows his love of the video game franchise while also decidedly doing his own version of Resident Evil. Considering how the prior adaptations of the series has gone, Cregger and co-writer Shay Hatten are right on the money. Even the one major decision they made that I didn’t like, which concerns the ending, is very much in keeping with Resident Evil. I’ll save a deeper discussion on that for something involving spoilers, perhaps in a future Sunday Scaries piece, but it didn’t really work, though again, it’s in keeping with the games. Otherwise, Cregger shoots the movie, alongside cinematographer Dariusz Wolski, with angles that suggest video game perspective, though without falling back on just first person shots. He’s delighting in ratcheting up everything as the night goes on, both visually and in terms of what awaits Bryan at all turns. The pacing is great, as this is a tight hour and a half running time, dropping you immediately into the world and never letting up. There’s also a great amount of humor, veering this nearly into horror comedy territory. There’s blood, guts, and body horror galore, but it’s also often a riot.
There was some hand wringing online about whether it was possible to merge Cregger’s sensibilities with what people love about the video games prior to release, which always puzzled me. Not only is Cregger a fan of the games, the flicks that came before were hardly faithful. Six of the prior seven movies bore very little resemblance to the games, instead being Milla Jovovich vehicles (and often being bad, though occasionally fun), while the most recent effort was closer in spirit, but arguably the worst movie yet. The eighth time was the charm, as this film absolutely rules.
Resident Evil largely delighted me, both as a fan of the video games, as well as someone who enjoys what Cregger is up to. This is two great tastes that taste great together. You can always tell this is made by the auteur behind Barbarian and Weapons, but you can also tell that this is a Resident Evil story. For me, that’s a potent mix, making for one of the most enjoyable genre efforts of the year.
SCORE: ★★★1/2
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