Joey Magidson
The Sunday Scaries are upon us once again! Yes, as the weekend concludes, most of us feel an oncoming sense of anticipatory dread about the week ahead. Anxiety about work manifests itself into a feeling that’s known as the Sunday Scaries. However, we at Awards Radar are here to combat that, by taking back the name. Now, we want you think about a horror-centric piece on the site when you hear the term. So, let us continue on with another installment of the Awards Radar Sunday Scaries! Today, we’re looking at how Zach Cregger got the video game movie very right by adapting a survivor horror franchise in his own distinct manner…
Resident Evil is now in theaters, debuting to both critical acclaim and what seems like a healthy box office. The latest film from Zach Cregger has continued his hot streak, one that began with Barbarian and continues with Weapons. On the surface, Resident Evil is an odd choice for his follow-up to an Oscar-winning work, but it’s very much in keeping with Cregger’s sensibilities. A big gamer and fan of this video game franchise, he’s translated the feeling of playing one of these to the big screen. He’s the first to successfully bring the survival horror genre to cinemas, largely intact.
My rave review of the film here began like so:
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.
It’s not just that Cregger made a good movie. He made a good survival horror adaptation, which we have not really ever seen done before. The escalation and increase in danger doesn’t just harken to classic Resident Evil games, it’s a staple of the survival horror genre. The game genre is one of the more cinematic ones out there, as we’ve written about in this column before, especially in regard to Silent Hill 2, for example. You can look at a film like Alien and see how the best survival horror games (including Alien: Isolation) use that blueprint. The Resident Evil movie is using some of what worked best in Resident Evil: Biohazard, and even part of the most recent installment, Resident Evil: Requiem. Austin Abrams‘ Bryan initially has no weapon, then a pistol, against a zombie. Then, he advances to stronger weapons, while facing more dangerous foes. All the while, the stakes get raised. It’s done so well, you almost don’t realize what Cregger is doing.
It’s also noteworthy how Cregger keeps Bryan in over his head. There’s never a moment where you feel like Abrams’ character has things under control. This very much is what would happen if a regular person was dropped into a zombie outbreak. Bryan can be especially helpless/useless at times, but the genre is at its best when the protagonist is a Regular Joe, as opposed to some hardened military character.
My review earlier in the week wrapped up with the following bit:
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.
Hopefully, we see more horror video game adaptations seek to capture the feel of the games, as opposed to hitting plot points or just showing characters fans know. In doing this, Cregger made Resident Evil something special. He’s shown a blueprint for other filmmakers to follow, so here’s hoping that they take heed…
Stay tuned for another Sunday Scaries installment next week!
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