by Henry Pham
Despite the box-office successes, the franchise has been in critical decline due to various factors: directors’ stylistic shifts, a lack of raw energy and creativity, and a lack of fidelity to the source material from the games. The 2021 reboot also received negative reviews, leading to the cancellation of a possible sequel and the 2022 television series. That is, until Sony laid eyes on filmmaker Zach Cregger after his success with his work on Barbarian and Weapons. Resident Evil marks the second reboot (and the eighth film overall) of the franchise. It follows Bryan, a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself in an action-packed, non-stop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos.
HBO’s Euphoria star Austin Abrams, who reteams with Cregger from Weapons, carries the film as Bryan, who is making his delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital when an outbreak forces him to embark on a perilous journey (and fight) for survival. Abrams is astonishing, providing a nuanced performance, despite expressing disdain and reluctance in the film. His role serves as an identical reference to Will Smith’s role in the sci-fi thriller I Am Legend. The supporting cast – consisting of Zach Cherry (Apple TV’s Severance), Kali Reis (HBO’s True Detective: Night Country), and Paul Walter Hauser (Pixar’s Inside Out 2) – is fun to watch, but they could use a little more screen time to enhance the film’s entertainment.
Based on the Japanese video game created by Capcom, Zach Cregger, known for directing Weapons and Barbarian, directs, produces, and writes the film, offering a fresh new take on the franchise in this film, with Shay Hatten as the film’s co-writer. The plot looks quiet, dark, and gritty, as the filmmakers follow the source material from Resident Evil 2. It is mixed with horror and humor, thanks to Creggar’s ambition and Abrams’s performance. The blood scenes and gore are unsettling to watch, and the cast looks like they are not having as much fun on the set.
However, the film didn’t add much dialogue, as it mostly relies on jump scares and having monsters as main antagonists against Abrams, who is difficult to watch due to his character’s lack of intellect. The visual effects and the production design are not bad, but the CGI is choppy and unamusing. The film feels rushed as it runs about 90 minutes, which is shorter than, but it doesn’t feel like you are going through the entire length of this film.
I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of the this franchise game as I never played with nor catching up with the franchise films, but I can tell you, this movie is where you are prepared to be amused. If I was a fan of this video game franchise, I would deeply understand the familiarity with the characters and source material. Zach Cregger powers up on bloody action sequences and jump scares in Resident Evil. When I saw this at an early press screening, I jumped and flipped out (quietly) during the few jump scare scenes. Overall, it is wildly (and dangerously) insane, in an anticipating way. As I said before, I’m not a horror movie guy, but as a professional film critic, I am entitled to watch many films in different genres, regardless of my tastes. If you grew up playing Resident Evil games, then this is the movie for you. I think fans of both the franchise, Zach Cregger, and horror will definite appreciate this movie.
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