Resident Evil (2026)

Between the critical failure of Paul W. S. Anderson’s Resident Evil hexalogy and the commercial failure of Welcome to Raccoon City, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil (2026) had a lot riding on it. Although Cregger found success in both Weapons and Barbarian, his take on Resident Evil would represent the second reboot of the film arm of the wider franchise, a side that had already burned longtime fans (but not necessarily general audiences) multiple times. As such, he decided that instead of adapting a specific game, he would focus on adapting the “survival horror” aspect while following a new character. Although a loud segment of the fandom would question this decision, the finished film would not only earn the highest critical scores of any video game movie, surpassing Exit 8, but also make over $250 million against its $75 million budget as of this writing. Personally, following the disappointment of Welcome to Raccoon City, Cregger’s clear passion for the franchise and a sneak peek shown at SDCC 2026 won me over and I couldn’t wait to see it as soon as I could. Fortunately, Cregger seems to have finally cracked the code on adapting a survival horror series to the big screen in a way that a film like Return to Silent Hill could not.

Resident Evil follows medical courier Bryan Hodukavich (Austin Abrams) after he accepts a last-minute delivery for Raccoon City General Hospital in the snowy Arklay mountains. While arguing with his girlfriend Michelle (Sara Paxton) over the phone about her recent pregnancy, Bryan hits a woman who stepped into the road and, while taking her to the hospital, is pulled over by Deputy Sherrif Wilson (Johnno Wilson), who escorts him after learning of Bryan’s situation. It isn’t long, however, before disaster strikes and the officer swerves off the road, leading to Bryan discovering that the woman has mutated somehow and shoots her. Now stranded in the middle of nowhere, he enters a farmhouse and soon begins the fight of his life as he sets out to complete his mission no matter what.

Although this film doesn’t adapt any one specific game, it captures the feeling of playing Resident Evil perfectly. There’s the progression of feeling outmanned and overwhelmed to gradually obtaining better weapons to help you with the next section while searching around for helpful items, the constant need for specific keys and, of course, encountering increasingly terrifying manmade horrors. Bryan’s journey also feels natural for playing through a typical game entry, including an obligatory lab section at the end that explains everything. His struggle and reactions to the increasingly bizarre apocalyptic situation are also relatable, with an amount of swearing that feels natural. Fans will also appreciate the number of Easter eggs hidden throughout, which are thankfully not as in-your-face as some other adaptations.

While capturing the “survival horror” aspect of the games very well, there’s also a good blend of horror and comedy. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, but these moments feel natural and can often help make Bryan feel more relatable. When the horror does hit, however, it hits hard, as the real possibility always exists that Bryan could die and the fact that he’s just a courier means that any mistake could spell his end. I often found myself worried about whether he could succeed in his goal or get past the next deadly obstacle. These obstacles can also present themselves as unique and visually impressive setpieces made largely with practical effects, including one stunt involving zombies flinging themselves down from rooftops to get at Bryan that notably almost actually killed Abrams (a 150-lb body-sized blood bag missed him by mere inches while filming the scene).

Austin Abrams does a fantastic job as Bryan Hodukavich.

Bryan’s hesitation over addressing his impending fatherhood is also woven into the story outside of his compelling character arc. Some of his obstacles before and after he finally reaches the hospital reference his girlfriend’s pregnancy and his uncertainty over what that future would look like. This also extends to his interaction with a girl trapped inside an RV, showing us a glimpse of how he would behave if he accepted fatherhood.

How Bryan’s story ends may prompt mixed feelings from the audience. Personally, I found it rather fitting and could sense it happening during an emotional scene later in the film. In any case, Austin Abrams really showcases his talent as an actor leading up to and during the finale, which helps it land well for this type of story.

While more recent video game movies have generally done a better job at adapting their original story to film, or at least have done better at recreating the visual elements, Resident Evil is a good demonstration that not recreating any existing story or following established characters doesn’t matter as long as you have a talented and passionate director at the helm. Hopefully, the angle explored here, capturing the essence of the gameplay through the eyes of an original character in the same (or similar) setting, leads to more creativity in adapting games whose stories wouldn’t otherwise translate well to the silver screen.