Zack Cregger’s Resident Evil understands what makes the games so terrifying. With brilliant atmosphere, effective scares and a fantastic performance from Austin Abrams, this is the adaptation fans have been waiting for.
Zack Cregger’s Resident Evil is, without a doubt, the best Resident Evil movie we could have gotten. And I don’t just mean that because it has the weird monsters, zombies and little Easter eggs fans will recognise. What makes this adaptation work is that Cregger actually understands what makes Resident Evil so compelling in the first place.
I’ve said it before, but Cregger is easily one of the best modern horror directors working today. Here, he somehow captures the actual feeling of playing a Resident Evil game. The tension, the uncertainty and that constant feeling that something is about to go horribly wrong are all present throughout.
The plot itself is pretty simple. We follow Austin Abrams as he attempts to deliver an important MacGuffin to Raccoon City Hospital. And honestly, that’s pretty much the movie. Abrams has to get from point A to point B while overcoming a ridiculous number of obstacles along the way.
“It genuinely felt like I was watching myself play a Resident Evil game.“
There are padlocked gates, terrifying monsters and plenty of moments where you’re left wondering what’s about to happen next. In that sense, it feels remarkably similar to playing a Resident Evil game.
That’s what I enjoyed most about this movie. It genuinely feels like Resident Evil.
Abrams is fantastic here, and I really hope he and Cregger continue to work together. He completely embodies the experience of being the player. There’s a jitteriness to his performance that feels incredibly familiar. You can see the apprehension as he walks down a corridor, the uncertainty when he enters a new room and the sheer panic when he comes across something completely messed up.
It genuinely felt like I was watching myself play a Resident Evil game.
That might sound like a small thing, but I think it’s one of the most important aspects of the film. Previous Resident Evil adaptations have often taken the name, characters and monsters and built a generic horror or action movie around them. Cregger does something different. He understands the feeling of playing these games and builds the movie around that experience.
The camera work is brilliant too, while Cregger’s use of lighting is particularly impressive. This is a movie that takes place almost entirely at night, yet it never feels visually flat or difficult to follow. There are some genuinely fantastic shots throughout, with the lighting helping create a suffocating atmosphere.
Cregger knows how to build tension and suspense. More importantly, he knows when to let that tension breathe. You’re constantly waiting for something to go wrong, and that anticipation makes even the quieter moments feel uneasy.
He also understands how to make a jump scare actually work.
There’s a skill to creating a good jump scare without making it feel cheap, and Cregger has clearly figured that out. There’s one particular moment taking place early on in a cabin that completely got me.
The film also lets you know almost immediately that it’s going to have a sense of humour. I found myself chuckling a few times throughout, but thankfully, the comedy never undermines the horror. Cregger has shown before that he knows how to balance humour and genuine tension, and that ability works particularly well here.
The ending has already sparked plenty of discussion, and personally, I really liked where the film leaves things. I do think another 10 or 15 minutes could have helped explore some of its ideas a little further, but I still came away satisfied with how everything wrapped up.
Ultimately, I just had a really good time with this.
Resident Evil feels like Resident Evil. It understands the tension of walking into a room without knowing what’s waiting for you. It understands the frustration of finding another locked door. It understands the panic of suddenly coming face-to-face with something that absolutely should not exist.
Most importantly, it understands what it feels like to actually play these games.
Cregger has once again shown that he knows exactly how to build tension and atmosphere, while Austin Abrams delivers a performance that perfectly captures the player’s perspective. I really hope Cregger gets the opportunity to return for another instalment because, if he already has ideas for where this franchise could go next, I’m very much here for it.
Resident Evil feels like an adaptation made by someone who understands the games beyond their characters and monsters. With brilliant atmosphere, effective scares, great action and a fantastic performance from Austin Abrams, Cregger has delivered a thrilling horror movie that captures the tension of actually playing Resident Evil. It isn’t perfect, but damn is it fun.
Resident Evil finally captures the feeling of playing the games, delivering a tense, atmospheric and genuinely thrilling horror experience.
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