There is a wave of horror movies hitting theaters lately – new originals, sequels, and remakes alike. I had never seen a “Resident Evil” film before, but from what I gathered through discussions and a bit of Googling, there is already an extensive existing lore. However, you don’t need to know any of it to dive into this one. It functions on its own terms, letting you go in completely blind without feeling lost.
I didn’t even know about the movie until a few hours before I bought my ticket. I went for one simple reason: Zach Cregger, the director behind “Weapons”. Having had a complete blast with “Weapons” a year ago, I knew I had to check out whatever he made next.
The film follows a genuinely nice guy to whom not-so-very-nice things happen. At times, you might consider him a little bit dumb, but that only highlights the pure kindness in his heart. Take the moment he stops in the middle of the night on an isolated street to check on a person he just hit—rule number one of horror survival is to never get out of the car, but his instinct to help sets the tone for the rest of the movie. He makes questionable choices because of his compassionate nature, yet he handles himself remarkably well when things escalate with guns and survival.
Remarkably, this might be the first movie that gives you an authentic video game vibe without overselling or feeling gimmicky; it blends that progression organically into the narrative. Along the way, there’s even a surprise appearance by Baron Harkonnen, plus hordes of mutated body-horror monstrosities where you watch multiple bodies merging together in terrifying ways.
The film is funny without ever taking you off the haunted mood. In terms of gore and cinematography, it completely rocks. Watching it in IMAX makes the experience fully immersive, ensuring there is not a single dull moment. In fact, the jump scares actually work: I pulled my phone out for a second to reply to an important message, and the exact moment I touched the screen, a jump scare hit me so hard I was thoroughly shook. It had me hooked to the edge of my seat for the entire 1-hour-and-37-minute runtime.
Austin Abrams is fantastic in the lead role as Bryan, anchoring the chaos with a performance that makes you care deeply about his survival. Backed by incredible sound design and stunning cinematography, the film moves at a relentless pace.
It’s bonkers, hard-boiled, and crazy. Zach Cregger might just be my new favorite master of horror, and I would love to see where the story goes next. Most definitely recommended.
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