I've never played a Resident Evil game. The closest I got was the knock-off Dino Crisis. And while I deeply admire that Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich are the John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands of video game adaptations, their Resident Evil movies were never my cup of tea. So while I have no real appreciation for the lore or the strategy within the game, I was pretty excited for this take, mainly because of Zach Cregger's involvement.
And my enthusiasm paid off. Cregger is now three-for-three since re-emerging with Barbarian in 2022. It and last year's Weapons wrong-footed audiences early on, delivering big twists and an Oscar winning role for Amy Madigan. This film doesn't have such grand ambitions. Instead, it delivers relentless scares and laughs, even in the same scene.
Austin Abrams – who played a drug-addicted witness key to the central mystery in Weapons – shines as Bryan, our protagonist and the only character on screen for more than a few minutes. Bryan is a medical courier, delivering vital organs for low pay. As has been true for 50-plus years, financially strapped characters are a lot more willing to do risky tasks.
His mission is to deliver a package to Raccoon City General Hospital, a town only accessible through icy mountain roads. And from here on out it's one disaster after another. Bryan is forced into intense, often unbelievable situations, usually exacerbated by his own stupidity. But this also makes him more endearing as a protagonist. He's not a Navy SEAL or a tech expert. He's just a terrified young adult trying to survive and hopefully not hurt anyone who's not trying to eat him.
What didn't work for me is the film's metaphor of impending fatherhood. Bryan's girlfriend has just discovered she's pregnant and he's not exactly thrilled at the prospect. It would have been fine enough motivation for him to get back to her, but the film underlines it several more times. At one point, Bryan has a mental breakdown and records a voice note, laying out his feelings. The acting is good but the writing lets him down. Later, he has to face his fears and get through a zombified neonatal ward, just in case you missed the symbolism the first time.
Resident Evil is thrilling, engaging, disgusting, and lean. It's only 90 minutes and has no use for lore. That might piss off some gamers. But for fans of well-done horror movies, it's another winner.
