‘Resident Evil’ is What Video Game Films Should Be [REVIEW]

Zach Cregger has a history of making horror films that subvert expectations, and his take on Resident Evil proves that as a filmmaker, he’s right where he wants to be. Following last year’s Weapons, which garnered critical praise, Cregger decided to take a swing at one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. However, all seven of the Resident Evil films did not perform well, and their tone seemed at odds with Cregger’s usual nuanced take on things.

But one thing Cregger has up on the original attempts is an appreciation for the franchise itself. A fan of the games, Cregger wanted to write his own story without explicitly following any of the well-known characters. The Resident Evil world is his sandbox, and the castles and moats that he builds are extraordinary. It’s always obvious when a creator is a fan of the cource material, with Cregger being no exception with the story that he builds.

The film follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier. After he hands off his package at the hospital, he gets a request for another job, one that is outside of the zone and will pay more. He’s given a more important Schedule A package, one which he assumes is a human heart, or something equally as important.

Resident Evil is a fresh take on video game adaptations

Abrams and Cregger are no strangers to working together. Abrams played the homeless drug addict in Weapons, a role that is so different from his turn as Bryan it is almost difficult to believe it’s the same person. Bryan feels like every person who’s played Resident Evil, a sort of everyday hero that is put into situations he’s not equipped for. He reacts with trepidation, unlike the usual heroes that are featured onscreen in video game adaptations.

Cregger takes a different approach in bringing the story to screen, utilizing video game viewpoints and camera work to make the viewer occasionally feel like they are the ones in control. Similarly, Bryan has a sort of aimless quality in how he moves through the film, much like a player would exploring the games. Combined with the sweeping camera work that seamlessly transitions to first-person POV is a video game, and frankly is something future directors should take note of.

He’s also an ordinary hero, and there is a recurring joke throughout the film about how he isn’t good at guns. He misses more than he hits, which is how he ends up in a farmhouse in the middle of a snowy field after accidentally shooting the engine of his car when trying to kill a zombie he hit with it. Really, it’s this sort of relatability that endears Bryan to viewers.

A human aspect also anchors his story with him trying to get back to his girlfriend, whom he had fought with prior to his accident about her unexpected pregnancy. It gives Bryan something to fight for, and something for audiences to relate to and root for as his night goes from bad to worse to the unimaginable.

There is humor and disgust in equal levels

Cregger’s background in comedy is thing that really helps elevate Resident Evil and set it apart from its predecessors. As Bryan escapes the farmhouse and his first experience with the horrifyingly mutated creatures of this universe, each scene is underlaid with some sort of comedic facet. Through dialogue, physical movement, and situational experiences, viewers are going to find themselves equal amounts amused and disgusted with the frankly impressive levels of body horror that the film achieves–and that is not to mention the sheer amount of blood.

The film keeps it vague with actual Resident Evil references. The only mentions it gets are Raccoon City, where the outbreak originated, and a run-in with Carl (Paul Walter Hauser), a scientist who works for the Umbrella Corporation. It works: viewers and fans are given just enough context for what’s going on, but they are not limited to recreations of gameplay, or ground the original films have already tread on.

It is also worth noting that the announcement of Cregger’s film was met with harsh skepticism online. Perhaps it is in the face of this adversity that the film manages to soar even higher. When everybody expects a film to fail, the only place to go is up, and Cregger continues to set the bars in horror filmmaking higher with his approaches.

Resident Evil may not be enough for some. Others may find the spectacle of the finale unsatisfying. What comes through the most is Cregger’s reverence for the games, something any fan should relate to. In a time when adaptations seem to be what studios want to make, Cregger didn’t set out to try to create something extraordinary. Unlike the other Resident Evil movies, this one refuses to take itself seriously, and that’s what makes it come alive.