Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil gets a lot right. The atmosphere is eerie, the jump scares are effective, and the infected feel like they belong in the games. Yet despite these strengths, the film begins to lose its way in the later stages. As someone familiar with the games, I left with mixed feelings about what could have been a much stronger adaption.
Released in September 2026, the film follows Bryan, a medical courier who finds himself caught in the Racoon City Outbreak. Rather than retelling the story of a familiar game, Cregger introduces a new character and an original story set within the Resident Evil universe. This approach gives the film much more room to explore new ideas, but some of its creative decisions left me confused.
One of the films biggest strengths is how well it captures the experience of playing the games. The fear of entering an unfamiliar location, not knowing what might be waiting just around the corner, is something Resident Evil players will recognise in this adaption instantly. The jump scares are extremely effective, the atmosphere of each location Bryan visits creates a genuine sense of hopelessness, and the introduction of strange new zombie designs keeps each encounter unpredictable. Even the weapons feel right. When Bryan finally gets his hands on more powerful firearms, you feel that same satisfaction as when you upgrade your arsenal in game.
I also enjoyed how Bryan reacts to the situations around him. He isn’t an experienced hero who knows exactly what to do. Instead, he behaves like an ordinary person who is suddenly thrown into a nightmare. This makes him so much more relatable, like witnessing how many of us would act if we were dropped into a Resident Evil game ourselves. Film critics have also recognised this connection to the games, with RogerEbert.com praising the film’s mission-like structure and survival-horror experience.
Unfortunately, the later sections of the film don’t maintain that same level of tension. One moment that stood out to me was when an Umbrella scientist Bryan encounters in a car, begins beeping the horn in the middle of the city. In a situation where attracting unwanted attention could lead to severe consequences, this felt unnecessarily careless. The hospital sequence, which was built up from the very beginning of the film, frustrated me further. The scientists repeatedly make loud, unnecessary announcements on purpose, in a situation where keeping quiet would seem like the most obvious thing to do. Rather than building suspense, these decisions made the characters seem strangely unaware of the danger around them.
The comedy also becomes less effective as the film progresses. I enjoyed the early on humour, as it helped establish Bryan as an ordinary person struggling to cope in a nightmarish situation.
I learned that people really liked the movie, but they thought it was too funny. So over the course of my testing, I stripped out as much of the jokes as possible.
– Zack Cregger, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter
However, after the disturbing scene involving a child zombie, I felt the film needed a major shift in tone.
My other major disappointment is film’s setting. The story takes place at the beginning of the Raccoon City outbreak, yet the filmmakers chose to modernise it rather than use the original 1998 setting. Considering how strongly the Resident Evil 2 remake captures the atmosphere of that period, I think there was a big missed opportunity to bring that iconic identity to the big screen.
I also heavily criticize the decision to title the film simply Resident Evil. A unique title with “A Resident Evil Story” underneath could have made it clear this was an original story within a much larger universe. Doing it this way, would have left the doors open for future spin-off films, television series, or games, without making every project feel like it needs to define the entire franchise.
Ultimately, Cregger understands much of what makes Resident Evil enjoyable, particularly its anxiety-inducing areas, vulnerability, and satisfying combat. However, inconsistent decisions in the later scenes and a missed opportunity with the setting prevents the film from reaching its full potential.
I’d still recommend it to fans of the games, but I’d suggest going in without high expectations.
Bryana McGowan 
Audrey James 
Adam O'Neill