Resident Evil (2026): Zach Cregger Makes the Best Resident Evil Movie
Resident Evil (2026) was directed by Zach Cregger and stars Austin Abrams as a medical courier named Bryan, who is trying to make a delivery to Raccoon City, only to get caught up in an outbreak that has turned people into monsters. This is not connected to the previous Resident Evil movies and is a reboot of the Resident Evil movies from the 2000s and 2010s. Critics are having a blast with Resident Evil (2026), and it’s getting some of the best reviews a video game movie has ever gotten.
Many fans also enjoyed the movie but were disappointed that Cregger chose to tell an original story in the Resident Evil world instead of basing it on one of the Resident Evil games. While Raccoon City from the games is the setting and the Umbrella Corporation is in the movie, none of the games’ characters are in it. Every character is an original character. As risky and divisive a decision it was, it didn’t stop Cregger from making the best Resident Evil movie.
Resident Evil (2026) may not take the plot from any Resident Evil games, but it respects the source material enough. Austin Abrams’s character Bryan feels like someone playing the games for the first time, such as finding items like guns and going through buildings like a level in a video game. The way Bryan goes into different settings feels like how gamers playing characters in a Resident Evil game go to different settings. The story feels like a story taking place in the early days of the games’ outbreak. Cregger even said that was his intention, and he does it well. The suspense of playing the Resident Evil games can be felt here. The action works where it’s not clean, and when it looks sloppy, it’s intentionally meant to be sloppy. Some of the camera angles and shots when Bryan is shooting at infected feel like a video game in a good way.
The tone and setting of Resident Evil (2026) are the strong points of the movie. The horror element is great, with many jump scares and surprises. Cregger has shown with Barbarian and Weapons that he is one of the best horror directors currently working. Early on, when Bryan is realizing something is off, it is paced perfectly well, where it’s never rushed and builds up the horrors that await him. The infected look terrifying and show why they are dangerous. Some moments of humor don’t hinder the movie. Cregger said he cut out most of the jokes, but the ones he kept were funny. The setting is Raccoon City and before that, the road and farm area Bryan first sees infected people. Some people might feel Bryan spent a bit too long of time there, but it works because it establishes that more people are infected than realized. Raccoon City with all the infected adds to the suspense and thrill. Taking place at night in the snow also adds to the tension and horror.
Austin Abrams plays Bryan well, portraying a medical courier who is also dealing with his girlfriend being pregnant and undecided about being a father. He’s not a perfect character, as he makes poor choices at times in the movie that will frustrate audiences. Some of those decisions endanger himself and make his delivery harder than it already is. At the same time, he’s easy to root for because he’s trying to deliver something important, and before he realizes people are infected, he does try to help them. Also, watching him feels like watching someone play a Resident Evil game but struggling with different scenarios. It feels as if Cregger purposely wrote him that way, which is a creative risk that pays off. Most of the other characters are basically future victims who will be infected at some point in the movie but also help explain the situation going on.
Resident Evil (2026)’s flaw is that the movie could have been longer and rushes the ending. While I disagree with some criticisms saying Bryan spent a lot of time at the beginning of the movie on the road and farm, I understand why fans feel that way considering the runtime is less than an hour and forty minutes. I don’t want to get into spoilers, but while there are some cool horror and action sequences at the end, it felt like Cregger had no idea how to end the movie and rushed through the last five minutes. Luckily, Resident Evil (2026) did great things until that moment, and the ending doesn’t ruin the rest of the movie.
Overall, Resident Evil (2026) is definitely one of the best video game movies made so far and continues the strong streak of good horror movies for 2026. Austin Abrams delivers a great performance, and Cregger shows how to respect the Resident Evil source material without using characters or stories from the games. The setting and tone works and it understands how it feels to play a Resident Evil game and games similar to the series. It’s unknown if Cregger will make more Resident Evil movies, as he seemed disappointed by the fan backlash before the movie was released and also stated in the past that he was opposed to working on franchises. So far it’s doing well at the box office, and audiences and critics are positive, so it seems a sequel could be possible, but likely with another director unless Cregger is open to returning. Regardless, we finally got a good Resident Evil movie.
My final grade for Resident Evil (2026) is a B+. It’s entertaining with great horror. What are your thoughts on Resident Evil (2026)? Let us know in the comments below.
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