Resident Evil (2026) Movie Review

Videogame adaptations have always been the centerpiece of controversy - I've spoken about a few here on this blog, usually always positively. Certain videogames are pretty easy to adapt because of their lack of extraneous lore that fans expect to see portrayed on the big screen. Minecraft is the biggest example I can currently think of. That film was a box office success, in my opinion, because of two primary factors. First was the obvious appeal a Minecraft-based film has to families with young children, and secondly - Minecraft, ostensibly anyway, doesn't have any deep lore attached to it that filmmakers would inevitably need to address, lest the loyal fanbase become incensed with fury and downvote the film without giving it a viewing chance. I believe that's Resident Evil 2026's greatest weakness. However glorious the movie might be, if it fails to properly deliver tidbits of the universe it directly takes place in, people will feel cheated and annoyed. Me personally? While I'm a fan of the Resident Evil game series, it's best to call me a casual one. I've never played the games or watched the other live-action or animated movies, instead having mostly just perused Youtube for lore videos and read the occasional wikia article about a Resident Evil character or two. My horse isn't necessarily in this race as a superfan of the franchise, but moreso as a cinematic observer. That being said, what are MY thoughts on this year's premiere zombie horror escapade? Let's get right into it! To preface, I believe it's an excellent black comedy horror film, as expected from Zach Cregger who also created Weapons and Barbarian - two critically acclaimed works of visual art that combine the surrealist absurdity of their plots with genuine, heart-stopping terror. The characters, the plot, the musical score, the visual cues, the effects, they swimmingly combine together to offer an experience you could unmistakably attribute to Cregger's wily creative genius. The narrative centers around Bryan Hoduakovich, an everyman medical courier tasked by doctors to deliver crucial items, primarily organs, to other hospitals for donor transplant procedures. One day, Bryan ends up receiving an offer he can't refuse, a job promising double his usual day. Simultaneously, Bryan is having relationship troubles with his girlfriend due to her unexpected pregnancy, a responsibility he doesn't seem willing to endure as he encourages her to abort the child and preserve their enjoyable life together. With this context in mind, we find Bryan caught in the middle of a homegrown apocalypse in the Coloradoan metropolis of Raccoon City, the victim of a viral outbreak thanks to the irresponsible Umbrella Corporation.

For those unaware, Umbrella Corporation is undoubtedly the Resident Evil universe's most iconic organization and overarching main antagonistic faction. A seemingly benign pharmaceutical mega-conglomerate that, in actuality, was founded by a British eugenicist seeking godhood and world domination, they're often contracted by the United States government in RE lore to produce powerful bioweapons that could be utilized in hypothetical wars. Unfortunately, this cold and ruthless pursuit of scientific excellence usually ends poorly for Umbrella, as their viral pathogens, namely the T-Virus, escape containment and cause destruction and havoc onto Raccoon City, which marks the beginning of the end for the Corporation as they subsequently endure countless lawsuits and are forced to shutter their doors indefinitely. The movie takes place right at the cusp of Raccoon City's total annihilation; we see the trademark signs of a zombie apocalypse as hordes of rotting infected shamble around, looking for victims to spread their sickness to, mutated abominations of conjoined tentacles and toothy maws.

Bryan is truly an everyman of the people. Anyone could relate to him being afraid of responsibility and acting like a fish out of water in this apocalyptic scenario. We all imagine and theorize how exactly we'd respond if our neighbors suddenly became cannibalistic monsters wanting to rip us apart, but the truth is, most of us would forget our intricate, well-placed plans within seconds, completely panic, and then die or join the rotting horde. This, more than anything, was the film's highlight for me. Bryan fiddles around with guns, clearly inexperienced with them, and barely survives his encounters against infected humans and animals. He's not an action hero or weathered veteran of these calamities as the known cast of Resident Evil are - such as Chris Redfield or Leon Kennedy. He's a random civilian NPC that ends up being read about in wikia pages and ingame collectible items which detail his tragic fall to the insatiable virulence surging through his body. Looking at the movie through this lens rather than expecting a one-to-one recreation of a Resident Evil game will definitely heighten your enjoyment of it even further.

Moving on, understand if people are dissatisfied because of how little this game takes from the Resident Evil games - I can't even disagree when some say that removing the title Resident Evil and replacing it with something else wouldn't make a difference to the overall narrative. So few threads are established with the universe established throughout Bryan's descent into madness and hell that I honestly forgot myself that this was meant to be a Resident Evil game to begin with. When it comes to videogame movies, or generally any movie that works off an established piece of source material from another medium, it takes a leap of faith. If the movie itself is solid despite the scrutiny it would inevitably receive, it lands. If it ends up flopping, whether because it didn't follow its source material rigidly or otherwise, it falls to its abyssal doom. Resident Evil is the former. Zach Cregger could've done with having more direct callbacks and references to the mainline games, such as a hulking Tyrant abomination deployed by Umbrella, or maybe Albert Wesker, William Birkin, Ada Wong, or any of the other known cast making appearances or having distinctive talking roles - but as an introduction to a new cinematic universe taking place in the Resident Evil timeline, I believe it works perfectly.

Whether Cregger will stay on to produce the next one or resume independent filmmaking bereft of any big-name franchise titles is yet to be seen, but I truly hope they continue Bryan's story to its conclusion (especially after that tragic climax his character endured at the hands of those cowardly scientists) and create sequel movies that involve the characters fans will know and love. If anything, this movie has inspired me to begin playing the Resident Evil games, so it succeeded in bringing attention and interest to the franchise. And if nothing else, the box office returns don't lie, it was an objective commercial success. Ultimately, I give Resident Evil 2026 a solid 8/10.

Stay tuned for many more reviews and blog posts, and God Bless you all. Have a wonderful morning/afternoon/night!