Resident Evil (2026) Review: A Dream Come True for Fans
For years, Resident Evil fans have watched Hollywood try to figure out how to bring one of gaming's most iconic horror franchises to the big screen. Some movies leaned heavily into action, while others tried to recreate familiar characters and moments from the games.
Resident Evil (2026) takes a different approach.
Director Zach Cregger gives us a completely new story, and somehow, it might be one of the closest Hollywood has come to capturing what it actually feels like to play a Resident Evil game.
This isn't connected to the previous Resident Evil movie series, nor does it simply retell one of the games. Instead, Cregger takes the atmosphere, monsters, tension, dark comedy, camera work and little details fans recognize and uses them to create something of his own.
And it works.
Welcome Back to Raccoon City
The new Resident Evil follows Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, a medical courier who accepts a late-night delivery to Raccoon City while dealing with problems in his personal life.
It sounds simple enough.
Of course, anyone who has played Resident Evil knows that nothing good happens when someone casually heads toward Raccoon City.
Bryan quickly finds himself completely out of his depth as one bad situation turns into another and his night descends into absolute chaos.
What makes Bryan work so well as the protagonist is that he doesn't feel like an unstoppable action hero.
He feels like a real person who has somehow wandered into a Resident Evil game.
Austin Abrams Is Perfect for This Kind of Resident Evil Story
Austin Abrams is one of the biggest reasons the movie works.
Bryan's reactions to everything happening around him feel incredibly natural. He's confused. He's terrified. Sometimes he makes you laugh simply because of how completely unprepared he is for what is happening.
And that is exactly the point.
There were moments when Bryan reacted to something, and I immediately thought, "I've done that."
I've heard friends react the same way while playing Resident Evil. I've reacted that way myself.
That's where the movie becomes something special for fans.
Instead of watching a character who immediately knows how to deal with every monster, Bryan often feels like a player experiencing a Resident Evil game for the first time.
You know that moment when you walk into a room in a Resident Evil game, see something horrible and immediately want to turn around?
Bryan understands.
It Feels Like Watching Someone Play Resident Evil
This might be the biggest compliment I can give the movie.
Watching Resident Evil sometimes feels like watching a really good Let's Play.
Not because the movie feels like a video game cutscene, but because Cregger understands the rhythm of the games.
Enter a new area.
Something doesn't feel right.
Look around.
Find something useful.
Hear something you definitely don't want to hear.
And then everything goes wrong.
Even the cinematography occasionally plays with angles and framing that feel like respectful nods to the games. Those touches aren't screaming at the audience for attention. If you recognize them, they're there for you.
That's the right way to handle fan service.
Resident Evil Fans Are Going to Be Looking Everywhere
The movie is packed with Easter eggs and references to the Resident Evil franchise.
Some are obvious. Others are tiny details that longtime players are going to notice immediately.
Sometimes it's a monster.
Sometimes it's the way a scene is shot.
Sometimes it's something as simple as seeing a familiar-looking shotgun ammunition box.
Those little details matter because they make the world feel like Resident Evil without requiring the movie to constantly bring out recognizable characters just to remind us what franchise we're watching.
Cregger understands the source material, but more importantly, he understands its language.
The Monsters Deliver
Of course, you can't make Resident Evil without monsters.
The creatures are another highlight.
Fans will recognize inspiration from some iconic enemies throughout the franchise, but the movie isn't content with simply showing them to you.
It wants you to be afraid of them.
There's a physicality to the monsters that helps sell the danger, and because Bryan isn't presented as some highly trained super soldier, encounters can actually feel threatening.
That's important.
Part of what makes survival horror work is the feeling that you might not be prepared for whatever is waiting around the next corner.
The movie understands that.
Yes, Resident Evil Is Also Really Funny
One thing that might surprise some viewers is just how funny Resident Evil can be.
This is very much a horror-comedy.
But the comedy doesn't mean the movie stops trying to scare you.
A lot of the humour comes naturally from how unbelievably outmatched Bryan is. He is essentially an ordinary person trapped in the kind of nightmare that video game protagonists somehow survive on a regular basis.
His reactions become funny because they're believable.
Cregger manages to bounce between comedy, gore, tension and outright horror without making the scary moments feel meaningless.
One minute you might be laughing at Bryan's reaction to something.
A few minutes later, you might be gripping your seat.
The Pacing Is Excellent
Another major strength is the pacing.
Resident Evil moves.
Once Bryan's night begins falling apart, the movie rarely gives him, or the audience, much time to feel comfortable.
But it doesn't feel exhausting.
There's a rhythm to how the film introduces a threat, lets the tension grow and then unleashes the chaos. Just when you think Bryan might finally have a chance to figure things out, something else happens.
That momentum makes the movie incredibly easy to watch.
It captures that feeling of telling yourself you'll play Resident Evil for another 20 minutes, only to realize two hours have passed because you need to know what's behind the next door.
It Doesn't Try to Be the Games, and That's Why It Works
One of the smartest decisions Cregger makes is not trying to recreate a specific Resident Evil game scene for scene.
This movie does its own thing.
That's important.
Video game adaptations don't always need to give us the same story we've already played. Sometimes respecting a game means understanding why people love it in the first place and translating that experience into another medium.
That's what Resident Evil gets right.
The movie understands survival horror.
It understands the absurdity that has always existed alongside the horror in this franchise.
It understands monsters.
It understands Raccoon City.
Most importantly, it understands the player.
Is Resident Evil Worth Watching If You've Never Played the Games?
Absolutely.
Longtime Resident Evil players will get more out of the Easter eggs, references, and visual nods, but you don't need a history lesson before watching the movie.
Bryan is essentially your introduction to this world.
He doesn't know what he's walking into either.
That makes him a great character for newcomers to follow.
Even if you've never played a Resident Evil game or watched any of the previous movies, there's enough horror, comedy, action and pure chaos here to keep you entertained.
For fans, though, this is something different.
Final Thoughts
Zach Cregger's Resident Evil feels like a movie made by someone who understands why people love these games.
That's what I've wanted from a Resident Evil adaptation.
It isn't about recreating every famous character or copying an existing storyline. It's about capturing that feeling of being completely unprepared for what is waiting for you around the next corner.
Austin Abrams is fantastic because Bryan feels human. His fear feels real. His confusion feels real. And when things become completely ridiculous, his reactions often feel exactly like something you or your friends would say while holding a controller.
The monsters are there. The Easter eggs are there. Raccoon City is there.
But beneath it all is something even more important.
The Resident Evil feeling is there.
For longtime fans, this feels like a love letter to the games without being afraid to create something new. For newcomers, it's a fast, funny, bloody and intense introduction to one of gaming's biggest horror franchises.
After years of Resident Evil adaptations, this one finally feels like someone picked up the controller before picking up the camera.
