I’m hoping the header image has done its job. Because that’s right folks. Resident Evil is back. And it’s not in the form of a video game. That was handled by Requiem earlier in the year. It’s back. IN CINEMAS. But this time, it’s not another clone of Alice from the Paul W.S Anderson series. It’s a guy named Bryan. And he’s about to have a bad night.
“That sounds familiar”
You may be thinking. Because if you step back and think about our favourite heroes in the Resident Evil franchise, that’s literally what happens to them. STARS team and Spencer Mansion? Bad night. Leon’s first night on the job and Claire looking for her brother? Bad night. Jill trying to recover from Spencer Mansion and then the Raccoon City incident happens? Bad night. And this is what Austin Abrams experiences through the direction of Zach Cregger, with a script Cregger co-wrote with Shay Hatten.
Following their successful back-to-back horror films, ‘Barbarian’ and ‘Weapons’, Cregger got the opportunity to take on Resident Evil. This was apparently meant to carry on 2021’s ‘Welcome To Raccoon City’ but Cregger went for a reboot. This appeared to lead to a bidding war which seemed like Sony competing with itself, which meant it ended up with them under their Screen Gems division. Which allowed it to be a PlayStation Production. For a Capcom franchise.
CAPITALISM BABY!
And this reboot has allowed Cregger to deliver a blistering 90 minute speedrun through the eve of the Raccoon City incident. I specifically looked up the speedruns for Resident Evil (1996) and Resident Evil 2 on PlayStation. The former came in at under an hour, while the latter was just over 80 minutes. While it would require some insight, willpower and intelligence that may not necessarily be found in the moment, it does imply one thing: The night Bryan experiences could in fact be one we had in the beloved games series.
And his night is a riot. Quick time events. Coincidence. Luck. And a lack of ammo, but maybe a save room and key if you need. If you’re looking for Resident Evil, then Cregger’s movie delivers. It also shows the sheer charm of Austin Abrams ‘Bryan’, with the majority of the film being carried by their “WTF” reactions to everything occurring around them. Remember: We know what happens in Raccoon City. But for them? This was supposed to be another delivery.
Incredible practical effects in play, and some amazing new designs from the series paired with familiar environments, Resident Evil isn’t about what’s already happened. It’s about what happened to someone who isn’t Leon S. Kennedy or Jill Valentine. And whether or not they stood a chance amongst the outbreak of the T-Virus during the Raccoon City incident.
It's been such a treat to write this review, and remember so much of the film. As a longtime fan of the franchise, I'm so happy for those who have been involved in its inception to have the opportunity to see this version of their story. And revel and laugh in the delight and horror of it all.
