“Resident Evil” was a scary yet comedic movie which I thoroughly enjoyed watching. Director Zach Cregger does a fantastic job mixing comedy with horror.
Be prepared for some light spoilers as I go over this movie.
The plot itself is very simple. We follow Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier, as he tries to bring an important package to the Raccoon City General Hospital. Little does he know that by the time he gets to Raccoon City, it will already be affected by a deadly zombie virus.
Firstly, Bryan himself is so relatable. He’s a young man who honestly seems sick of his job. I find him relatable because of the way he reacts to all the crazy stuff going on around him.
For instance, in one part of the movie a body is being dragged away by some tentacles into a dark alleyway while Bryan tries to get car keys from around the body’s waist.
Each time he goes for the keys, the dead body just scoots ever so slightly away, because the tentacles are pulling it back like it’s trying to lure Bryan into a trap.
After Bryan goes for the keys for the third time, he’s understandably hesitant and decides not to pursue further, clearly seeing that this monster is dangerous.
After that, we see one of his friends get horribly dragged away into the darkness by the very same tentacles.
That scene encapsulates “Resident Evil” so well because the games can also be both funny yet horrifying at the same time. In “Resident Evil 4,” for example, Protagonist Leon shoots off one liners in the middle of almost being eaten by a giant mutated fish the size of a lake.
There had been other “Resident Evil” movies before this one but the problem with them is that they started to become more action movies than horror movies.
This “Resident Evil” movie sticks to horror. Nagier Chambers owner of Big Gold Belt media said in a Rotten Tomato review that “Resident Evil” is a, “Blood-soaked survival ride that understands the feeling of playing the games”.
That’s why I love it so much it really feels like one of the games. The story itself feels like one of those documents you would find in the games that tells the story of a random NPC (non-player character).
The movie itself isn’t a recreation of any of the “Resident Evil” games; instead Cregger takes his own spin on the franchise.
At first, I was worried about this, because some movies claim to do the same thing, but turn out to be their own story with a video game title slapped on to it (like the “Until Dawn” adaptation).
But Cregger truly does make the movie feel like a “Resident Evil” game, like when Bryan gets chased by a big hulking monster that keeps getting bigger and bigger.
I love the fact that while watching the movie, you can spot items that are in the games like herbs, med spray and even a game-accurate box for the shotgun shells.
It is these little details that really make the movie feel like it’s made by a fan and not just some soulless director.
The zombie virus in the movie is pretty different compared to any of the viruses in the games. It has weird, squid-like tentacles that come from the bodies of the infected.
In many parts of the movie the virus feels very intelligent. For instance, very early in the movie we see it interact with another infected person, and the tentacles that come from the infected clasp together and become stronger.
I enjoy the fact that it’s a different virus from the game because that in itself is very “Resident Evil.” In almost every game, the virus is different.
In the first game it’s the T-virus, in the second it’s the G-virus, and in the fourth it’s Las Plagas. Each game having its own virus makes them all stand out, and it does the same for the movie.
Watching the movie I found myself paying attention to the virus, learning what makes it different from other viruses and what its weaknesses are. I felt I was learning along with Bryan while watching it.
I will say no more—if you’re a “Resident Evil” fan or a survival horror fan in general, I really believe you will love this movie.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your friend, buy some popcorn, and tune into “Resident Evil” now playing in theaters near you.
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