Resident Evil (2026)
Directed by: Zach Cregger
Premise: Based on the video game. A courier (Austin Abrams) transports a medical package to the hospital in Racoon City. Along the way he encounters monsters.
What Works: Resident Evil has been adapted numerous times including a series of movies starring Milla Jovovich, a 2021 reboot, and a 2022 television series. The 2026 Resident Evil film is a fresh take on the material. In some ways the new film plays as a deliberate counterpoint to the existing movie series. Previous movie adaptations were told from inside the Umbrella Corporation and the heroine played by Milla Jovovich was a warrior who wielded firearms with precision. The protagonist of the new film is an outsider who has no idea how to use a gun. In fact, his clumsiness often makes matters worse. Austin Abrams plays his character as constantly bewildered and he creates a sympathetic protagonist. The previous versions of Resident Evil were also very serious. 2026’s Resident Evil is very funny but in the right way. The humor matches the horror with a tone similar to Evil Dead 2 and Shaun of the Dead. One of Resident Evil’s most impressive qualities is the way it does things that ordinarily would be considered storytelling flaws and yet makes them work. Namely, the filmmakers introduce new characters and then almost immediately kill them off. Resident Evil gets away with this because the disposability of the characters fits the movie’s chaotic tone. Resident Evil has a relentless energy and it keeps surging forward. It also looks great, integrating outrageous creature designs with a mostly grounded approach to the action and the horror.
What Doesn’t: One disappointing aspect of this Resident Evil is the dialogue. Most of Austin Abrams’ lines repeat the same exclamation over and over again. The dialogue does a disservice to Abrams and it lacks the wit of the rest of the movie. It’s reported that some Resident Evil fans do not appreciate the 2026 film. This version has a different approach and there is a critique to be made that 2026’s Resident Evil is a standalone horror story with the brand name stuck on it. However, this film does capture the spirit of the source material and includes images that recall the game and for Resident Evil that is enough. Like a lot of franchise content, there is a contingent of the fan base that won’t accept creativity or innovation. For them, the best option is to play the existing games and watch the previous movies.
Bottom Line: 2026’s Resident Evil is an excellent standalone horror film. How viewers feel about it as an adaptation may depend on how precious they hold the source material. But this is a chaotically fun mix of scares and humor.
Episode: #1119 (October 4, 2026)