All it takes is Zach Cregger’s directorial touch to make a Resident Evil movie that isn’t just scary, but also thrillingly fun to watch. Ironically, he manages to accomplish the feat by not going the faithful route, skipping fan-favorite characters from the games like Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, and even picking or expanding the established lore.
Instead, Cregger favors a new story and a new character by introducing an everyman protagonist named Bryan, played by Austin Abrams. He isn’t experienced in tactical combat or survival skills, but more of an inept young man whose life’s already a mess, even before he faces the worst nightmare of his life. As Cregger put it bluntly via Empire Magazine interview on Popverse, “For Bryan, it’s already like being in a horror movie, [and] a terrifying situation for a young guy who doesn’t quite have his life figured out yet.”
Bryan’s girlfriend’s pregnancy news turns his world upside down
Right from the opening stretch, Bryan already has his hands full, rushing a delivery of a transplant organ to a hospital amidst a blizzard night while dealing with a call from his girlfriend about her surprise pregnancy. Having a child should be a blessing, but Bryan is left perplexed rather than excited by the news, indicating he’s far from ready to take the next steps toward becoming a father. As if the situation isn’t bad enough, Bryan’s subsequent task, which requires him to travel to Raccoon City General Hospital for an urgent, last-minute delivery after getting a double pay, ends in disaster.
Imagine driving along the icy, slippery mountain roads with low visibility while trying to talk to his girlfriend on the phone. The fact that he’s still processing the whole pregnancy news continues to distract him until he accidentally hits a woman suddenly coming out of nowhere. The woman is infected, and she’s about to turn into a raging zombie at any time. And by the time Bryan realizes he’s in grave danger, it’s a desperate fight for survival.
Resident Evil may have been structured as a survival horror, highlighting Bryan’s attempt to stay alive while overcoming various setbacks throughout the treacherous night. But beyond the genuine jump-scare moments and gory tension, complete with deliberate camerawork that mimics the visual styling of the Resident Evil games, the movie serves as a metaphor for the protagonist’s anxiety about coping with fatherhood.
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How Bryan’s story mirrors Zach Cregger’s own fears about fatherhood
Here, instead of facing reality by going home to his girlfriend and discussing what to do next, he chooses to escape responsibility. It sure looks like it, especially after he agrees to do the late-night delivery. He may be getting double pay, but earning extra cash is more of a rationalization to avoid dealing with his current life crisis. What happens to Bryan mirrors the director’s own experience, addressing that he’s in his forties now and doesn’t have children during an interview with Indiewire. Cregger channels his uncertainty into the script that he co-wrote with Shay Hatten to weaponize the fear of fatherhood that Bryan, who also serves as the director’s stand-in, is forced to endure. It was a relatable horror that made the stakes surrounding Bryan’s plight with the zombie outbreak significantly palpable.
Interestingly, Cregger forgoes his usual labyrinthine and puzzle-box narrative technique that defined his previous two horror movies, Barbarian and Weapons, in favor of a lean, straightforward approach. This may come as a surprise for fans who have grown accustomed to the director’s storytelling preference. But it’s understandable that even given the creative freedom, Cregger doesn’t forget he is still making a Resident Evil movie. Besides, playing it straight and simple mirrors the gameplay mechanic that prioritizes the essence of survival over getting all narratively intricate, which would break the story’s relentless momentum.
Resident Evil made its mark not only by garnering rave reviews but also by being hailed as one of the best video game adaptations ever made, something that feels like an impossible task after seven previous live-action movies – six of them starring Milla Jovovich between 2002 and 2016, and one from the 2021 reboot – were all met with mixed-to-poor responses.
Resident Evil is terrorizing the cinemas everywhere this Friday.
Resident Evil |
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Follows a hapless courier tasked with delivering a package to a remote hospital. He soon finds himself caught in the middle of an outbreak and must fight through hordes of mutated creatures to survive. |
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| Studio: Sony Pictures Releasing |
| Running Time: 95 minutes |
| Release Date: September 18, 2026 |
| Cast: Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Paul Walter Hauser |
| Director: Zach Cregger |
| Writers: Zach Cregger, Shay Hatten |
| Genre: Horror, Action, Sci-Fi |
| Box Office: n/a |
