RESIDENT EVIL First Reactions Say the Horror Film Is Scary, Gory, Funny, and One of the Best Game Adaptations Ever

Zach Cregger has unleashed his take on Resident Evil, and as someone who has already seen it, I can tell you this movie is a freakin’ blast! It’s scary, funny, insanely gory, and one of those horror movies that is just so much fun to experience in a theater packed with people.

As a longtime fan of the Resident Evil franchise, I loved what Cregger did here. This isn’t a retelling of one of the games, nor does it lean on familiar heroes like Leon S. Kennedy or Jill Valentine. Instead, Cregger takes what makes playing Resident Evil so nerve-racking and entertaining and builds an original story around that experience.

The result does the franchise justice while giving us something scary and awesome. Fans are going to have a hell of a good time with this one, and the first reactions from critics are just as enthusiastic.

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff calls it "one of the best video game adaptations I’ve ever seen" and adds that it's "also one of the best horror comedies I've ever seen. Cannot believe how many hilarious beats this movie has without ever diminishing the stakes or sheer terror of the situation."

That balance between horror and comedy is a huge part of what makes the movie work. Cregger knows when to make you laugh, but the humor doesn’t deflate the danger.

Fandango’s Erik Davis also praised the way the film captures the experience of playing Resident Evil rather than simply recreating a specific game. He says the movie is "less an adaptation of a game and more a movie that makes you feel like you're playing one."

Davis continued: "Don’t get stuck on what is or isn’t in the Resident Evil games. This is a film that takes the spirit of playing those games and runs wild with it."

That’s exactly what Cregger is going for. The film embraces survival horror, escalating danger, grotesque monsters, zombies, and the constant feeling that something horrible is waiting around the next corner.

Tomatometer critic EJ Moreno says it’s a movie that “you have to see on the biggest screen with a big crowd! A true horror blockbuster.”

He continued: “Zach Cregger goes bigger, scarier, and at his most fun. This is how you make horror into a cinematic spectacle.”

That packed-theater experience absolutely adds to the fun. Hearing an audience laugh, scream, and react together makes the craziness hit even harder.

Film critic Mark Cassidy also believes Cregger has found a way to remain faithful to the games without relying on their characters and storylines, writing: "#ResidentEvil may not feature recognizable characters/storylines, but by tapping into the relentless tension of the games, Zach Cregger has actually delivered the most faithful take yet."

He added: “Very bloody, very funny, and it made me jump at least 3 times (no easy task). The fella sitting in front of me hid behind his jacket for most of the movie. Easily among the best video game adaptations I’ve seen.”

Kellvin Chavez, editor-in-chief of SplashReport.com, was equally fired up after seeing the movie. “HOLY SHIT!!! #ResidentEvil has its foot on the gas from the opening scene and NEVER hits the brakes,” Chavez wrote.

“Zach Cregger delivers relentless suspense, gloriously gory action, and some seriously twisted, Thing-esque creature designs. Pure SURVIVAL HORROR and easily the best Resident Evil movie yet. Austin Abrams is terrific.”

Film critic Tristian Circa ‘89 praised the movie’s combination of horror and comedy along with its lead performance.

“It’s just as intense and horrifying as you’d expect a Resident Evil movie to be while integrating some great humorous moments throughout. Austin Abrams plays an everyman in way over his head, but his natural charm makes him a lead worth rooting for.”

Variety’s Jordan Moreau also came away loving the film, writing: “Zach Cregger is the fucking man and #ResidentEvil is one of the best video game adaptions ever made, and one of the best horror movies in recent memory. Incredible title drop, Austin Abrams is hilarious to watch stumble around killing zombies, 10/10.”

The new Resident Evil reunites Cregger with his Weapons star Austin Abrams, who plays a medical courier caught in a zombie outbreak while attempting to make a delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital.

Cregger, who previously directed Barbarian, co-wrote the screenplay with Shay Hatten. The supporting cast includes Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser.

One of the biggest decisions Cregger made was leaving established Resident Evil characters out of the story. Cregger wanted to tell an original story within the Resident Evil universe, a choice that hasn’t gone over well with every longtime fan.

The filmmaker has even admitted he was “naive” to think he could tell a completely new story inside an existing franchise without getting some heat for it.

Having seen the movie, I think that approach works. The characters may be new, but the survival-horror DNA is 100% Resident Evil. More importantly, the movie understands why these games are fun.

You’re constantly waiting for the next horrible thing to show up, and Cregger keeps finding entertaining ways to crank up the pressure.

Hollywood has been trying to crack Resident Evil on the big screen for more than two decades. Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez starred in the original 2002 film, with Jovovich returning for Resident Evil: Apocalypse in 2004, Resident Evil: Extinction in 2007, Resident Evil: Afterlife in 2010, Resident Evil: Retribution in 2012, and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter in 2017.

Johannes Roberts later rebooted the property as writer and director of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in 2021. Across its theatrical history, the movie franchise has grossed more than $1.2 billion worldwide.

Now Cregger gets his shot, and this feels like the Resident Evil movie fans have been waiting to experience in a packed theater.

It’s nasty, funny, tense, bloody, and loaded with some awesome horror. Most importantly, it captures that feeling of playing a really good Resident Evil game where survival always seems one bad decision away from going completely to hell.

Resident Evil opens in theaters September 18 from Sony Pictures.