RESIDENT EVIL Star Austin Abrams Breaks Down That Shocking and Tragic Ending

Austin Abrams goes through absolute hell in Resident Evil, but Zach Cregger saves one of the movie’s cruelest surprises for the very end. After spending the film fighting to survive the horrors of Raccoon City, Bryan doesn’t get the heroic escape audiences expected. Instead, his story ends in brutal tragedy.

Abrams plays Bryan, a medical courier sent to Raccoon City with an important delivery. The job quickly turns into a nightmare as he discovers the town has been overrun by horrific creatures. Things get even worse when Bryan is bitten by an infected person and begins changing himself.

His only hope is getting the key component of an antidote delivered in time to save himself. Bryan fights his way toward that goal, but he’s too late. The infection takes over and transforms him into a grotesque monster.

It’s a nasty ending for a character audiences have spent the entire movie following and rooting for, and Abrams told The Hollywood Reporter that he was stunned when he first discovered Bryan’s fate.

“I’ve been living with it for a while now, but I thought it was crazy and shocking when I first read it,” Abrams revealed. “I love that Zach takes those risks. You follow this one guy the whole time, so hopefully you’re enjoying watching him and rooting for him.

“Then to have him not make it is really risky and gutsy, which is what I love about all of Zach’s work. So I was surprised by it, but I also loved that he would take that chance.”

That willingness to let Bryan lose makes the ending hit like a punch to the gut. Abrams appreciates that Cregger doesn’t give the character an easy way out or find some convenient way to soften what happens.

He added, “With a lot of movies nowadays, they’re a little too afraid to do something like that — to kill off a character you really like. And if they do, the blow is softened in some way so it doesn’t hurt too much.

“Whereas a lot of older films don’t do that; they just rip your heart out. We’re here to feel, man. We’re here to go through something. So I’m just appreciative that Zach is willing to take a risk like that.”

What makes Bryan’s fate even more painful is what happens with his girlfriend, Michelle. Earlier in Resident Evil, the two speak several times after Michelle learns she’s pregnant. Bryan clearly isn’t ready to become a father, and their attempts to talk keep getting interrupted as his situation spirals out of control.

By the time Bryan reaches one of his lowest moments, his perspective has changed. He records a voice message for Michelle admitting that he regrets how he reacted and realizes that he actually wants to build a family with her.

“I wouldn’t say he deserved his fate, especially when you see him turn it around toward the end. That’s part of the tragedy of it all. It’s so damn sad when you really think about it,” the actor reflected.

“He leaves this voice note for his girlfriend, and maybe they’ll find his phone and somehow get it to her. But she thinks he doesn’t want to have this baby, when he actually does. He realizes, ‘No, I love her. Having a kid isn’t as scary as I thought, and I want to do it with her.’

“So the fact that she’ll never know that is pretty damn tragic. He changed and got better, but no one will ever know about it. There’s something really beautiful and tragic about that.”

That makes Bryan’s transformation more than a grisly horror movie finish. He finally figures out what he wants and becomes ready to face the future, only to have that future ripped away from him.

The ending also leaves some big questions about where Resident Evil goes from here. Cregger previously said that he plans to move away from franchise movies for the foreseeable future, while Bryan’s fate certainly doesn’t make an Abrams return easy.

Still, Resident Evil has become a major critical and financial success, setting records for the franchise and video game movies. With that kind of reception, it would hardly be surprising to see another trip into the world of Resident Evil, even if Cregger and Abrams aren’t along for the ride.

Bryan may not have survived Raccoon City, but Cregger certainly made sure his ending hurts. What did you think of Bryan’s fate and the ending of Resident Evil?

Source: The Hollywood Reporter