Resident Evil [2026] – Movie Review (4/5)

RESIDENT EVIL (2026) is Zach Cregger’s reimagining of the iconic horror video game. The result is a brutal, fierce, funny, crazy, and intense horror movie. Austin Abrams is the perfect anti-hero with a heart of gold in the all-important lead. Expect a relentless pace that packs a deliciously disgusting punch. Read our full Resident Evil 2026 movie review here!

RESIDENT EVIL (2026) is back with a brand-new take on the PlayStation horror video game adaptation. As much as I have adored Milla Jovovich as the fierce Alice in the Resident Evil franchise, this 2026 movie truly is a whole new ballgame. One I want to keep watching, so I do hope we’ll get more stories from this universe.

I love that this seems to be the feeling I’m left with whenever I’ve watched a Zach Cregger movie: I loved it, now give me more!

For the record, yes, filmmaker Zach Cregger has played the video game. Many times. And, yes, I do also think it comes across in various ways (great and small) that should please fans of the game. However, anyone unfamiliar with the PlayStation game can still easily enjoy this as a brilliant horror movie.

With its runtime of just around an hour and a half, you can expect virtually non-stop and relentless action. Forget all about bathroom breaks. I assure you that the second you think there’s a “lull” in the storytelling, what you should do is get ready for the next big thing. Speaking of “big”, there are some extremely impressive monsters in this one. Including rather brilliant animatronics and a lot of blood and slime… and teeth… and tentacles.

Continue reading our Resident Evil 2026 movie review below. Find it in theaters from September 18, 2026.

Get scared… then fear what comes next!

What worked so brilliantly for me with this 2026 Resident Evil reimagining is the relentless scares and craziness. If you’ve played the game, you’ll know that feeling of getting scared, but what may be even worse is that you fear what comes next. Sure, you overcome one thing. However, that just means it’s time to be afraid of whatever is lurking in the next building. Or behind that door a few feet away.

That’s the experience of a very unfortunate medical courier. He was actually done for the night, but the promise of one last run that pays double lures him right back. The package is to be delivered to a remote hospital in Raccoon City. This means a fairly long car ride, which would be okay if it wasn’t also winter, and he now has to head into the mountains.

Fortunately, Bryan (Austin Abrams) is as dedicated as he is hapless. A true anti-hero who wants to do good, but seems to be perpetually haunted by Murphy’s Law. Whatever can go wrong for poor courier Bryan absolutely will.

As annoyed as you may get with Bryan, I expect most will also recognize the type. He’s a kind idiot who wants to do the right thing, but may not go about it the best way. In many cases, I found myself thinking, “Just go, run in the opposite direction”, but that’s because I know this is a Resident Evil movie. Bryan just knows he has a job, and that he wants to do the right thing.

A great cast in even the smallest roles

While Bryan is the main character in Resident Evil, he will meet quite a few people before the day is over. As a result, so will we. And when I say “people”, this isn’t really accurate. They were people, but now they’re something else entirely. So is everything else that has come into contact with a little something that escaped a lab run by the Umbrella Corporation.

Among the other characters Bryan comes across, we find some amazing actors. Truly, we’re talking award-winning actors, whose faces you will recognize. From Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird) to Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country) and Zach Cherry (Severance), these characters won’t get much screen time as the focus is always on Austin Abrams’ Bryan.

In the lead, Austin Abrams gets to show pure dread, excellent (if sometimes lucky) survival skills, perfect comedic timing, and a high-pitched shriek that feels very organic. For the record, as the story evolves and escalates in ever more dreadful ways, that shriek can work as either comedy relief or pure horror!

Overall, the result of this cast, great effects, and a simple storyline told at a fierce and breathtaking pace makes for a brutal, fierce, funny, crazy, and intense horror movie.

Watch the 2026 Resident Evil in theaters

As already mentioned, I am more than ready for more Resident Evil from filmmaker Zach Cregger, who directs and co-wrote the screenplay. The other writer is Shay Hatten, who previously wrote on John Wick 3 & 4, and zombie movies Day Shift (2022) and Army of the Dead (2021). He also wrote the two Rebel Moon movies. Clearly, he just needs the right partner (and director) to deliver a success.

Just like the two previous horror movies by Zach Cregger, Barbarian and Weapons, he has created a universe where I feel a need to know more. We’re getting an Aunt Gladys movie to expand the universe of Weapons. Why not more Resident Evil? I mean, there’s a franchise full of movies as proof. There was even a Netflix series, though that didn’t fare well. I understand why, as it wasn’t very good.

In the case of this Resident Evil reimagining (or reboot, though that isn’t accurate), filmmaker Zach Cregger could easily apply his multiple-angle approach from Weapons. A great way to stay in this exact universe. With such amazing talent cast in rather small roles, I think (and hope) that maybe this is already an idea that has been floated.

MORE AUSTIN ABRAMS SURVIVAL…

Also, look out for Austin Abrams in the upcoming October-release Whalefall (2026). Apparently, trying to survive seemingly insurmountable ordeals is the theme for movies starring Austin Abrams in 2026.

For Resident Evil 2026, I cannot give enough credit to Austin Abrams (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark) for his portrayal of medical courier Bryan. As much as he is a sweet guy, he is also an idiot. Fortunately, that just makes for a remarkably relatable (and strangely familiar) lead character. Also, he swears even more than I do, which is no small feat.

Bryan is the kind of person who has played a lot of video games and now desperately hopes that it can help him survive this ordeal. Check out the Resident Evil 2026 movie to see if he succeeds.

Resident Evil (2026) is out in theaters on September 18, 2026.

Details

Director: Zach Cregger
Screenwriters: Zach Cregger, Shay Hatten
Stars: Austin Abrams, Paul Walter Hauser, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis