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3 hours ago

7 min read

RESIDENT EVIL (15)

Director: Zach Cregger

Screenplay: Zach Cregger, Shay Hatten

Starring: Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis

Running time: 94 minutes

Cinema

Review: David Stephens

How many times can a horror franchise be rebooted? Trick question, as the answer is obviously an infinite number of times, as long as the studio heads smell the sweet aroma of moolah and ‘ker-ching’ at the box office. The Resident Evil film franchise is a curious case, as the original attempt at creating a film cycle was a surprising financial success. Running from 2002 until 2017, it consisted of six films starring Milla Jovovich, most of which were directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. They were bombastic guilty pleasures that had relatively little to do with the games and established lore but were packed with OTT sequences that showcased Jovovich’s action credentials rather than video game sensibilities. Sure, they occasionally shoehorned in a well-known character, such as Jill Valentine or Albert Wesker. They even did some very effective representations of classic game bosses such as the Nemesis or the Licker. But video game fans bristled at the lack of faithfulness to the games and scenarios, so when The Final Chapter came and went in 2017, it seemed like a good time to get back to the gaming roots. So, Welcome to Raccoon City came out in 2021 and adhered very closely to the narrative of the Resident Evil 2 game. And guess what? It crashed harder than an Acme anvil, and very few people liked it. Never assume the fans want what they say they ‘want’. So, what to do? Getting some fresh blood and innovation into the mix sounds like a good shot. Zach Cregger was the surprising choice for the task, especially after Barbarian and the award-winning Weapons. After the inevitable online grumblings about the apparent lack of previously pixelated personas, it’s now here… and has had almost universally positive feedback from critics, being currently at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes! Will wonders never cease! Time to see for ourselves and press ‘start’ to play…

Bryan (winningly played by Austin Abrams) is your average Schmoe, and he’s just found out his girlfriend is pregnant (Michelle, voiced by Cregger regular Sara Paxton). He’s a busy medical courier, has dropped off his final organ of the day (no thanks to the rude hospital staff), and is intending to return home. However, due to an unlucky twist of fate, he’s chosen to deliver one last package to Raccoon City, a distant metropolis in snowier climes. Reluctant to miss out on the lucrative fee, he takes the job and is soon sliding about on icy roads in frost-covered woodlands. As expected, things start to go wrong pretty quickly. He hits a woman who runs out in front of the car and tries to do the right thing by giving her a lift to the nearest hospital. But there’s “something” wrong with her, and things start to get weird. He finds himself suddenly fighting for survival and besieged by running corpses and mutated entities. The closer he gets to Raccoon City, the more intense it gets. Luckily, he finds some firearms to help defend himself, and even forages ammo from desk drawers, although some areas are sealed off with padlocks (*Veteran gamers start to nod sagely and give thumbs-ups*). It’s a pity that he’s so unfamiliar with guns and keeps dropping things from his inventory. Nevertheless, he has to get to the city and suddenly becomes the most important character in the vicinity. Will he get a “good ending”, though?

The most surprising thing about this version of Resident Evil is that, without the need to shoehorn in origin stories and legacy game characters, it’s the closest that someone has come to capturing the frantic nature and aesthetics of the gaming franchise in an accessible and truly cinematic format. Cregger has been trolled online for failing to include Leon Kennedy and archetypal “zombies” (a word which is never uttered in the film BTW). In fact, that experience has potentially turned him off future entries and other franchise work (*rolls eyes at the fan community*) according to recent interviews, which is a damned shame if that sticks. But truth be told, this is an excellent and pacy romp that really delivers. This lands whether you are unaware of the existing lore or someone who gets all the subtle nods throughout the story. As such, Cregger nails key moments that mirror the first actions of a newbie player (which Bryan represents) as he finds a pistol, then a shotgun, then a machine gun. Not only that, but he has to hunt for ammo in cupboards and lockers. He works through multiple locations, having to avoid monsters, solve ‘puzzles’, and make his way to the next ‘chapter’. If that sounds like a dumb attempt to emulate gaming, it really isn’t. It works as a flowing story and exists to entertain in the goriest fashion possible.

If anything, RE feels closer to Evil Dead 2 or The Thing than a straight-up video game adaptation. If that last comparison seems weird, just wait until you experience the snowy locations, hear the Ennio Morricone-inspired score (actually from Hays and Ryan Holladay, who also supplied the soundtrack for “Weapons), and see the fleshy mutations that swamp Bryan’s progress. The game's logistics are realised visually in ways that are imaginative and non-intrusive to those viewers who couldn’t give a toss about such things. There are plenty of sequences shot over-the-shoulder style reminiscent of some of the best Resi games, as well as some creepy first-person-perspective moments that are surprisingly tense and mirror the more recent games. And when Bryan and another character watch enforcer Maxine (Kali Reis from True Detective) take out multiple zombies, they express admiration for the way she does it, a bit like watching an expert player do a speedrun. But enough of the game nods.

It helps that Cregger’s offbeat sense of humour, seen in his two earlier films, carries over here. Despite the fact that he has previously stated that he removed much of the humour after test screenings, there’s still plenty of it here, and it has more of an irreverent and wacky feel to it than is maybe expected. Abrams makes for an endearing lead and has an f-bomb for every occasion, muttering strings of obscenities as he encounters one obstacle after another. But it’s a neat touch that he is an ‘everyman’, and not a cop or a military professional. He is a klutz, to be frank, and at one point accurately exclaims “Goddamnit! I fucking suck at guns!!” as he misses another target. He gets better, though, and he has to consistently check the number of bullets in his magazine (another neat throwback to the games). RE isn’t as deep or have the social commentary of Weapons, as it’s first and foremost an uncomplicated romp with (literal) guts. However, if there is a theme (or moral lesson, listen up kids) to the proceedings, it is the classic one of “Be Kind”. Bryan is treated like shit by pretty much everyone he meets, and some situations would have a much happier outcome if people didn’t behave like douche bags. In comparison, Bryan is always trying to do the right thing. He tries to assist the woman he hits by accident, he doesn’t lie to the cop, and he tries to save the innocent virus victims he comes across. There’s even some touching pathos as he tries to contact his pregnant girlfriend. Be more like Bryan.

Having said that, there are some tense and comic sequences that are wrung out of the escalating situations, especially when ‘our hero’ reacts in realistic ways. There’s a great subversive moment where he tries to retrieve some keys from a body, and his attempt to calm down a dog ends in one of the best jump scares in the movie. And yes, along with the screwball moments, there are some genuinely creepy sequences and crazy gore scenes. The whole sequence in the farmhouse is great, as is the elevator journey, and the ‘boss’ entity that pursues Bryan throughout the later scenes. Also watch out for the mad ‘falling zombies’, rat-guy in the sewer, and the barfing patient in the hospital. There is a final mutation at the climax which is a direct visual reference to a central character in the Resident Evil 2 game, which is magnificent and provides a classic monster movie moment in the style of King Kong or Godzilla. Good stuff.

Suffice to say, as expected, Cregger doesn’t skimp on the blood and gore. Extreme close-ups of exploding heads (and the wounds afterwards), along with fleshy mutations and grim ghouls, fill the screen at all times. But even with the multi-limbed monstrosities on view, he still drops in some fine Lovecraftian moments, with unseen horrors in the darkness, and disturbing ‘things’ that linger in the memory. The trip through the Maternity Ward holds at least one of the moments, as does the unsettling discovery in the camper van. All credit to Abrams as well, who carries all of the film on his back and only interacts briefly with some members of the cast, providing a heart for all the mad happenings and someone you can feel empathy for. Opinions are divided on the ending, but it gives off a pleasing air of DGAF which runs through the centre of the plot, and you have to love that final image. It is admittedly a relatively lightweight romp, and it’s unlikely to have the staying power of Weapons (or this year’s Obsession), but it understands the assignment and puts the franchise back on an interesting track (not to mention a financially profitable one). So, we’ll ‘Res-see’ where it goes from here.

It’s already been said by plenty of critics, but this is the best way to make a successful film based on a horror video game. It might upset purists, but for everybody else, this is an extremely fun, funny, and scary romp that takes no prisoners. Plenty of invention and tension, with tons of aesthetic callbacks to the classic games. It might not be the best horror of the year, but you’ll love the journey, and you won’t press ‘pause’.