Resident Evil
Director: Zach Cregger
Cast: Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Paul Walter Hauser, and Johnno Wilson
Rating: ★★★★
Resident Evil may just have found the best film in its franchise, and that too, at the hands of a director unwilling to return to the series. If that does not summarise the bittersweet tragedy the games were, then what does? Zach Cregger’s new Resident Evil movie is scary, gory, innovative, and surprisingly funny in an homage to the games that is inspired by the bestselling franchise, but not curtailed by its storyline. And leading it is a delightful Austin Abrams doing much of the heavy lifting himself.
The premise
Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier, finds himself delivering a medical package to Racoon City General Hospital in the middle of the night on snowed-off roads. As he encounters some weirdly infected, almost undead-looking people on his way, he realises that the city has fallen. Two employees of the Umbrella Corporation meet him and tell him a substance has plagued the city, and the package he carries is what scientists need for a cure. His task, now, is to take this package to the top floor of the hospital, only if he can avoid the monsters and creatures that have taken over the city.
A video game brought to life
Resident Evil is the first true horror film in this franchise that has built itself on the genre. The Alice series, starring Milla Jovovich, were creature features that were largely action films. But this Resident Evil brings the monsters to you, with some neatly-placed jumpscares, great creature design, and lots of gore. The horror is very much the backbone of this film.
But it is much more than that. Resident Evil is a video game come to life. At many junctures in the film, director Zach Cregger and DOP Dariusz Wolski choose to shoot over the protagonist’s shoulder, giving us a first-person shooter POV. There are entire action sequences shot from the protagonist’s perspective, giving the viewer a game-like experience without ever feeling gimmicky. Resident Evil is inspired by the game series, but does not always follow its rules or plot. It borrows the setting of Raccoon City and introduces the Umbrella Corporation, but changes a few aspects without disrespecting the original subject matter or diluting the intensity a bit. It is an audacious adaptation that keeps the essence of the games alive, while creating an all-new film. Cregger deserves credit for creating something new and fresh despite the limitations of working with an IP.
Surprisingly funny
The real win for Resident Evil is the irreverent tone it takes, taking jibes at everything from the horror genre to video games in general, without ever mocking them. First-person shooter games often have wisecracking protagonists, and Austin Abrams’ Bryan is an extension of many of them, again keeping the games’ essence alive. But what distinguishes him is his sheer incompetence. He is just a medical courier. He finds guns, but doesn’t know how to use them. He reaches safety, but needs to try something different, putting himself in trouble. And all through that, he keeps muttering to himself, delivering some of the best comic moments of the film. The not-so-macho protagonist not only elevates the stakes but also makes the film more relatable, almost like a messed-up lived-in experience.
The Austin Abrams show
To bring that relatability out, Austin Abrams has put forth his A-game. The film is almost 90% him. There are almost no scenes in which he isn’t present. He shoulders a huge responsibility and pulls it off with panache, style, vulnerability, and loads of sass. The young actor hardly ever puts a foot wrong, delivering straight lines with impeccable comic timing, shouldering physical action scenes, and even allowing the viewer to feel his fear and vulnerability. It is the kind of performance that elevates this horror from a fun watch to something that shouldn’t be missed.
The verdict
Resident Evil is, hands down, the best film in the franchise. If it wasn’t for the abundance of great horror recently, it would be a contender for the best horror film of the year, but it certainly is in conversation. But rankings aside, Zach Cregger’s genre-bending film manages to do something that few films can – bring something fresh to an oversaturated film screen.