Who do we think about when we think about Resident Evil protagonists? The iconic Jill Valentine? Boulder-punching hunk Chris Redfield? Top cop twink Leon S. Kennedy? Or Milla Jovovich’s zombie slaying heroine Alice? Whoever might come to mind, they’re probably extremely capable in a zombie uprising-type situation. They’re definitely not Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier thrown into the plot of a Resident Evil game – zombies, mutants and everything.
Directed by Barbarian and Weapons’ Zach Cregger, this reboot returns the franchise to its roots. A creepy old house in the middle of nowhere. A bunch of locked doors. A steadily growing arsenal. There’s even a sewer level. Hapless everyman Bryan might not be your typical Resident Evil protagonist, but Cregger does a great job of realising the player’s experience of being the absolute unluckiest bastard on the face of the Earth. Its setup is simple – Bryan needs to get from Point A to Point B. However, his journey becomes complicated when he accidentally runs over a woman on a desolate country road. From there, the situation continues to snowball out of control as only a night out in Raccoon City can.
Like the best Resident Evil games, this adaptation blends zombie horror with ludicrously over-the-top action. Ammunition is scarce and gunplay is difficult. The enemies keep getting weirder and more overpowered. And there are so many locked doors! At the same time, Bryan notches up enough wins that it doesn’t feel like an entirely hopeless experience, quietly racking up the XP to unlock bigger guns and (slightly) more aptitude in battle. In eschewing the usual cast of cops, soldiers and mercenaries, it’s a different approach than one might have expected – what if an NPC took the lead this time? – but no less faithful to the world of the games. What might prove more divisive is the film’s sense of humour – a streak of “well that just happened” goofballery which will put off many purists.
Still, its less than po-faced approach to the lore leaves Cregger free to unleash all manner of carnage. Like the best of the games’ sequels, it’s a relentless barrage of bad luck and barricades; including a ‘Nemesis/Mr.X’ type creature which just won’t piss off no matter how much ammo you might waste on the thing. Along the way, Cregger and writer Shay Hatten sprinkle in memorable NPC encounters (including Paul Walter Hauser as a doofus named Paul, and Zach Cherry’s Carl), video game Easter Eggs and multiple grisly zombie encounters. It’s perhaps the most accurate video game adaptation ever made… if not necessarily a perfect adaptation of that particular game.
Offering a devious, deranged take on horror gaming’s most hallowed franchise, Cregger has really unlocked something special with Resident Evil.
RESIDENT EVIL is out in UK cinemas now.
