Resident Evil Reboot Delivers Jet-Fueled Horror With Austin Abrams
Zach Cregger's new adaptation of the Capcom games hits theaters September 18, blending tension, dark comedy, and a breakout lead performance into a brisk 95-minute thrill ride.
Zach Cregger's new adaptation of the Resident Evil games arrives in theaters on September 18, and it brings a distinctly different energy to the long-running franchise. Rather than attempting a faithful recreation of the Capcom games' plotlines, the film captures their spirit — the feeling of being outmatched, outnumbered, and surrounded by grotesque mutations — and channels it into a brisk, 95-minute horror experience that moves with serious momentum.
The story follows Bryan, a medical courier played by Austin Abrams, who accepts a last-minute assignment to deliver a high-priority package through the mountains to Raccoon City General Hospital. The first zombie appears less than ten minutes after that setup, and from there the film rarely lets up, placing its protagonist in a series of nightmarish scenarios he is profoundly ill-equipped to handle. Cregger, who has become known for his dark comedic streak, uses that unpredictability to keep audiences guessing whether any given moment of tension will resolve into a laugh or a scare.
That balance is central to what makes the film work. The humor never feels like it comes at the franchise's expense; instead, it leans into the campy nature of Resident Evil's pedigree in a way that serves the material. The film's world-shaking stakes — the Raccoon City incident unfolding in the background — are offset by Bryan's very human reactions to tentacle monsters erupting from unexpected places. Abrams, who previously stole scenes in Weapons, carries long stretches of the movie as the only human actor on screen, narrating his way through chaotic situations while also landing comedic beats. His performance is more skillful than the character's simplicity initially suggests, grounding the film's frenetic energy in something relatable.
Bryan is deliberately not cut from the action-hero mold of Leon Kennedy or Chris Redfield. He is an everyman trying to earn some extra cash while navigating high-stakes relationship issues with his offscreen girlfriend, Michelle. Those anxieties give the character a modest arc and add dimension to later encounters, even if the film does not push that emotional thread as far as it could. The supporting cast, including Paul Walter Hauser as an Umbrella Corporation functionary, gets little screen time beyond brief exposition, though no one turns in a bad performance — there simply is not much room for anyone else to shine.
The real stars, as in any Resident Evil story, are the infected. The t-Virus mutates human tissue rapidly, and while traditional zombies appear, they are as disposable here as they are in the games. It is the more creative, nightmarish mutants — creatures that have evolved past the vanilla zombie stage — that keep the film moving. By the time the second infected creature appears, it becomes clear that nothing breathing can be trusted not to erupt into a mess of whipping appendages and eyeballs.
Where the film stumbles is in its handful of meta jokes about its video game heritage, which land as dated and hollow. Otherwise, Cregger demonstrates a strong understanding of how to adapt a game into a movie in a way that serves both mediums, even when that means subverting expectations. The result is an adaptation that amplifies classic gameplay moments into horror movie beats without reducing itself to simple fan service.
For skeptics unsure whether another Resident Evil movie can offer anything new, the recommendation is to set those expectations aside. What Cregger delivers is a jet-fueled horror experience with room for tension, genuine laughs, and a strong central performance — one that understands the franchise's essence without being enslaved to its specifics.
