Review: Resident Evil (2026)

I want to like this movie more than I do.

I believe in the adage of 'the characters don't know what genre of movie they are in' and try not to go too hard against 'dumb decisions' made by the characters (I doubt I would be clear headed under pressure) but this movie stretched me to the limit of what I will allow a horror movie character to get away with.  Because Bryan (Austin Abrams), our protagonist for this entry, very quickly knows what sort of genre he is in and still makes many, many, many bad choices.

Despite this, the movie is a fun time, it's just one that consistently frustrates me because director Zach Cregger, co-writing with Shay Hatten, could very easily have made small changes to fix the issues with the film.  Stop having Bryan stare, dumbfounded, at the various monsters and maybe have him react?  Or even better, have him oblivious to some of it until the moment the action starts.  It's like watching someone who can hit a home run instead settle for a double.

And rest assured, the bad decisions are not limited to Bryan - every character in this makes poor decisions counter to their knowledge of what is going on, save one.  That one remaining still makes bad decisions, but at least they have no idea what is going on when they make said decisions.

Which is a bummer, because there is quite a bit to enjoy with this entry.  The humor, for the most part, is spot on.  It goes on slightly too long and makes for some awkward moments later in the movie, but I'd definitely say it is a strength.  The acting is also pretty strong across the board, though a good 80% of it falls on Abrams.

Several of the action set pieces are also well done, with Creggar staging some interesting sequences.  He also manages tension very well, with a tunnel scene keeping the audience on the edge of their seats without doing anything other than showing a dimly lit section.  The goods are there, just frequently missing better characters.

Would I recommend it?  Certainly.  Even with my complaints, I'd say this is easily amongst the best this series has to offer, but it might leave some frustrated at the potential greatness it toyed with.

6 out of 10