Zach Cregger's 'Resident Evil' Puts a Lean, Mean Spin on the Iconic Horror Franchise | Review

Published Sep 16, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT

Carly Lane is an Atlanta-based writer and critic who has been with Collider in some form or fashion since 2021. She considers herself a television nerd, diehard romance/sci-fi/fantasy reader, and nascent horror lover. Her fondness of books is only eclipsed by the towering TBR that her shelves can't possibly contain.

She is the author of A REGENCY GUIDE TO MODERN LIFE: 1800s ADVICE ON 21ST CENTURY LOVE, FRIENDS, FUN AND MORE, published through DK Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House) and currently available wherever books are sold.

With remakes and reboots serving as one of the cornerstones of modern filmmaking these days, the biggest question that any new reinterpretation faces is whether it can successfully justify its own existence. Simultaneously, any iconic, long-running franchise usually has more than one remake or reboot under its belt, so any creator bold enough to take their own shot needs to break new narrative ground, rather than deliver a variation on a story fans have seen countless times before. Resident Evil, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has only expanded its world since the release of its first game and represents a hefty challenge for anyone looking to tackle an adaptation. Enter writer and director Zach Cregger (Barbarian, Weapons), who became attached to Constantin Film's attempt to re-reboot the franchise's movie arm back in January 2025 and whose plans for a standalone story set in the world of the games were met by fans with cautious optimism.

It turns out that the way to adapt Resident Evil in 2026 isn't to swing for the fences; it's to go for a more stripped-down version. Alongside co-writer Shay Hatten (John Wick), Cregger smartly narrows the film's focus to the trials and tribulations of an everyman protagonist, endearingly played by Austin Abrams, as he navigates an increasingly hostile landscape both in and around Raccoon City. Clocking in at 90 minutes, Cregger's Resident Evil puts a lean, mean spin on an iconic horror franchise that's only poised to keep getting bigger, with a story that sits within the margins of the existing games while still giving fun, clever nods to its source material.

What Is Zach Cregger's 'Resident Evil' About?

When Resident Evil begins, Abrams' Bryan, a medical courier who has completed his latest delivery for the day, is trying to find someone to sign for the organ he's just dropped off at a local hospital while also fielding a sensitive call from his girlfriend, Michelle. He's minutes away from wrapping up work when a doctor flags him down for a delivery, one that Bryan initially refuses. His car isn't equipped for driving in the increasingly snowy weather, he's not wearing nearly enough layers, and he'll have to drive much further out of his usual delivery zone — all the way to Raccoon City Hospital, in fact, where the staff is anxiously awaiting whatever's in this green medical travel cooler. But when he finds out that the job will pay double, he jumps at the chance to earn a little more money.

On the road, things are already getting slippery and Bryan's losing cell service, but the situation rapidly goes sideways when he accidentally hits a woman with his car. Like any good citizen, his first instinct is to help, even though she's bleeding all over the passenger seat and keeps awkwardly trying to touch his face. When local sheriff Max (Johnno Wilson) pulls him over, Bryan's just as concerned about getting the woman medical help as he is about completing his delivery, but it probably won't surprise you that things don't go according to plan. As Bryan struggles to reach Raccoon City, meeting increasingly disturbing threats along the way, he's forced to fight for survival however he can, picking up any weapon that may give him an advantage against an outbreak that is rapidly spreading beyond its original confines.

Austin Abrams Is Fantastic as 'Resident Evil's Lead

It's no exaggeration to say that Cregger's very concept for Resident Evil lives and dies on the shoulders of its lead, and in that sense, Austin Abrams is the perfect protagonist for this reboot. Perpetually ill-equipped but still somehow likable, Bryan quickly becomes a character that you both enjoy watching explore his constantly-worsening circumstances and ultimately hope will succeed. That's in large part due to Abrams' performance. Much of what makes him such a compelling lead is the fact that he feels both human and relatable; he's forced to compartmentalize his fear, constantly rationalizing what he's just witnessed, even as his personal threshold for weird and disturbing continues to evolve. Bryan might recoil when he notices someone with a minor laceration in the ER, but by the time the infected are jumping off of rooftops and splattering on the street below, he knows he just has to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Those familiar with Cregger's past work — not just in horror but also in the realm of comedy — know that his latest film offerings have always struck a balance between jump-scares and jokes, and that remains true here. As you watch, it's hard to believe that Cregger scrapped even more humor from his initial cut of the movie following early test screenings, but what remains consistent about this final version is the director's ability to deploy comedy at exactly the right moment. The tension is building, you're anticipating a fright of some kind, and then a joke drops instead — only for the terror to come while your guard is already down, leaving you even more defenseless against the scare. It's a variation of what Cregger previously perfected in Weapons, and most often, it's Abrams who is at the center of it, skillfully anchoring the film's most unsettling and most hilarious moments.

'Resident Evil's Stripped-Down Approach Mostly Works

Image via Columbia Pictures

Surprisingly, Cregger's Resident Evil thrives the most when Abrams is the only one onscreen — driving down a remote road, searching a farmhouse for bullets, or leaving an emotional voicemail for Michelle after their original call gets disconnected. There are even several stretches where the only dialogue is Bryan talking to himself, giving himself a pep talk to vault over an electric fence or complaining about wet socks. In that same vein, the first half of the film itself is also its most visually exciting, thanks to Cregger and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski, with most early scenes playing out in the dead of a winter night, with the moon overhead or a rotating police light as the only source of illumination.

By the time the story progresses to Raccoon City and more characters enter the story, it's hard not to feel like those additional presences take something away from the film's original magic — especially since some of them are written more like NPCs designed solely to provide exposition. Resident Evil does start to lose some of its initial luster in the third act, and though it still devotes time to Bryan facing off with various "monsters" (as he calls them) on his own, the pivot from rich lighting and contrasting colors to a stark white room comes off as more of a mandatory cutscene to sit through than anything very thrilling to look at.

Yet when Resident Evil works, it really works. The longer you watch, the more you have the sense that Cregger wants to subtly mimic the experience of playing the games not as a major character, but as an ordinary person with no special abilities or real prowess with guns. Several scenes speak to that intention without coming across as trying to dig an elbow into any gamer's side, with more than one instance of the camera being mounted for a shot that directly calls back to classic first-person perspective — but that doesn't mean there aren't Easter eggs for viewers with even the most casual knowledge of Resident Evil lore. While all of it builds to an ending that will no doubt generate mixed reactions, what sticks is the tense, gripping, and fun journey Cregger's reboot takes you on. In many ways, this film's peripheral narrative could — and maybe should — dictate a new roadmap for the future of Resident Evil on the big screen, with standalone stories and new characters that continue to build out one of the most iconic horror franchises out there.

Resident Evil premieres in theaters on Friday, September 18.

Cast

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  Bryan

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  Carl

Bryan, a medical courier, heads to Raccoon City General Hospital for what should be an ordinary delivery. His mission turns dangerous when an undead outbreak erupts and traps him in a terrifying night of chaos. 

Pros & Cons

• Austin Abrams is a fantastic lead as everyman courier Bryan, and it's a joy to watch him navigate increasingly horrific situations.
• The film seeds in just enough nods to the games without trying to hit you over the head with Easter eggs.
• Cregger's expert juggling act of horror and comedy is on full display here.

• Some supporting characters only feel included to supply the necessary exposition.
• The film's third act isn't quite as strong as its beginning.