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Resident Evil movie review – the best video game adaptation of playing a video game
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil film succeeds by capturing the panic, mistakes and accidental bravery of actually playing a horror game, rather than presenting gaming as a straightforward power fantasy. It follows Bryan, an ordinary medical courier caught in Raccoon City’s T-virus outbreak, through a fast-moving series of familiar locations, enemies and set-pieces. The review argues that the film’s playful understanding of Resident Evil’s campy tone makes it an unusually entertaining video-game adaptation.
The film is structured much like a game, moving from exploration and ammunition-hunting to enemy encounters, set-pieces and boss fights, largely in real time. Austin Abrams is praised for making Bryan likeable as he nervously swears, panics and blunders forwards, while Cregger balances genuine tension with slapstick and gross-out comedy. Although the plot is deliberately thin, the review says the film’s horror-comedy rhythm, running jokes and strong central performance give it energy, with comparisons to Sam Raimi’s work.
In short
- Captures the chaotic reality of playing a horror video game.
- Bryan bumbles through Raccoon City’s T-virus outbreak.
- Campy horror-comedy makes this adaptation unusually enjoyable.
Explained simply
Resident Evil began as a series of survival horror video games from Japanese company Capcom. The games are set in a world where outbreaks of the T-virus turn people and animals into dangerous creatures, and characters try to survive with limited supplies.
The story centres on Raccoon City, a fictional place repeatedly linked to the virus outbreak. The series has also inspired films and other adaptations, which have taken different approaches to its mixture of horror, action and dark humour.
Zach Cregger’s film follows Bryan, a medical courier caught up in the outbreak. Knowing the games’ focus on exploration, scarce ammunition and sudden encounters helps explain why the film’s pacing and familiar locations matter to the review.
Entertainment Film Gaming Horror