Writer/director Zach Cregger burst onto the mainstream cinematic zeitgeist last year with the surprise hit Weapons that ended up winning an Oscar for its supporting actress. As people anticipated his next film, they were quickly informed they wouldn’t have to wait too long as he was already attached to an established franchise reboot, based on a beloved video game no less. Following up success is always hard, and doing it so quickly is even harder. All eyes look to see if Cregger can succeed.
Resident Evil follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who transports important medical material to hospitals in between trying to work through his relationship and impending pregnancy of his girlfriend Michelle (Sara Paxton). Bryan is tasked with transporting an important package to the midwestern town of Raccoon City in the middle of a snowstorm and hits a woman during a phone argument with Michelle. When a cop pulls him over and helps transport the injured woman to the hospital, things go awry and Bryan must soon fight through a viral outbreak of infected monsters while trying to complete the delivery.
Putting a new twist on a franchise can be daunting, particularly when expectations are high coming off of a career changing win like Cregger had with Weapons, but his decision to provide his own ultimately pays off. What made his first hit such a crowd pleaser was the way that Cregger melds humor and horror in a way that feels natural and engrossing. The filmmaker smartly brings that same sensibility over to Resident Evil, creating a story that maintains the survivalist horror vibe of the source material but breaks up the gore and scares with moments of levity to cut the tension and create a connection between the audience and Bryan. Bryan’s comedic reactions to the insanity he experiences help to make him relatable as he becomes a conduit for the audience, allowing them to imagine how their own reactions would be to having to fight monsters. Like any good horror film, this critically includes moments of yelling at the screen for Bryan or other characters not to do something a viewer telegraphs will inevitably go awry, even though we know they must in order for a horror film to have any tension or conflict. There are numerous comedic moments throughout, but Resident Evil teeters the line just close enough to not be distracting.
The film has plenty of gore and gnarly kills to scratch the horror itch and keep up that side of the bargain as well. The monsters are well designed and utilized and the action scenes create tension well and are well staged.
What doesn’t quite connect is the tension in Bryan’s life represented by his relationship with Michelle and his apprehension over her pregnancy which causes him to confront his readiness to move toward adult responsibility. Bryan’s ordeal in trying to survive the night and the monsters he’s surrounded by is meant to mature him as he faces death and finally make him realize what truly scares him about fatherhood and how ready he is to face his fear. It culminates in a third act voice note he leaves for Michelle in case he doesn’t survive the night. This moment is meant to provide levity and an emotional pull toward the protagonist for the audience, but it doesn’t feel as impactful as it is surely meant to be. I personally attribute this to the minimal amount of time spent with Bryan and Michelle in the film’s tight hour and a half runtime and the fact that the time we do spend with the couple happens entirely over the phone. That human to human, in-person connection would have made the emotional climax of this subplot more impactful.
Resident Evil isn’t a terribly flawed film however, just a solidly entertaining horror survival flick with a good amount of humor mixed in. Alex Abrams’ Bryan is an Everyman who’s easy to root for and the gore and scary moments will satisfy horror fans. The film’s conclusion leaves just enough to leave viewers curious for another installment while the film itself is solid enough to satisfy even without another installment.
Image: Sony Pictures Releasing
