Sometimes, if you’re going to reboot a beloved franchise you have to start small. I think director Zach Cregger knew deep down that the deck was stacked against him. I mean, how can you possibly make a Resident Evil movie without Milla Jovovich? Remember Welcome to Raccoon City? Didn’t think so.
Here’s how you crack the code: Make people sort of forget you’re watching a Resident Evil movie. Follow an immensely likable (if a bit squirrelly) guy named Bryan (Austin Abrams) as he makes his way to deliver a package to a hospital. Have some very bad things happen to him in rapid succession. Then… BAM! Right when the shit starts to hit the fan, splash the Resident Evil title up on the screen. In fact, the pre-title sequence is some of the best horror shit you’ll see all year.
And the movie is just getting started.
The way the film escalates is one of its many joys. From one crazy infected woman to a squid-faced dog to a Baron Harkonnen-inspired fatty to an acid spewing grandpa, Cregger deftly keeps upping the ante. He sends Bryan out of the frying pan and into the fire with skill, scares, and plenty of humor to spare. This is one helluva rollercoaster.
I didn’t like Cregger’s previous films Barbarian and Weapons, but there was enough there in both pictures that suggested he had potential. He really shows us what he’s got in Resident Evil. Cregger blends horror and humor the way guys like Raimi and Dekker did back in the ‘80s.
He even embraces the confines of a video game movie better than just about anyone. While not a strict adaptation of the game, the way Abrams looks for keys and ammunition feels very much like a video game. Even the first-person sequences are well done mostly, because they occur organically in the film and creep in almost subliminally.
The movie really belongs to Adams. The Oscar race starts now. If Cregger got Amy Madigan an Oscar for Weapons, he can get one for Abrams. He is very nearly the whole show as his reactions are downright hysterical, mostly because they feel genuine. He never gets “movie scared”. He acts scared the same way you and I would: Screeching, jumping, cursing, and sometimes just walking away muttering under his breath. (“Stupid fucking monster.”) This is a performance that stacks up there with Bruce Campbell in the Evil Dead movies, but with a style all his own. I mean some people just shouldn’t have to go through what this poor dope goes through. Because he’s so likable, the audience’s empathy is squarely with Abrams and we root him on even in the face of certain disgusting, pulsating, slobbery death.
Resident Evil is a treat. It’s a goddamn horror fan’s delight. It’s the best movie based on a video game of all time. Check it out ASAP.
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