‘Resident Evil’ Review: A Masterful Adaptation | Fantastic Fest 2026
Resident Evil does not follow the video game’s exact plotline. This has been a frequent complaint among many people online. While that’s true, none of Paul W. S. Anderson’s movies followed the exact plotline. For the most part, almost none of the movies follow the story, and the only one that came close flopped two years ago. So what is a filmmaker to do? Zach Cregger’s new adaptation of Resident Evil embraces the concept of adaptation.
Cregger’s film takes bits and pieces of what made the video game great and creates something that almost feels adjacent to the game. I have played Resident Evil 1 and 2. It would be terrific if somebody did a 100% service to the game. But this is the closest I felt as a kid in the late 90s to engaging with terrifying moments on my PlayStation. Here are our thoughts on the new film after of a screening at Fantastic Fest 2026.
What is the new Resident Evil film about?
The film, written by Cregger and Shay Hatten, follows a simple storyline centered on a courier named Bryan (Austin Abrams). At the start, Bryan is just trying to get a hospital worker to sign for his package so he can head home. From what it seems, Bryan is a trusted courier for sensitive medical materials.
As he tries to clock out, a doctor offers him double the pay to transport one more package. Hesitantly, he accepts, but from here on, nothing goes according to plan, starting with a strange woman who steps right in front of his vehicle during transport.
There have been nitpicks about the winter setting, but honestly, it adds to the isolated atmosphere. Especially after Bryan hits the strange woman. From then on, the tone expertly balances horror with situational comedy. Bryan tries to help the stranger, and when he gets the injured lady into his vehicle, he is hilariously oblivious to the fact that she keeps looking at him like a snack. At one point, her attempts to have Bryan for lunch make him swerve, causing a highway patrolman to pull him over, yet he is still oblivious that she was trying to snack on him.
Once the patrolman is involved, things escalate. The officer helps the lady into his vehicle, tells Bryan to follow him to the hospital, but before they can get there, the patrolman’s vehicle flips. When Bryan tries to see what occurred, the strange, bloody lady starts aggressively chasing him. At this point, Bryan knows something is definitely wrong with his night. And running from a sick and violent stranger in the blistering snow is only the beginning.
Zach Cregger pulls from the source in surprising ways
The film then becomes a race from one place to another as he tries to get himself and the package to its destination. Along the way, Cregger incorporates monstrous details from the game, but they never reveal themselves as you might expect. For example, one sequence inside an RV left our audience gasping and laughing nervously from the shock. It plays similarly to the dog reveal in the trailer, only so much worse.
Of all the Resident Evil films, this one is the most visually pleasing. Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski (Dark City, Crimson Tide) creates beautiful sequences of dread using light and shadow. One of the best moments is Bryan inside an upside-down patrol car with the red and blue lights still flickering. Something about the way the red and blue flashes across the scene makes the flickering feel violent.
Wolski also utilizes first-person perspectives in various moments of Bryan holding a gun. It never feels like a baffling or pandering choice, as it did in the dreadful Doom adaptation. In fact, the photography cuts to this perspective only intermittently, so the style doesn’t overstay its welcome. Still, it’s one of the few films that captures that anxiety of walking around inside the game. There is a sequence inside a dark tunnel that recaptures that feeling so well. And with all the horrific detail, the movie still manages to be funny.
Resident Evil (2026) film rating and final thoughts
Resident Evil is a masterful adaptation. More than anyone, the biggest praise needs to be lobbied to Austin Abrams for delivering such a terrific and humorous performance. Most of the movie uses relatable situational comedy to offset the terror, and Abrams is absolutely unafraid to go for it in every scene. It might be a weird comparison, but it reminded me of Bryan Cranston’s hilarious, panicky performance as Hal in Malcolm in the Middle.
The writing serves the character as well, with Cregger and Hatten always allowing for the realistic choice to unfold. Even when Byan makes a massively stupid mistake, it’s reasonable to assume we might do the same.
Overall, Resident Evil is a terrific example of how to adapt a video game into a movie—extremely thrilling, with pretty cool creature designs and hysterically funny moments. The movie also makes some wildly bold decisions and ends on a rather ambitious note. No, it’s not a slavish adaptation of the source, but this is a win for video games and the potential future of seeing them realized on the big screen.
Also check out: Fantastic Fest 2026: Our 8 Most Anticipated Films
