Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil Was A Great Horror Film, But Is It Really Resident Evil?

With sterling reviews from reputable platforms, you may be stumbling upon this Resident Evil 2026 review with a raised eyebrow. That’s understandable, but hear me out.

The day I watched the Resident Evil 2026 film was a planned cheat day. I had to enjoy it with fast food I’ve never eaten for a very long time in my new regimented and very active lifestyle. Yup, it’s very special to me.

RE 2026 was a brilliant apocalyptic film from the point of view of a regular delivery man in today’s reality. Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, is someone who’s just doing his job. He makes sure the package arrives intact, despite the deadly adventure he has to go through.

But at the end, I had a realization, and it’s not about the character’s fate.

It’s more about: Is this really a Resident Evil film?

You might hate me for not doing my homework, but as soon as the story ended at that blown-up lab facility, I had these questions typed quickly into my phone’s Google browser:

Does the Resident Evil 2026 film have post-credit scenes?

None? Fine.

I should have checked so I would be first to leave the cinema as soon as the story has ended—next question.

Is Resident Evil 2026 canon or related to the franchise? Did it have Capcom’s blessing?

Surprisingly, it is. They are even considering this film a reboot of the Resident Evil film series that slumped in reviews.

Speaking of which, how did Resident Evil 2026 fare versus the old Resident Evil films starring Milla Jovovich?

Resident Evil 2026 is a brilliant survival horror film. The jump scares are the best I’ve had in years. I didn’t scream like a five-year-old, but I did spill my popcorn. However, somewhere in the film, I had to remind myself that I am watching Resident Evil and I have to expect something that unfortunately didn’t come.

All the great strokes were there, but I was confused about whether I would hit a climax.

The action-packed Resident Evil series that starred Milla Jovovich had terrible quality and cheesy moments. The slow-mos that should have been epic were actually a letdown. But I had no problem with their movies being Resident Evil. They are indeed films from my beloved game from childhood. I adore the characters. I enjoyed the terror, but while growing up, I knew they all sucked.

I climaxed because it is Resident Evil, but it’s only as little as how you would get excited over a slideshow.

Going back to learning that this film is the start of a reboot, I don’t have a problem with it. I only needed a few moments to digest that.

Here I am digging deeper into why I think Zach Cregger’s brilliant horror film needs convincing on the audience part for it to become Resident Evil.

What’s So Great About Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil Movie?

I have to reiterate. I love the film and enjoyed every bit of it. Here are its strongest points:

The Number One Reason: A Likable Character

Bryan Hodukavich, the main man, despite having no lore connection, is incredibly easy to like. He no longer wears the aura of that enraged, troubled character he played in AMC’s The Walking Dead.

In this film, he came in like someone who wouldn’t survive the very first few seconds of an outbreak with slow-moving zombies. He’s prone to expletives, albeit too nice, has a hint of naivety, and he’s loyal to the cause. He plays video games, but he lacks a sense of caution, and that can be seen when he brought the lady who, in our gaming minds, is already showing signs of mutation.

I get it, there must be no Resident Evil or a zombie game in the Resident Evil universe.

Some may be annoyed by his cluelessness in the beginning. Maybe it’s because they’ve watched too many Solo Leveling-kind of anime, or other isekai with OP protagonists, but what I noticed is that he is very observant. He lacks experience and real-world skills, but he looks for signs, though not at the same elite level as World War Z’s Gerry Lane.

Minutes into the film, and from someone who’s not aware of other movies he starred in, the character is not annoying at all. Some might say he’s stupid, but I’d say he thinks on his feet. Let’s weigh it all down anyway:

Bryan’s stupid moves we could have avoided:

• Throwing the ladder.
• Missing the key for the padlock.
• Getting bitten or infected by the kid in the camper van.

Bryan’s legendary moments where we could have all failed:

• The fucking elevator stunt where he jumped many times to switch from one safe place to another.
• Confronting the vomiting creature that melted the elevator. I would have run instead of touching it.
• Using his last bullet to free the chasing zombies from the maternity ward of hell so he could get rid of the rolling tumbleweed zombie. He knew that this zombie was strong and intelligent enough to get into the lab if he didn’t deal with it at that point.

See? That’s why I am actually rooting for him to be Resident Evil’s version of Gerry Lane.

Bryan grows in you. You’ll laugh at those realistic fails he does, which many of us are prone to doing. You’ll even laugh at how he is screaming in the highest pitch like a typical lady of horror getting the ultimate jump scare of her life.

Resident Evil 2026 Is Set In Today’s Reality

That’s right. It’s a reboot, but not the 1990s Resident Evil setting where the character’s actions aren’t natural. In this version, there are booking apps and touchscreen phones. Bryan’s steps are something you’d do if you’re really convinced into risking your life to deliver the package.

It hits a level of reality that you’d tell yourself that Bryan’s reaction is how you’d respond to all these kinds of craziness:

• That time when he shot at the running zombie in panic and hit his car instead.
• When he’s scared as shit trying to take the car keys from Maxine’s body.

The story only gives the character a tiny bit of chance to pull something spontaneous and win our hearts. This is very different from others where the main character aura-farms in almost 50% of the story.

The Scares Will Annoy You, Like You Were In Bryan’s Shoes

Not his fault.

This is 100% better, and I choose Resident Evil 2026 scares over films that only startle you with sound effects and visuals.

Sound effects are already giving. They are cleverly timed. The visuals… Impeccable. But those are not the biggest commendable things in this film. Not even close.

It’s in how RE 2026 perfectly demonstrates the kind of scare that is also annoying. One that you can really say a mouthful of expletives in a split second because you don’t know if you’re going to blame yourself for having the worst luck or why you’re not dead yet.

Remember these moments in the film:

• Back when Maxine’s body gets pulled each time he’s close to getting the car keys.
• “What’s this shit now?” when he saw something weird on the rooftop after getting himself out of the fucking sewer.
• That series of mishaps in the maternity ward that’d make me let myself fall instead of dealing with more shit that I haven’t seen in my life.

Survival Horror Elements Are There

Aesthetically speaking, Resident Evil 2026 has shown it all:

• Ammo-checking mechanics and the first-person POV are some of the most apparent video game nods.
• The annoying locks that can’t be dealt with by firepower; then there’s one that you can actually shoot!
• How Bryan finds and picks up things. The jump scare from the dog breaking the barn wall resembles the first Resident Evil game from 1998. But when it tried to reach for him, it reminded us of the Resident Evil 4 Las Plagas Kios Dogs mutations!

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What’s Missing In The Resident Evil 2026 Film

So WTF is my issue with RE 2026 if I can say all those good things about it?

Like I said earlier, Resident Evil 2026 is a great film, better than earlier movies, but it sucks being a Resident Evil film because of some important features it lacks.

Umbrella Corp Was Not Established As A Cunning, Evil Corp

Just a reckless one. We had a show of what it can produce, but we didn’t see the core of what it really is. From what Paul from the Umbrella Corp said, it seemed like the company is a low-IQ doofus like him for using a courier who had a lesser chance of surviving instead of sending an elite, private mercenary.

Why? Because it is afraid of the government?

Then, in the final part of the film, we saw the Umbrella Corp scientists. They may be ungrateful and arrogant, which could be normal. However, they were a heedless bunch!

When you hear Umbrella Corp being mentioned in previous films, especially in how they are heavily mentioned in Resident Evil Requiem and earlier games, your spine gets ready because something evil is about to be said. In this 2026 adaptation, I have to quickly attach myself to what my games remind me of about Umbrella Corp to sense the danger. A post-credit scene that lays it all out would be nice, but it looks like they are not expecting it to hit big.

Thus, for a Resident Evil virgin, or those who treat previous film installments as inadmissible to avoid bias like a judge, the “Umbrella Corp is dangerous” message won’t get across. Without lore knowledge, it’s just a silly pharmaceutical company that had a costly lab accident and no real agenda. It has no balls. Don’t send me a T-virus for saying this.

The Attempt To Create A New Legacy Character

I know that Zach Cregger wanted to veer away from retelling the Resident Evil sagas. The setting being Raccoon City is already oozing a lot of lore on its own. If he injected Leon Keneddy, Jill Valentine, or the Redfield siblings right away, the film would just be another piece of fan service content.

That leads us to the premise of creating a new character like Alice, who ended up with crazy, out-of-reach plot armor because the actress became a very important person. Yup, nepotism destroys good shit.

Bryan is indeed a perfect candidate, but his base build isn’t the kind that kicks ass. We don’t need that stereotypical bulky and martial arts virtuoso kind of hero, do we?

So, maybe they were thinking that if kept alive, Bryan’s going to have his own show: Bryan of the Dead, not Resident Evil.

THERE is the conundrum, my fellow otakus.

I think that Zach Cregger and his team are still choking each other over the direction of this new successful film. Should they let Bryan be revived and take the risk on this fresh, comedic path that is also somehow close to our reality?

Or should they gear us back to seeing our old beloved RE game heroes, or especially the badass video game femme fatales that don’t exist in real life, kick T-virus ass in a different meatsuit?

But won’t it be just a repeat of the old films? What’s the point of a reboot then?

And because they need the box office to tell them what to choose, they had to leave some gaps. This void that I felt spiraled into me questioning whether it is really a Resident Evil reboot or not.

Resident Evil 2026 Review Final Verdict

I am not a stubborn person, and it took me less than a day to accept that this is the new Resident Evil. Same title, different approach. It shouldn’t be faithful to the lore, as its goal is to give us something new. However, there must still be strands left in there, as there are a handful of reasons why Resident Evil continued to be a strong franchise despite the Hollywood slip-ups. They shouldn’t be completely disregarded.

Still, the movie puts loyal fans and even those who attempt to watch the film with a clean slate in a floating state.

Maybe that’s how the experience should be. Maybe we’re just too excited.

Lots of maybes, but there’s one thing I am certain of.

This uneasiness is what makes it great, and that’s where the creators and producers want the thinking audience to be. Talking about them is what keeps everything alive.

Moreover, and more importantly, this is the first time I felt I was playing the game as I was watching. This without the plot armor of an immortalized RE powerhouse character.

Hollywood tried so hard to get things right for the nth time. That point where it all intersects — same RE lore, true to survival horror elements, likable new and closest-to-real-life character, no overused cheesy action sequences — is still somewhere sitting near this production. We know that the next would be a blast, but this Resident Evil film, courageously casting Austin Abrams as the lone lead, was a huge and efficient reset button for all of us.

We’re not being generous; we just like it a lot.

Final Verdict:

• Tension and Scare Execution = 10/10
• Plot Cohesion = 9/10
• Pacing and Structure = 10/10
• Character Logic = 10/10
• Visual Craft and Effects - 10/10
• The Climax = 8/10
  
  

Resident Evil 2026 Final Score: 9.5

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