Zach Cregger's recent Resident Evil adaptation has garnered significant acclaim, positioning it as the best-reviewed Resident Evil adaptation and a standout among video game movies. However, its approach, which centers on an original narrative within the Resident Evil universe rather than direct adaptations of established characters or plots, has divided fans. While some players expressed disappointment over the absence of familiar figures like Jill Valentine, this choice arguably underscores the film's true strength: its faithful, albeit unconventional, interpretation of the game series' core spirit.
A New Story, Familiar Themes
The film follows Bryan, a courier tasked with a seemingly simple delivery to Raccoon City, who finds himself embroiled in a zombie-infested nightmare. This premise, while not directly mirroring any specific game's main plot, echoes the spirit of titles like Resident Evil Outbreak, which explored the survival experiences of ordinary individuals caught in the disaster. The movie effectively captures the essence of these ancillary stories, focusing on a non-heroic protagonist's desperate struggle for survival.
While the moment-to-moment narrative diverges from established game plots, Cregger weaves in subtle callbacks and thematic continuities. Encounters with locked doors, confrontations with zombie dogs, and a structural progression from a claustrophobic house to the ravaged streets of Raccoon City and its sewers all resonate with the series' established atmosphere. The film culminates in an Umbrella Corporation laboratory, a common setting for many entries in the Resident Evil franchise, further cementing its thematic connection.
The Ordinary Survivor
A key aspect of the film's faithfulness lies in its portrayal of the protagonist. Bryan is not a seasoned operative but an average person, drawing parallels to characters like Ethan Winters from Resident Evil 7. This perspective is highlighted when Bryan encounters a skilled survivor who exhibits traits reminiscent of game characters like Chris Redfield, particularly their unwavering, almost robotic, efficiency in combat. The film contrasts Bryan's fumbling attempts to overcome obstacles—shooting a lock, ramming a fence, escaping via rope—with the effortless feats of the series' established heroes, effectively illustrating how a normal person would fare in such dire circumstances.
This contrast is most powerfully demonstrated in a scene directly referencing Resident Evil 2. Bryan is presented with an opportunity to rescue a child, mirroring Claire Redfield's heroic actions. However, his inability to act with the same composure and skill as Claire results in a tragic outcome, underscoring the film's central theme of the ordinary individual's vulnerability in the face of the apocalypse.
The Comedy of Errors
The film also leans into the often-comical incompetence depicted in the games. The scattered lore entries found in Resident Evil games frequently detail the foolish decisions and experiments of Umbrella Corporation employees. Cregger's film visualizes this, presenting the scientists encountered at the end as utterly inept, suggesting that such blunders are a key reason for the widespread outbreak. This reinforces the idea that the events leading to the zombie apocalypse were, in large part, a series of unfortunate and often foolish mistakes.
From Survivor to Monster
Ultimately, Cregger's Resident Evil can be viewed as an origin story for a video game boss. Bryan's transformation, stemming from a zombie child's bite and a parasitic infection, culminates in a monstrous form that strongly resembles a boss character from Resident Evil 2, complete with a prominent, vulnerable eye. This narrative arc mirrors the way many enemies in the games are presented: as former individuals twisted into biological experiments, with their tragic backstories hinted at through collectible notes or environmental storytelling. Bryan's recorded message to his girlfriend functions as this kind of collectible lore, adding a layer of tragic personal history to his monstrous transformation.
The film masterfully plays on the player's experience of uncovering these narratives before confronting a boss. By inverting this structure and showing Bryan's devolution into a monstrous antagonist, Cregger delivers a clever punchline. Resident Evil reframes the zombie apocalypse not just as a horror event, but as a dark comedy of errors, perfectly capturing the spirit of the games through its original, yet deeply resonant, narrative.