Zach Cregger's <em>Resident Evil</em> concludes with a dramatic transformation, a near-miss cure, and the arrival of the National Guard to contain an outbreak in Raccoon City. The film's finale echoes decades of the franchise's lore by centering on the very city that serves as the birthplace of the T-Virus and the Umbrella Corporation's nefarious experiments.
Resident Evil's Ending Explained
The narrative follows Bryan Hodukavich, a medical delivery driver who finds himself entangled in a dangerous mission that leads him into the heart of Raccoon City. Once a quiet town, it's revealed to be a corporate hub for Umbrella, the company responsible for the T-Virus outbreak. The film’s climax takes place in a secret lab atop a hospital, where researchers are on the verge of creating an antidote. Bryan, bitten by a zombie earlier, arrives with a crucial component for the cure, but time runs out.
Despite the scientists' efforts, Bryan succumbs to the infection, transforming into a grotesque, mutated entity that merges with the deceased researchers. The cure, a syringe containing the antidote, falls into the rubble below the hospital, seemingly lost. As helicopters arrive, signaling the National Guard's intervention, the movie ends with the Raccoon City outbreak escalating beyond the hospital's confines.
Setting Up a Sequel
The film's ending introduces a crucial element: the existence of a viable cure. The researchers were not just close to a solution; they had developed one. The narrative leaves open the possibility of whether the cure survived its fall and if it could be replicated. This introduces a hopeful, yet tragic, twist to the typical <em>Resident Evil</em> formula, where the focus is usually on destruction and escape.
The search for a cure has been a recurring theme throughout the <em>Resident Evil</em> games, from Jill Valentine's need for the T-Vaccine in <em>Resident Evil 3</em> to the "Daylight" reagent in <em>Resident Evil Outbreak</em>. Cregger's adaptation incorporates this element, showcasing how a potential solution was developed only to be lost in the chaos.
While Cregger has expressed interest in exploring future story possibilities, the film's successful reception could lead to a sequel. If so, the quest to recover Bryan's lost cure might become a central plot point for a follow-up installment in the <em>Resident Evil</em> saga.
<em>Resident Evil</em> is currently playing in theaters.