‘Resident Evil’ Review: A Lean, Mean, Bloody-As-Hell Thrill Ride Through the Nightmares of Raccoon City
Matt Konopka reviews Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’, a lean, mean, bloody as hell yet repetitive and perhaps too silly thrill ride.
Finally, we are just a few days from Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil infecting theaters. For months, we have heard fans moan like a horde of zombies because Cregger’s take tells its own story separate from the Capcom games it’s based on. For months, I have been sick of watching him be attacked over it, or face accusations that he isn’t a “real fan”. Because for months, I knew he would deliver. One of the most exciting horror filmmakers of our era, promising heaps of gore and practical effects with Resident Evil? What’s not to be excited about? Well, that belief has come to fruition, because I am here to tell you, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil rips.
At least, for the most part.
The premise is simple: Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier, is tasked with delivering a priority package to Raccoon City General Hospital. Caught in a winter storm, he accidentally hits a woman running into the road. She looks bad. Real bad. But not because Bryan hit her. Something else is wrong. An infection that has made her ravenous and deadly. One shocking horror after another, Bryan discovers the city has been overwhelmed by the mysterious disease…and he couldn’t be less prepared.
During the press tour, Cregger frequently mentioned his intent to hit the gas with Resident Evil and never let up until the final seconds. And that’s exactly what he does here.
With an over-the-shoulder camera that follows Bryan like we’re watching a live-action video game, we meet the unfortunate courier wandering a hospital, desperate to unload his package and go home. A combination of anxiety and humor fills the air as he’s ignored by person after person, spotting horrific (and bloody) injuries along the way that have him reacting with an “oh fuck” sort of shock, as most of us would. Then, he’s off on the road, discussing the news of his girlfriend’s pregnancy with her and failing at it spectacularly. The accident interrupts the call, and from there, it becomes a never-ending sprint through a maze of mind-boggling horrors.
