Resident Evil First Reviews: Not Just the Best Resident Evil Movie, but One of the Best Video Game Movies Ever
Critics say Zach Cregger's take on the iconic franchise is pure escapist fun that's briskly paced, surprisingly funny, and true to the spirit of the games.
The latest adaptation of the Resident Evil video games arrives in theaters this weekend, and the first reviews are now online. The horror reboot is co-written and directed by Zach Cregger, the filmmaker behind last year’s award-winning hit Weapons, and apparently his caliber of talent is what this franchise has needed. Not only are some calling this easily the best Resident Evil movie, but also one of the best films based on a video game ever.
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Here’s what critics are saying about Resident Evil:
Is it everything you could want in a Resident Evil movie?
Resident Evil is everything that I wanted and everything that I didn’t know I wanted.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
This is the Resident Evil you never knew you wanted because Cregger didn’t have the opportunity until now.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
Whatever your idea of what a good Resident Evil movie should be, I have to recommend to the skeptical to put that to one side and lock in for what Zach Cregger delivers.
– Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies
It’s tough to dismiss how damn fun the whole thing is… Resident Evil should be a lesson to other filmmakers that adapting a video game can’t simply be a series of references.
– Matt Goldberg, Decoding Everything
[It’s] a massive and rapidly mutating middle finger to the Comic-Con-brained idea that video game adaptations should just give “the fans” what they think they want.
– David Ehrlich, IndieWire
Resident Evil franchise veterans…will be thrilled by an adaptation that finally nails its sci‑fi, horror, and action roots.
– Julian Roman, MovieWeb
Purists may still yearn for a more faithful adaptation of this property, but given previous attempts, this is a big step in the right direction.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
How does it compare to past adaptations?
Easily the best Resident Evil film in the franchise.
– Julian Roman, MovieWeb
Resident Evil is different, and much better, than the other Resident Evil movies.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety
The talented filmmaker has completely rejuvenated the series, leaving the six original films and the misbegotten reboot attempt Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in the dust.
– Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
Resident Evil better reflects the essence of its source material than any of the previous movies.
– David Ehrlich, IndieWire
For RE fans seeking a more authentic-to-the-game film, the best installments remain the animated editions.
– Jeffrey Lyles, Lyles Movie Files
Is it one of the best video game movies of all time?
Cregger’s Resident Evil is one of the best video game movies ever made.
– Matt Goldberg, Decoding Everything
Resident Evil is automatically up there with Exit 8 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as the best live-action video game movie ever made.
– Lisa Laman, Land of the Nerds
Resident Evil manages to be one of the more impressive video game adaptations of our time.
– Amelia Emberwing, Pickety Witch
This is how movies and video games can merge in a way that makes them stronger for sharing their DNA rather than disfiguring them both.
– David Ehrlich, IndieWire
Hopefully, more video game adaptations follow suit and let their filmmakers expand a property instead of another soulless copy-and-paste job.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
How well does it honor the source material?
Cregger ably adapts the spirit, if not the letter, of the Resident Evil games.
– Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies
[It’s] the right kind of adaptation, largely discarding the game’s ongoing mythology beyond the broad outlines, and instead leaning into the perspective of the unseen player: us.
– Matt Goldberg, Decoding Everything
For all its creative liberties, this is the first Resident Evil movie that actually — and rather viscerally — evokes what it feels like to play Resident Evil.
– David Ehrlich, IndieWire
Resident Evil often feels more like a Resident Evil homage than a live-action interpretation of the popular video game franchise. Again, it is a commendable homage.
– Jeffrey Lyles, Lyles Movie Files
Something that might hold purists back is that the T-Virus is never once mentioned and, based on the creatures that we see throughout the film, Cregger’s Resident Evil monsters might not be victims of the T-Virus at all?
– Amelia Emberwing, Pickety Witch
Is it a good movie on its own?
Cregger very much makes the film his own while displaying his obvious affinity for the source material.
– Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
The essence of Capcom’s survival horror franchise is alive, yet Cregger’s horror-comedy snapshot centered around the Raccoon City outbreak creates its own glorious nightmares.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
Cregger is largely very successful at understanding how to adapt a video game into a movie in a way that serves both mediums well, even when that means subverting expectations.
– Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies
Is it a good movie? Let’s call it a sweetly executed piece of escapist trivia.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety
Resident Evil would be a vastly superior film with basically any other title.
– Jeffrey Lyles, Lyles Movie Files
How does it compare to other horror movies?
An easy contender for the most entertaining horror film of 2026.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
As a horror film, it makes Weapons look like War and Peace, but it escalates over 90 minutes into a kind of symphonic loopiness.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety
Nothing breathing can be trusted not to erupt in a mess of whipping appendages and eyeballs, and more movies could use that kind of uncertainty as a ticking time bomb to take advantage of.
– Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies
Cregger and co-screenwriter Shay Hatten avoid silly horror tropes to maximize adrenaline and fright.
– Julian Roman, MovieWeb
Is it scary?
Whether he’s utilizing jump scares or ambiance, Cregger keeps you creeped out for the majority of the film.
– Amelia Emberwing, Pickety Witch
Resident Evil is absolutely terrifying.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
[It] never ceases to terrify.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
Intentionally poorly lit areas add to the ominous sense of dread. Cregger doesn’t shy away from gory moments with exploding heads, squished bodies, dismembering and plenty of body horror moments. The jump scares are spaced out enough to be highly effective.
– Jeffrey Lyles, Lyles Movie Files
Jump scares are earned. Cregger’s camera movements, like the whip pan, help to increase tension.
– Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
How are the creature effects?
This movie boasts some of the grossest monsters you’ll ever see on screen.
– David Ehrlich, IndieWire
Legacy Effects and SFX legend Shane Mahan bust their chops to bring 2,000-pound monster puppets to life. No creature slacks in appearance, even when digital enhancements are required.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
Letting the Resident Evil foes ramp up in visual outlandishness ensures the artists behind these characters fly their freak flag high. The movie is all the better for such remarkable makeup and design work.
– Lisa Laman, Land of the Nerds
These creatures, which feel right at home with Resident Evil’s Lovecraftian design language, are all lovingly rendered by Cregger and his team, who luxuriate in their oozing, thrashing, slithering glory.
– Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies
The zombies we meet are varied and interesting. There’s a particularly fun one in the sewers, but as someone who delights in the Children in Peril trope, my personal favorites take place in a maternity ward and an errant Winnebago.
– Amelia Emberwing, Pickety Witch
The creature design pays more reference to the source material, though often is reminiscent of John Carpenter’s The Thing.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
Is the movie funny?
Yes, Resident Evil is often very funny, but never in a way that feels at the franchise’s expense.
– Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies
Pretty much right out of the gate, I was cracking up. And these were earned laughs. These were jokes that are supposed to be there.
– Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
The movie’s comic side isn’t quite Sam Raimi broad (or bold), but Cregger’s sketch-comedy roots are just as delightfully visible here as they were in Barbarian, without the aid of that movie’s clever shifts in timeline or perspective.
– Jesse Hassenger, Guardian
The humor can often undercut the impact of the horror instead of complementing it.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
Cregger’s sense of humor can be a distraction, siphoning fear from an otherwise nerve-shredding sequence (Paul Walter Hauser, for example, as comedic relief).
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
How does it look?
Filled with baroque gore and wildly imaginative set pieces.
– Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
Gorgeous, but you won’t really understand just how so until you’ve seen it for yourself… Resident Evil is far and away [Cregger’s] prettiest flick yet.
– Amelia Emberwing, Pickety Witch
Wolski nimbly captures the sweeping chaos enveloping Bryan, seamlessly flipping between camera modes in what’s a beautifully shot production.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
Dariusz Wolski’s cinematography…emphasizes Bryan’s perspective throughout and frequently emulates the third-person approach of the games in a way that heightens the terror of what we may find around the next corner. Wolski also plays with different light sources really well.
– Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies
The heavy presence of digital foes automatically ensures Resident Evil is a step down from the more tangibly realized Barbarian and Weapons.
– Lisa Laman, Land of the Nerds
What about the pacing?
The film, which feels refreshingly fat-free at a breathless 90 minutes, features one compelling sequence after another.
– Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
As it barrels through its gamified plot, the tension and entertainment value never flag.
– Jesse Hassenger, Guardian
[It’s an] unpredictably bonkers thrill ride from start to finish with nary a moment to catch your breath.
– Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
The momentum is very inconsistent, allowing for the pacing to stall in several moments to make way for comedic bits that are not always funny.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
How is Austin Abrams in the lead?
Abrams’s performance is riveting.
– Josh Parham, Next Best Picture
After his scene-stealing turn in Weapons, Abrams easily shoulders his promotion to leading man here in a performance that’s a lot more skillful than the simplicity of the character first suggests.
– Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies
Austin Abrams, who played the homeless drug addict in Weapons, here seems a different actor. (That’s how good he is.)
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety
Resident Evil relies completely on Abrams’ stellar performance…this is truly a star-making turn.
– Julian Roman, MovieWeb
Austin Abrams was born to play everyman Bryan…[he] is too good in the role, whether fumbling with ammunition, cursing under his breath, or stewing in hopeless exhaustion.
– Matt Donato, Daily Dead
He nails the bumbling physicality, abject frustration and comedic timing, grounding the heightened hilarity and hijinks in humanity and authenticity.
– Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
Abrams is in possession of a [Bruce] Campbell-ish charm.
– Jesse Hassenger, Guardian
Abrams practically delivers a one-man show.
– Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
What about the supporting cast?
Paul Walter Hauser is perfectly pitched, utilizing his brief screen time as an Umbrella Corporation man with assured gusto.
– Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
Hauser is amusingly overwrought — until the tentacles come for him.
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety
It’s a good thing that Abrams is as watchable as he is, because no member of Resident Evil’s supporting cast gets much more to do than drop in for a scene or two’s worth of exposition.
– Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies
Are there any major issues with the movie?
If there’s one major flaw in the movie, it’s that the story has trouble finding a resolution… The conclusion feels somewhat abrupt and unfulfilling.
– Matt Goldberg, Decoding Everything
The shift from funny to goofy ripped me right out of the story, and the film’s ending only compounds the issue. The final battle is nonsense.
– Amelia Emberwing, Pickety Witch
The rising action and climax have a degree of predictability that tempers the early enthusiasm.
– Julian Roman, MovieWeb
After doing a great job making us care about [Bryan] for more than 90 minutes, Cregger seems to abandon him a few steps shy of completing any real journey.
– Jesse Hassenger, Guardian
Easily the most frustrating aspect of Resident Evil is that Bryan has zero sense of self-preservation. It’s almost as if he’s inviting trouble every step of his journey.
– Jeffrey Lyles, Lyles Movie Files
Resident Evil opens in theaters on September 18, 2026. Buy tickets on Fandango.
