This movie is directed by Zach Creggar, who some may know as the director of Barbarian (2022) or Weapons (2025). This movie stars Austin Abrams, Kali Reis, Zach Cherry and Zoé Bellas. It has a run time of 1 hour and 35 minutes.
In recent years, I have been playing through all of the Resident Evil games and have finished many of them for the first time. I have started to love the video game world that Capcom has created. I also really enjoy most of the movies as well, but they’re quite different from the games usually. This 2026 Resident Evil movie is a lot closer to the feel of the games than any previous movie has been. This is a 95-minute survival horror movie.
The main character in the movie is named ‘Bryan’. He’s played by Austin Abrams. The story is simple. Bryan is a courier and he’s tasked with delivering a medical pack to a facility in the city. He is travelling to the location when things start to get strange. There are hordes of the undead roaming the streets, and they’re everywhere all of a sudden. It seems that a virus has been unleashed and has made everyone that way. It’s a fight for survival the whole way, but Bryan is determined to finish the job and deliver the package.
I don’t mind the story at all. It’s a simple point A to B story with interruptions along the way. It helps to keep a goal in sight for the audience as the plot unfolds. The movie’s tone shifts between horror and comedy as the story progresses.
It’s the comedy side of the film that I think will divide audiences in the end. For the first half of the movie, I found the main character entertaining, funny and somewhat likeable. But the humour comes from moments when the main character is incompetent, for example when loading a gun, when trying to break a lock or when encountering the undead for the first time. Whilst I found him funny at first, upon later reflection, I don’t like watching this kind of character. By the end of the movie, he was getting annoying.
The horror side of the movie is a little better. There are a lot of Resident Evil monster Easter eggs in there and a lot of familiar-looking moments for those that enjoy the games. When I look back at Resident Evil movies, this one is close to the spirit of the games. I wish the movie leaned a bit more into the horror side instead of the comedy side, though.
The soundtrack is decent. The main theme that the movie uses is a bit scary and suits the movie well.
Overall, this Resident Evil movie is something that I’d describe as a great movie for a one-time watch. It’s very enjoyable on the big screen. With a great soundtrack and an easy-to-follow story that’s half horror and half comedy, what more do you need to be entertained? A second watch of this, though, might not be as entertaining because the story is linear and you already know where all the surprises are. With a main character that’s mostly incompetent when confronting the challenges, it might be annoying.
The Review
Resident Evil (2026)
Resident Evil (2026) is an enjoyable one-time watch that captures the feel of the games, with familiar monsters, a fitting soundtrack and a simple survival horror story. However, the comedy can wear thin, and the main character’s incompetence becomes annoying. It’s entertaining on the big screen, but may be less rewarding on a second viewing.
PROS
- Captures the survival horror feel of the games.
- Familiar monsters and Easter eggs for Resident Evil fans.
- A fitting soundtrack and an easy-to-follow story.
- Enjoyable on the big screen.
CONS
- The main character’s incompetence becomes annoying.
- Leans too heavily on comedy instead of horror.
- The linear story and familiar surprises may limit repeat viewing.
