Resident Evil – A Fast, Bloody Survival Horror

What is Resident Evil (2026) about?

Resident Evil follows Bryan, a medical courier who gets caught in a terrifying outbreak while trying to complete a delivery in Raccoon City. What starts as a simple job quickly turns into a fight for survival against infected creatures and a city falling into chaos. The film stars Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis and Paul Walter Hauser, and is directed by Zach Cregger. With a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes, it delivers a fast and intense survival horror experience.

Is Resident Evil worth watching?

I have not watched any of the previous Resident Evil films, but I had seen a few clips floating around on social media and, honestly, they looked pretty mid to me. I have, however, watched Resident Evil gameplay, and those games have always looked fantastic, especially when it comes to the visuals, sound and overall dark atmosphere.

Thankfully, this film comes much closer to that experience. The plot is tight and gets going almost immediately. There are no unnecessary side quests or side stories taking you away from the main survival situation. It jumps right into the chaos, which makes the movie a quick and entertaining thrill ride. 

So, is it worth watching? Yes, definitely. The story moves naturally, the survival aspect actually feels convincing, and the visuals are full paisa vasool. That should not come as much of a surprise considering this is directed by Zach Cregger, the filmmaker behind Weapons. For me, this is the kind of movie that deserves to be experienced in a theatre. So do not wait for OTT. Go watch it in theatres while you can.

What is good in Resident Evil?

One of the biggest strengths of the film is how well Zach Cregger understands the game. You can feel that familiarity in the way the characters, creatures and overall survival experience are presented. The movie does not just use the Resident Evil name. At several points, it genuinely feels like you are watching a game come to life.

The monsters are terrifying, the animals look close to what you would expect from the games, and the whole survival thriller has that video game feeling running through it. There are even some POV shots that make certain sequences feel like you have suddenly stepped into an FPS game.

That approach also keeps the tension high. You genuinely feel like the characters are trying to survive rather than simply moving from one horror scene to another. The sound design works especially well with the visuals. It builds the environment, creates tension and then gives you the payoff at exactly the right moment. The gore is another highlight. It looks realistic, but more importantly, the way it is executed feels creative instead of being there just for shock value. The jumpscares are limited, which I appreciated, but when they happen, they tend to come when you are not expecting them.

There is also a surprising amount of humor in the film. Some slower portions get a little breathing room because of it, and that worked for me. When you are genuinely scared, humor can be a quick relief, and the movie understands that balance quite well.

What is bad in Resident Evil?

My biggest complaint is actually the runtime. I was so invested in what was happening that I wanted more of the film. Zach Cregger takes his time with certain moments and lets you feel the situation, which works, but by the time I was fully into it, I wanted the movie to give me even more.

The second issue is that I wanted to see more of the havoc happening across the city. The film gives you the aftermath and explains enough to understand what has happened, but I wanted another 10 to 20 minutes showing how the chaos actually started and spread. Instead, a lot of that information is delivered through a quick conversation inside a car. It gets the job done, but I would have happily watched more of the actual outbreak unfold.

Are there any post-credit scenes in Resident Evil?

No, there is no mid-credit or post-credit scene in Resident Evil. Once the movie ends, you can leave the theatre without missing any extra scene. That said, I would still suggest sitting through the credits for a little while and checking out the names of the people who helped make the film. They are the ones whose work made the movie look, sound and feel this good, and supporting their future projects is always worth doing.