MOVIE OF THE WEEK (9/18/26): RESIDENT EVIL

"Look - I don't have any early download codes for Grand Theft Auto VI! Now quit trying to kill me!" Bryan (Austin Abrams) tries to make a harrowing escape in a scene from director Zach Cregger's reboot of RESIDENT EVIL. Credit: Dušan Martinček. © 2026 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

CAST: Austin Abrams | Paul Walter Hauser | Zach Cherry | Kali Reis | 

WRITER: Shay Hatten & Zach Cregger

DIRECTOR: Zach Cregger

TRAILER:

THE STORY: Bryan (Austin Abrams) is having a rough day. A medical courier by trade, he is working his job on a particularly snowy night in Colorado when he gets offered a chance to make extra money making a very special delivery to a hospital in the mountains that are Raccoon City. Lying by saying he has snow chains on his Subaru Outback to secure the job, he heads out on the treacherous terrain only to receive a call from his girlfriend Michelle that she is with child.

As he dives deep into conversation about the situation, Bryan strikes a woman mysteriously wandering out in the middle of the road. That leads to a series of events that will forever change his life – and, depending on his actions, possibly the entire world as we have come to know it. 

THE REVIEW: An original story inspired by the events of the first couple of installments in the video games series where the fictional Umbrella Corporation's T-Virus lead a generation to play with the lights on, RESIDENT EVIL works because it delivers what made those games special: A creepy, survival horror tale that is all about tension, decisions, and ultimately, a bloody good time. 

Abrams is phenomenal as Bryan not because of all the things he does but almost because of what he doesn't do: He doesn't play the role as some generic action movie hero, he doesn't become some genius as the story goes on and he conveys the sheer terror just about anyone would face in the $@#! situation in which he finds himself. Throw in some well-placed, relatable humor and his character – coupled with Cregger's camerawork that is both an homage to the aforementioned games and effective cinema – and RESIDENT EVIL benefits as a result.

The only thing that fans – both those new and longstanding to the franchise – may find problematic is the ending, which almost feels a bit slapstick compared to the intense action and creepiness that precedes it. Then again, when you're making the second reboot of a film franchise with seven previous installments –  based on a video game with some nine titles in its own line – there's bound to be a place where something goes a bit off the rails. But in delivering a mostly original take on a tired zombie genre, the 2026 edition of RESIDENT EVIL is far better suited to entertain a wide range of audiences than any of its predecessors ever were. 

Ther biggest compliment that can be paid to the 2026 reboot of RESIDENT EVIL is that whether you are a die hard fan of the video game series or completely unfamiliar with the source material, you'll likely leave the theater satisified with your viewing ... If you're into ungodly monsters, blood and gore terrorizing humanity. Whereas gamers will love the survival horror elements – jump scares, creepy scenarios where you know something awful is getting ready to happen and solzing puzzles – those just like a tense horror movie will be aghast in enjoyment at what is unfolding before their eyes. In short, this trip to Raccoon City, while perhaps its bloodiest, is its best yet.

RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):