Resident Evil

Bluesky

Movies based on video games have traditionally been a mixed bag. Some have been bad. Some have been very bad. Some, though they are rare, have been very very bad. Resident Evil is none of those. It instead manages to join a different list, one of works where adaptation has found the things that make a work in one medium successful and translated them to another. The traits that made the original fit are retained, not just as vestigial parts of the tale, but as new and propulsive elements.

As Zach Cregger's third film and one of some half dozen outings on screen for the console franchise, there are by some measures few things to compare this with. The film does help us by borrowing tropes from its source videogame and its progenitors, after enough steps of inheritance even theft becomes wealth. By that rule there's plenty to weigh against Resident Evil, and its inventory is sufficiently deep that it's not found wanting.

To start with, it's entertaining. Circling round the question of what constitutes successful horror is a question as varied as audiences, but here X marks the spot. Cregger neatly triangulates the space between laughter and slaughter. While squaring comedic moments with carnage can be hard, there are no corners cut here. We get a sense of weariness, especially from our protagonist's point of view. He joins a select crew in that.

We follow the erstwhile, and much put upon, Bryan. Austin Abrams has worked with Cregger before, done plenty of television, but this is an early leading role from an actor who will be one to watch. The film invites us to draw comparisons between his journey and that of John McClane in Die Hard, and Abrams has perhaps as charismatic a turn as Mr Willis. He, admittedly, only had to (repeatedly) deal with international terrorism, where the tendrils and tentacles were more metaphorical than meat. Poor Bryan is not so lucky.

Cregger directs, also scripts with co-writer Shay Hatten. Hatten came onto the John Wick franchise for its difficult third outing, extending the mythology of murder-for-hire with spin-off Ballerina. The mixture of innovation and veneration is continued here, from literal key-jangling to transplanting the evils resident in polygonal play in Raccoon City to the subtleties of the silver screen. There's enough reference, and indeed irreverence, that one wouldn't feel alone in the dark seeing this solo, but it does benefit from the gasps of crowds. There's a saying that the difference between horror and comedy is the soundtrack, and some of that is audience reaction.

The rest is actual music, for Resident Evil mostly by another set of previous Cregger collaborators brothers Ryan and Hays Holladay. Their synth driven score is evocative in ways that are similar to earlier electronic scores by folk like John Carpenter and Wendy Carlos. The thing of it is that while being reminiscent it's still distinct, and part of a set of expertise that strengthens the film throughout. Despite the presence of children and animals the effects work never feels underdone, the uncanny always seems intentional. It's plenty disturbing though. The age rating with its warnings of gore and language doesn't quite cover the extent to which filth and fury are scattered.

Fans needn't worry that theirs would be roused, however, as Resident Evil is a respectful entity. Even clever, as its relationship to the game is multiply foundational. Those less au fait with the stars of the series won't be left wondering; while there's more than a baker's dozen of references, none of them are essential to understanding what's going on here. Indeed under the umbrella of the franchise this is perhaps one of its most accessible outings. Bryan isn't quite an everyman but as a put-upon medical courier he's far from extraordinary. Indeed his struggles, initially, are very close to home. Taking him out of his comfort zone is comfortably within Cregger's wheelhouse, and he steers a steady course from it. He's been one to keep your eye on for a while, and the quality of this suggests he's got a finger on the pulse. If that's not pointer enough, let me be clearer - grab the chance to see this, with whatever limbs you can.

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