Authors: Uncle | Lotus
What happens when a longtime Resident Evil fan and someone who has never played the games watch the same Resident Evil movie?
For this review, we’re approaching Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil from two completely different perspectives. Uncle looks at the film through the lens of the games and whether it captures the identity of Raccoon City, while Lone Lotus approaches it purely as a movie, without any attachment to the source material.
Unsurprisingly, we walked away with two very different opinions.
Uncle’s Review
“Resident Evil has never been short on iconic monsters, memorable locations, or unforgettable horror imagery. That’s exactly why this movie’s version of Raccoon City left me so conflicted.”
My biggest problem with Resident Evil is that it never fully commits to being a Raccoon City movie. Instead, it often feels like a collection of Resident Evil references pulled from across the franchise and stitched together into one story. There is plenty here that fans will recognize, but recognition alone is not the same thing as capturing what made Raccoon City memorable in the first place.
The biggest example is the monster that stalks the main character throughout much of the movie. Its grotesque, multi-bodied design feels much closer to modern Resident Evil body horror than the classic era the setting is supposed to evoke. That becomes especially frustrating when Raccoon City already has legendary monsters built specifically for that role. Mr. X and Nemesis are two of the most iconic pursuers in survival-horror history, yet the movie creates a new monster instead of taking advantage of either one.
There are moments where the movie gets much closer to what I wanted. The main character’s eventual mutation is clearly reminiscent of William Birkin from Resident Evil 2, and that immediately feels more appropriate for the setting. But then the maternity ward sequence feels pulled directly from the visual language of Resident Evil 7, once again moving the movie away from the identity of classic Raccoon City. Even the Umbrella Corporation feels strangely underrepresented visually, despite how central it is to the identity of this era of Resident Evil.
That is ultimately why the film did not work for me. It understands Resident Evil as a franchise full of monsters, mutations, callbacks and recognizable ideas, but it never convinced me that I was truly watching a story about Raccoon City. I wanted the oppressive atmosphere of the original outbreak, Umbrella everywhere, familiar creatures roaming the streets, and the feeling that an entire city was collapsing under the weight of a biological disaster.
Instead, I got something closer to a Resident Evil greatest-hits compilation set inside Raccoon City.
Of course, Resident Evil is the kind of franchise where two fans can walk out of the same movie with completely different reactions. While I came away disappointed by how loosely the film handled Raccoon City and its classic identity, Lone Lotus saw things from another angle.
Here’s her take.
Lotus 
Oh boy!! Can’t say enough great things about this one!! 
This is my review of the new Resident Evil movie, directed by Zach Cregger in 2026. I was skeptical if this could be any good without having the gorgeous Milla Jovovich, but surprisingly this ended up being my favorite one of all of them! Keep in mind my review is just looking at this as a movie review, not in how the film relates to the video game. I’ll leave Unc to compare the two, and rip it apart, as I have never played the Resident Evil games.
I went in not expecting much but being pleasantly surprised at how good Resident Evil ended up being. I know this is a horror movie but I laughed more in this than I have in most comedy movies! The main actor, Austin Abrams, who plays Bryan, single handedly carried this film by being the lone character in most of the scenes. He absolutely blew me away with his outstanding comedic timing and delivery of lines. He fits his character archetype perfectly of the normal, cool dude that almost everyone can relate to. He very quickly became a character that everyone was invested in and cared about. Every line of his was delivered so naturally that you couldn’t tell he was acting. His delivery and expressions were so well done that he seemed like a real person that would actually exist in our reality.
The writing by Zach Cregger and Shay Hatten was top notch in this and I found myself dying with belly aches and unable to stop laughing throughout it. So many hilarious things that had me almost in tears. The clever writing wasn’t trying too hard to be funny, it just was. Simple things like when Bryan was searching for the key to the gate padlock, unable to find it, he crashes the car onto the gate, totaling the car. Immediately after the crash and his cursing fit you see the key fall out of the car visor. Also all the subsequent padlocks he encounters throughout the movie become comedic devices, it’s like the audience is in on an inside joke. This film is proof that just exceptional writing and a mind blowing actor alone can carry a film and make it fun and interesting to watch. I’m unfamiliar with Austin Abrams but I hope he becomes the next big superstar actor! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an actor have enough charisma reminding me of Michael J Fox, and be naturally funny without trying.
One thing that I liked about Zach Cregger’s directing, is his point of view shots he used throughout the film. You could feel like you were watching this film as if watching someone play a video game from Bryan’s POV shots. I loved how he used that POV shot when Bryan was looking down from the broken ledge of the Sky Bridge.
This is definitely a film that can be watched by everyone, even if you’re not familiar with the Resident Evil franchise, the past movies, or the games. It stands alone so well, and I hope it’s a lesson to Hollywood that excellent writing and outstanding acting matter more than flashy visuals and action sequences that sometimes disconnect people from the film. My mind never wandered once during this, there was never a dull moment, the writers kept it tense with ample comic relief throughout.
Bravo, can’t wait to see more from Cregger, Hatten and Abrams!! 
Lotus
Whose opinion do you agree the most with and why?
Written by Uncle and Lone Lotus
