Site icon Planet Of Films

‘Resident Evil’ First Reactions: Zach Cregger’s Reboot Praised for Horror, Gore and Video Game Energy

Riz Kh
Austin Abrams in Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil reboot

Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil has premiered in Los Angeles ahead of its September 18 theatrical release, and the first reactions from members of the film press are overwhelmingly positive. While full reviews were embargoed until September 16, critics and journalists who attended the premiere have already taken to social media to praise the film’s horror, action, creature design, dark humour and strong connection to the video game franchise.

The new film stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier who becomes caught in a deadly outbreak in Raccoon City. Rather than directly adapting one of the existing games or centring on familiar characters such as Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield, Cregger and co-writer Shay Hatten have created a new story set within the Resident Evil world. That decision had prompted some questions from longtime fans before the film’s release, but the initial reactions suggest that the film’s approach is winning over many members of the press.

One of the most consistent points in the early response is the film’s ability to capture the feel of playing a Resident Evil game. Critics have highlighted the tension, scares, Easter eggs and survival-horror atmosphere, with some arguing that Cregger has delivered one of the most faithful cinematic interpretations of the games precisely because he focuses on their sense of danger rather than simply reproducing familiar characters or storylines.

The horror appears to be particularly prominent. Early reactions repeatedly describe the film as bloody, brutal and relentless, while the creature designs have emerged as another major talking point. One reaction compared the twisted creature work to The Thing, while others have praised the combination of monsters, gore and large-scale action sequences. TheWrap’s roundup described the film as a combination of creepy creatures, non-stop suspense and gory action.

The film’s pacing has also received considerable attention. Several reactions describe Resident Evil as a movie that keeps moving once the action begins, with escalating danger and little opportunity for the characters to catch their breath. The response has positioned Cregger’s film as a survival-horror thriller that also operates on the scale of a theatrical action spectacle.

That combination of horror and spectacle is particularly notable for Cregger, whose previous features Barbarian and Weapons were built on a very different scale. Early reactions suggest that moving into a major studio franchise has not eliminated the filmmaker’s taste for strange, disturbing and unpredictable horror. Variety’s coverage described the film as a cinematic spectacle, while critic EJ Moreno called it a horror blockbuster designed for the biggest screen and a crowd.

The reactions have also highlighted the film’s humour. Several critics have described Resident Evil as both frightening and funny, with Austin Abrams’ performance frequently singled out as one of the reasons the tonal balance works. Cregger had previously revealed that test audiences felt the film was too funny, leading him to remove a number of jokes during the editing process. He said the final version benefited from reducing the humour and that he did not miss the jokes that were removed.

Abrams, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the most consistently praised elements of the film. Critics have responded to his portrayal of Bryan as an ordinary person caught in an increasingly disastrous situation rather than a conventional action hero. His comic timing, physical performance and ability to carry the film’s escalating survival scenario have all been mentioned in the early reactions.

The film is also being praised for its theatrical impact. Some reactions specifically recommend experiencing Resident Evil on a large screen with an audience, with the combination of sound, creature effects, action and scares being presented as a major part of its appeal.

Not every reaction has been completely unqualified. One early response praised the first half while finding that the second half dragged slightly, while another reaction described the humour as occasionally excessive. These comments remain limited within the broader early response, but they indicate that the reaction is not entirely uniform ahead of the full review embargo.

The new Resident Evil also represents another attempt to reboot the property on screen. The original Milla Jovovich-led film series ran for six movies between 2002 and 2016, while Sony and Constantin Films subsequently attempted a new continuity with Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in 2021. Netflix’s live-action Resident Evil series followed in 2022 but was cancelled after one season. Cregger’s film therefore arrives with a fresh opportunity to establish a new cinematic direction for the franchise.

For now, the first reactions point to a Resident Evil film that is being received as a bloody, fast-moving and deliberately chaotic piece of survival horror, with Cregger’s direction, Austin Abrams’ performance, creature design and video-game sensibility emerging as the most frequently praised elements.

With full reviews still under embargo until September 16, the early social-media reactions offer only a first glimpse of the response to Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, which opens in cinemas worldwide on September 18, 2026.

 

Read More:

Exit mobile version