Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is one of the 2026 movies I’m most excited to see, and it’s something I’ve been following way too much in recent months. Ever since I saw what Cregger pulled off with Weapons, I’ve been even more intrigued to see how he handles one of the most iconic horror video game franchises. With the new video game movie a few months away at this point, reports are starting to come in about early reactions, and the latest has me both excited and worried.
In April 2026, World of Reel published a report where someone who attended a test screening said it was the horror version of Mad Max: Fury Road, one of the best action movies of all time. George Miller’s 2015 high-octane thrill ride is one of my favorites, so why does this comparison have me worried? Let me explain…
Don’t Get Me Wrong, I’m Down For Some Wild Set Pieces
As I just mentioned, Mad Max: Fury Road is a massive achievement in filmmaking and storytelling through action and over-the-top set pieces. What George Miller and company were able to do with the movie and bring the long-languishing franchise back to life is nothing short of an achievement. I mean, there’s a reason (or multiple reasons, really) why we’re still celebrating this film more than a decade later.
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Don’t get me wrong, I am excited to see these monsters, set pieces that are front and center, and the new spin Zach Cregger takes with the Resident Evil film franchise. He was able to find that balance of pure terror and explosive, incredibly violent action in Weapons, so I’m not worried about him in that regard. A colleague made a pitch for future films in the franchise to take a page out of Resident Evil: Requiem’s book and find that balance between comedy and horror, and I have a feeling Cregger will give us that.
I’m Just Hope The Survival Horror Element Of The Franchise Isn’t Lost
Those who have played the Resident Evil games, especially the original three titles back in the ‘90s, know that they shine when there’s a sense of dread brought on by the survival horror element. If this Mad Max: Fury Road comparison proves to be true, I hope that this element, which is at the core of the franchise, isn’t lost. While the movies have always had horror elements, the need for big set pieces has often gotten in the way of the survival horror side of things, which has made them feel more like adaptations of Resident Evil 6 than anything else.
I know that Cregger is taking a spin at a new story that doesn’t feature characters from the games or even previous movies, but I hope I’m totally off base with my fear that the identity of the games is lost here. The report did say the movie is built on tension, which is making me a little less apprehensive about what’ll go down when this opens in theaters this fall.
Regardless of everything I’ve said, I plan on seeing Resident Evil as soon as the upcoming horror movie hits the big screen. I just have my fingers crossed that we won’t have something like Mr. X or Nemesis driving a big truck all the way to Valhalla.