Director Zach Cregger is astonishing critics again with Resident Evil, the latest video game adaptation on the 2026 movie schedule. The Resident Evil franchise has had its ups and downs over the years, with this being the second reboot in the last few years. Judging by the glowing reviews, with critics agreeing that it is very different from the first seven movies, it seems to have found solid footing with Weapons director at the helm. Here’s what the critics are saying about it.
Frank Scheck at The Hollywood Reporter shared his thoughts on the new horror film, and he dropped some serious praise. He also didn’t mince words when discussing where Cregger’s film stands in the pantheon of other Resident Evil movies:
The talented filmmaker has completely rejuvenated the series, leaving the six original films and the misbegotten reboot attempt, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, in the dust.
One thing is definitely clear from the reviews: this is much better than all of the previous Resident Evil movies. Bob Strauss at the San Francisco Chronicle also shared some glowing thoughts, writing:
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No surprise that Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ is the first good movie adaptation of the landmark horror video games…this one is more than just a smarter, more cinematic remedy to a half-dozen mindless, Milla Jovovich zombie slaughters.
Other critics also agree that Cregger nails it, adapting what he’s been great at with his previous horror movies, but without sacrificing what’s made the video games series so addictive for so many years. Clarisse Loughrey at The Independent has this to say about how the film compares to the Jovovich-led movies:
It’s far more faithful to the survival horror mechanics of its source than the earlier Milla Jovovich-led films, yet isn’t suffocated by fan service like the flop 2021 reboot Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. More importantly, it feels thoroughly like a film by Zach Cregger.
In addition to directing, Cregger co-wrote the script with Shay Hatten of John Wick: Chapters 3 and 4 fame. This latest Resident Evil movie centers on medical courier Bryan, who’s making his way to Raccoon City for a delivery when an outbreak ensues. Austin Abrams plays Bryan, and he’s joined in the cast by Zach Cherry, Kail Reis, Paul Walter Hauser and Johnno Wilson.
Sonny Bunch at The Bulwark agrees that the movie really feels like playing the game, and these comments excite me. Bunch writes:
He has put together a film based on a video game that feels pretty explicitly like playing that game. Which is to say that the action comes at regular, and relentless, intervals, all while our stand-in for the audience—medical courier Bryan (Austin Abrams), who is transporting an important bag to the hospital at the heart of Raccoon City—does all the things a novice game player would do.
Cregger, as he did with Weapons and Barbarian, knows exactly how to mix horror and humor, and the critics see it here too. Alonso Duralde at Film Verdict, who went into the movie blind, knowing little about the video game series or the Jovovich films, says:
Combining laughter and terror poses a high degree of difficulty, but in this video-game adaptation, Zach Cregger once again proves to be a maestro of that balance.
That balance didn’t work for everyone. Matt Orozco at Macrabra Daily says it is “more slapstick than scary” in his more middling review. That is by far the exception, with Resident Evil currently sitting at a 98% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Even the rare reviews that aren’t glowing aren’t taking the film apart, either.
Fans of horror movies and fans of the game have been excited to see Zach Cregger’s version of Raccoon City, and he hasn’t disappointed the critics, but we’ll have to see what the hardcore fans of the franchise think when it hits theaters on September 18.