---
title: "Resident Evil"
year: 2026
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/resident-evil"
fi1m_id: "resident-evil"
imdb_id: "tt35538033"
tmdb_id: 1423191
wikidata_id: "Q136565785"
fi1m_score: 77
critics_score: 79
critics_reviews: 32
published: "2026-09-17"
updated: "2026-09-30T06:00:53.422946+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Resident Evil (2026)

Directed by Zach Cregger · 1h 30m · MPA R · Horror, Science Fiction

## Identity

Resident Evil

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/resident-evil
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** resident-evil
- **IMDb ID:** tt35538033
- **TMDB ID:** 1423191
- **Wikidata ID:** Q136565785
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35538033/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1423191, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q136565785

**Fi1m score: 77** · Critics 79 from 32 reviews

*In a sentence:* Ninety minutes with a man who should have called in sick, and we would have too

> Zach Cregger starts again with one frightened man, one delivery and one long night. For an hour it is tight, funny and horrible; then it gets bigger and gets worse. Worth your evening if this is your genre.

## Synopsis

Raccoon City, after dark. Bryan (Austin Abrams) is a medical courier with a delivery to make and no particular wish to be a hero. He sets out to drop off his package and go home. The city has other plans: something has got loose, people are turning on one another in the streets and stairwells, and the dead are not staying down. Bryan is not a soldier. He has a parcel and a strong preference for living to the end of his shift. Along the way he runs into Dave (Zach Cherry), Pauline (Kali Reis) and Carl (Paul Walter Hauser), none of whom is having a better evening than he is.

## Review

Zach Cregger has spent two films, *Barbarian* and [*Weapons*](https://film.one/film/weapons), teaching audiences to wait for the moment the film they are watching becomes a different film. For *Resident Evil* he has taken on a video game series that has already been through a long run of earlier films, and he has thrown out all of it. No squad, no lore, no heroine who can do a backflip. His hero is Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier with a parcel to deliver in Raccoon City, and the film is his one terrible night. It runs 90 minutes, it is funny and horrible in about equal measure, and for an hour it is as good as this sort of thing gets. Then it grows, and it is not as good big as it was small.

Abrams is the reason it works. Bryan is not a soldier or a scientist; he is a man in a job he would rather not be doing, and Abrams plays him as frightened from the first reel to the last and going forward anyway, which is a harder thing to act than courage. He makes bad decisions at speed. He runs out of things. When he does something brave, his face tells you he cannot believe he is doing it, and the audience we saw it with laughed and cheered at the same moment. It is a proper leading performance in a genre that usually gets by on a jawline.

Cregger’s best idea is borrowed from the source, and he knows it. At intervals Dariusz Wolski’s camera drops to Bryan’s eye line and stays there, so that a corridor becomes a corridor in the game: a door at the end, something behind it, a mental count of what is left in the bag. It is used sparingly, which is why it works, and it makes the audience do the arithmetic with him. Joe Murphy cuts the first hour tight, one problem at a time, and Tom Hammock keeps the city ordinary: the back doors and service corridors a courier actually uses, lit as if the building has not been told anything is wrong. Hays Holladay and Ryan Holladay’s score stays low under all of it and lets the sound of things in the walls do the frightening.

About forty minutes in there is a sequence we will not describe, involving something that should not be able to move the way it moves, and we laughed out loud at it and were frightened within the same breath. That is Cregger’s trick, the joke and the scare arriving together so you cannot tell which one made you grab the armrest, and nobody else working in horror does it as well. The creature work looks practical where it matters, and the row behind us groaned as one. We had a good time. We want to say that plainly before we say the rest.

The rest is the last half hour. The film leaves the small places and goes somewhere larger, and the set pieces get louder without getting more frightening; the camera pulls back from Bryan’s shoulder, and the moment it does, he becomes one more person in a crowd being chased. Cregger and Shay Hatten’s script has threads it does not finish. Dave (Zach Cherry), Pauline (Kali Reis) and Carl (Paul Walter Hauser) each get a scene or two and a personality, and then the film has to move on, and Hauser in particular could have carried more than he is given. The ending does not land. We found ourselves checking the time in the final stretch, and were cross about it, because the hour before had earned better.

Set against the earlier *Resident Evil* films, this is comfortably the best, though that is a bar you could step over. Set against Cregger’s own work, it is his most straightforward film: there is no turn, no second film hiding inside the first, and if you come expecting one you will wait for it in vain. Most of the reviews so far are warmer than we are, and we understand why. The first hour buys a great deal of goodwill, and 90 minutes is a length that forgives a lot.

Go on a Friday night, with a loud crowd, and do not eat first.

*Fi1m score 77, published 17 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics are in favour, and the praise gathers in the same three places. Zach Cregger’s direction is credited with a lean, bloody reboot that plays like a night with the games themselves, down to the first-person camera. Austin Abrams’ hapless courier is singled out as the film’s anchor. The practical effects and creature design draw near-unanimous approval, along with the mix of gore and comedy. Several reviews call it the best Resident Evil film by a distance.

The reservations concentrate on the back half. A number of critics find the momentum fades once the contained first act gives way to bigger set pieces, with the ending described as unwieldy or repetitive. The Observer argues the episodic, game-like structure defuses suspense, and Den of Geek finds it slight and empty. Time Out thinks it more goofy than frightening. The spread is narrow: no review is negative, and even the mixed ones concede it beats every previous adaptation.

## Straight answers

**Is Resident Evil worth watching?**

*Resident Evil* is worth watching if horror is your genre, and we scored it 77. Zach Cregger's first hour is tight, funny and horrible, with Austin Abrams frightened and going forward anyway as a medical courier on one terrible night. The last half hour gets bigger and louder without getting more frightening, and the ending does not land.

**How long is Resident Evil, and what is it rated?**

*Resident Evil* runs 1h 30m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a horror and science fiction film.

**Where can I watch Resident Evil in the US?**

*Resident Evil* is not on any streaming or rental service in the US at the moment. It is available in 3 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Resident Evil, and is it suitable for children?**

*Resident Evil* is a 15 in the UK and an R in the US, and it is not for children. The dead do not stay down, people turn on one another in the streets and stairwells, and the creature work is practical enough that the row behind us groaned as one. Teenagers who like being scared and made to laugh in the same breath are its audience; the squeamish should stay home.

**How does Resident Evil compare to Train to Busan?**

*Resident Evil* is the funnier film and [*Train to Busan*](https://film.one/film/train-to-busan) is the better one, because Yeon Sang-ho keeps his ordinary commuters worth worrying about to the end. Cregger's film is at its best in the same close quarters, one man and one corridor at a time, but it loses its people when it gets bigger. Watch *Train to Busan* if you want to feel something; watch this one for a loud Friday night.

**What should I watch after Resident Evil?**

After *Resident Evil*, try [*Barbarian*](https://film.one/film/barbarian) (2022, Fi1m 77): Cregger’s first horror film, where the turn he skips here arrives with a vengeance. Then [*Train to Busan*](https://film.one/film/train-to-busan) (2016, Fi1m 84): Ordinary commuters, one train, the dead in the next carriage; Korea does it faster; and [*Shaun of the Dead*](https://film.one/film/shaun-of-the-dead) (2004, Fi1m 85): The other great film about a man who would rather not be a hero.

### Reviews we read (32)

- **Radio Times** (5/5): Cregger understands the DNA of the franchise and crafts a unique, fun, frenetic and gory horror with standout body horror moments and an everyman protagonist who hooks the audience. It is likely his best yet. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/scifi/resident-evil-zach-cregger-review/)
- **Empire**, Harry Stainer (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it the best Resident Evil movie yet and a tight, bloody 90-minute thrill-ride that captures the games' essence through setpieces and resource management. Austin Abrams' everyman performance is singled out as the glue holding it together, though the narrative lacks Cregger's usual twists after a strong first act. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/resident-evil-2026/)
- **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (★★★★☆): Cregger applies himself to the video game adaptation with a lean reboot about a medical courier assailed by malign forces. The result is one of the most purely enjoyable B movies of recent memory. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/9bcd4e37-9257-4982-af61-127ff52b2f73)
- **Screen Daily** (90/100, inferred): The critic finds Cregger's Resident Evil a bombastic, bloody and back-to-basics reboot that successfully resets the franchise. They single out the impactful, inventive effects drawn from the game's visuals and Austin Abrams' pitch-perfect lead performance. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/resident-evil-review-zach-cregger-follows-weapons-with-high-octane-back-to-basics-reboot-of-hit-video-game-franchise/5220471.article)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Frank Scheck (90/100, inferred): Cregger has rejuvenated the Resident Evil series with a propulsive, terrifying and hilarious thrill ride that showcases his cinematic chops and perverse sense of humor. The critic praises the imaginative set pieces, gore, and Austin Abrams' performance as the everyman hero. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/resident-evil-review-zach-cregger-austin-abrams-1236702545/)
- **The New York Times**, Brandon Yu (Critic’s Pick): The reboot is the most raucously entertaining thrill ride of the year. The critic singles out the stylish late title card and the first-person-shooter camera perspective that creates visceral gaming-checkpoint suspense. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/movies/resident-evil-review.html)
- **Total Film**, Jordan Farley (90/100, inferred): The critic declares it the best Resi movie by a distance and the best video game movie full stop. It is praised for feeling like playing a very good video game while delivering strong gore and gameplay mimicry. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/movies/resident-evil-movie-review/)
- **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (4/4/4): Cregger sets a new high bar for video game adaptations with an unabashedly nasty, gore-soaked take that honours the spirit of the games while forging something fresh. It works like gangbusters as effective, stripped-back horror. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/resident-evil)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh (80/100, inferred): Cregger's reboot stands out as a fun, playful riff on the games that mimics the experience of playing them through a hapless protagonist's eyes. The director's horror imagery and humor shine, though the ending feels a bit unwieldy. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-09-18/resident-evil-review-reboot-zach-cregger-austin-abrams-paul-walter-hauser-kali-reis)
- **The Guardian** (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Zach Cregger’s direction for delivering a seat-edge thriller with expert pacing and comic-horrific timing. Standout lead performance from Austin Abrams as a hapless everyman is highlighted as a fresh point-of-view character. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/16/resident-evil-reboot-movie-review)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (80/100, inferred): Cregger’s reboot is a funky, creepy-crawly squishfest that is different and better than prior entries, with a light quirky tone and inventive monster effects. The critic praises the ordinary, non-macho hero and the film’s refusal to take itself too seriously while staying alive and fun. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/resident-evil-review-zach-cregger-1236863421/)
- **Sight and Sound** (78/100, inferred): Cregger’s reboot jettisons franchise lore for a standalone zombie thriller that captures the maddening experience of playing the games. It intermingles slapstick and shocks effectively through an ordinary protagonist. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/resident-evil-zach-creggers-thrilling-reboot-pares-things-back-essentials-survival-horror)
- **The AV Club**, Jacob Oller (B): Cregger's reboot is a focused "bad day on the job" film that's funnier and meaner, excelling in its contained first act with relatable horror and comedy, but loses some momentum in larger set pieces. Abrams' performance and wit make it one of the best video game adaptations. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/resident-evil-review-2026-zach-cregger-reboot-austin-abrams)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (75/100, inferred): Cregger delivers a relentless, lean adaptation that captures the spirit of the games in an 85-minute thrill ride centered on an ordinary courier. It points toward the future of video-game movies even if it occasionally veers too goofy. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/resident-evil-movie-review-2026-zach-cregger-1235217403/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Justin Clark (3/4): Clark finds the reboot a hilarious, gory ride that adapts the games’ experience rather than their plots. He praises how the comedy’s timing meshes with effective jump scares and Austin Abrams’s relatable reactions. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/resident-evil-review-austin-abrams-zach-cregger/)
- **The Times** (75/100, inferred): Zach Cregger approaches the tired zombie universe with giddy enthusiasm, resulting in a thoughtful and earnest reboot with a great turn from Austin Abrams. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/resident-evil-review-a-delightful-reboot-thanks-to-the-weapons-creator-86vx79pfh)
- **The New Yorker**, Tyler Foggatt (70/100, inferred): Foggatt finds the film thrilling and well-crafted, but somewhat disappointing beside Zach Cregger’s more ambitious work. They praise its playful recreation of survival-horror gameplay, especially the resource-searching and combat details. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-current-cinema/resident-evil-is-fun-but-soulless-what-else-could-it-be)
- **Vulture**, Alison Willmore (70/100, inferred): The film works best as a Cregger movie, a bitterly funny horror-comedy that gives an NPC-like courier his moment in a zombie apocalypse. It is deftly done but the least interesting of his films to date. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-resident-evil-gives-an-npc-his-time-to-shine.html)
- **The Observer**, Wendy Ide (65/100, inferred): The film fails to match the tension and structure of Cregger's earlier horrors like Barbarian and Weapons, largely because its video game-inspired episodic format defuses suspense. It stands well above previous Resident Evil adaptations thanks to its stomach-turning practical effects and gallows humour. [Read](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/wendy-ides-films-of-the-week-resident-evil-queen-at-sea-shaun-the-sheep-the-beast-of-mossy-bottom)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (3/5): Cregger upgrades the filmmaking but the result is still more goofy and good-looking than actually frightening, with an endearing everyman hero and gnarly creature design. It is a fun Friday night ride but not a horror classic. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/resident-evil-review-2026)
- **Polygon**, Jake Kleinman (90/100, inferred): Cregger's adaptation captures the fight-or-flight essence of playing a Resident Evil game through an everyman courier's harrowing night. The critic highlights the film's mix of humor, scares, gross-out elements, and inventive monster designs while noting its mostly solitary focus as both a strength and minor weakness. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/resident-evil-review-zach-cregger/)
- **The Wrap** (90/100, inferred): The critic hails the film as Cregger’s best yet and the first great Resident Evil adaptation, capturing the games’ strange mix of terror turning ridiculous. It is praised for faithfully evoking the experience of playing the survival-horror series through breathless thrills, character sensitivity, and tonal shifts rather than strict lore fidelity. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/resident-evil-2026-review-zach-cregger/)
- **Eye for Film**, Andrew Robertson (85/100, inferred): The critic finds it an entertaining, effective adaptation and urges audiences to see it. They praise its balance of comedy and carnage, along with its distinctive synth-driven score. [Read](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/resident-evil-2026-film-review-by-andrew-robertson)
- **Consequence** (B+): The film delivers tense, adrenaline-fueled horror with effective jump scares and humor that heightens rather than diffuses tension. Austin Abrams shines as the flawed, relatable lead forced to survive an outbreak while attempting a simple delivery. [Read](https://consequence.net/2026/09/resident-evil-2026-movie-review-zach-cregger/)
- **Collider**, Carly Lane (8/10): Cregger's Resident Evil succeeds with its stripped-down approach focused on an everyman protagonist navigating Raccoon City. The critic praises Austin Abrams' relatable performance and the expert balance of horror and comedy, though notes the third act loses some initial luster. [Read](https://collider.com/resident-evil-movie-2026-review-zach-cregger/)
- **Digital Spy**, Ian Sandwell (80/100, inferred): The critic highlights how the film captures the spirit of playing the games through nods, set pieces, and tension, with strong lead performance and balance of humor and horror, though the ending doesn't quite land. It's one of the most entertaining horror movies of the year and the best live-action RE film. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a73722380/resident-evil-review-2026/)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (7.5/10): The critic praises the film's lean pacing, gross-out practical effects, and fun, game-like structure with an inept hero, but notes the script is thin with undercooked subplots. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/2260033/zach-cregger-resident-evil-movie-review/)
- **Deadline** (70/100, inferred): The critic praises Cregger for delivering a smart, original reboot of the horror franchise that retains core elements while creating a fresh template and storyline. Austin Abrams is singled out as a propulsive new star, with humor highlighted as the key element that keeps the adrenaline-driven scenario engaging and darkly comedic. [Read](https://deadline.com/2026/09/resident-evil-review-zach-cregger-austin-abrams-horror-1237105163/)
- **HeyUGuys** (70/100, inferred): The review finds the film terrifying, goofy and visually spectacular, though its rushed ending disappoints. It praises the relentless pursuit scenes and their carefully paced tension. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/resident-evil-review/)
- **NME**, Jordan Bassett (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the first half a thrilling white-knuckle ride of gore, jump scares and comic tone that stays true to the games, but the second half descends into numbing repetition as battles with bio-engineered monsters repeat. Overall, Cregger proves it is far from game over for the franchise. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/resident-evil-review-zach-cregger-austin-abrams-video-game-3969434)
- **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (70/100, inferred): Nayman finds the film brisk and entertaining, though its horror rarely becomes genuinely frightening. He particularly praises Austin Abrams’s physical, comic performance as the film’s hapless protagonist. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2026/09/22/movies/resident-evil-review-zach-cregger-austin-abrams-video-game-adaptation)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (3 out of 5): The critic praises Cregger for capturing the suspense and atmosphere of the games in the first half, but notes the film is slight and has tonal issues in trying to add profundity or subversion. Overall, it's the best Resident Evil movie but feels empty and like a B-movie. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/resident-evil-review-decent-raccoon-city/)

## Details

- **Director:** Zach Cregger
- **Director:** Zach Cregger
- **Writer:** Shay Hatten, Zach Cregger
- **Cinematography:** Dariusz Wolski
- **Editor:** Joe Murphy
- **Music:** Hays Holladay, Ryan Holladay
- **Production design:** Tom Hammock
- **Costume design:** Caroline Fahrer
- **Producer:** Robert Kulzer, Roy Lee, Miri Yoon
- **Cast:** Austin Abrams as Bryan; Zach Cherry as Dave; Kali Reis as Pauline; Paul Walter Hauser as Carl; Johnno Wilson as Max; Shaun W. Loeser as Puker; Devon Deshaun Stewart; Zach Cregger as (voice)
- **Runtime:** 1h 30m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 18 September 2026
- **Genres:** Horror, Science Fiction
- **Budget:** $75 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNd1gb19A-c

## Where to watch in the US

Not streaming, renting or buying in the US at the last check.

Also available in: AT, CH, DE. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Barbarian* (2022), Fi1m 77: Cregger’s first horror film, where the turn he skips here arrives with a vengeance. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/barbarian.md)
- *Train to Busan* (2016), Fi1m 84: Ordinary commuters, one train, the dead in the next carriage; Korea does it faster. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/train-to-busan.md)
- *[REC]* (2007): A Barcelona block of flats, a news camera and no way out; brutally efficient.
- *Shaun of the Dead* (2004), Fi1m 85: The other great film about a man who would rather not be a hero. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/shaun-of-the-dead.md)
- *The Return of the Living Dead* (1985), Fi1m 79: Punk, practical effects and the joke and the scare arriving in the same shot. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-return-of-the-living-dead.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/resident-evil