Resident Evil is a comedy first and a thrilling nightmare second

Zach Cregger’s take on Capcom’s zombie franchise is a testament to how video game movies have evolved.

When Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil hit theaters in 2002, video game movies were largely seen as a niche. Films like Mortal Kombat and Tomb Raider had proven that big-screen game adaptations could be successful, but the commercial and critical failure of projects like the 1993 Super Mario Bros. still cast a long shadow. And while Anderson’s vision of Raccoon City might have captivated audiences on the whole, many hardcore fans of Capcom’s games were left disappointed by the way the original movies wildly deviated from the source material.

Weapons director Zach Cregger’s new take on Resident Evil is a return to the franchise’s fundamentals and a choice example of how video game movies have evolved. Its story is stripped down and its zombified monsters are terrifying. It’s also chiefly a movie that’s trying to make you laugh. Cregger uses humor to amplify his Resident Evil ’s horror — his spin on the games’ infected ghouls are meant to be as funny as they are disturbing. The film feels like it could be the beginning of a fantastic new era for the franchise, but what’s most impressive is how well it can work as one and done.

Though this Resident Evil is peppered with nods to Capcom’s games, it focuses on Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier character created for the movie. Like most people living in his mountain town, Bryan knows that a drive over to Raccoon City in the middle of winter can be hell, but a last-minute, high-paying delivery gig is enough to convince him to make the trip. Even with the treacherous weather and spotty cellphone reception, Bryan’s journey with his mysterious cargo is mostly uneventful as he first sets out. But he begins to understand what kind of danger he’s wandering into when he accidentally runs over a shambling woman (Andrea Miltnerová) who doesn’t seem to realize that she’s just been hit by an out-of-control car.

Resident Evil ’s first big scare almost immediately establishes the sense of humor Cregger leans into throughout the film. You can feel the fear oozing out of Bryan as he trudges into the woods looking for the woman, but that tension momentarily evaporates as the film smash-cuts to him coaxing her into his car so that he can get her the medical help she clearly needs. The same dread rushes to the fore when Bryan witnesses how Resident Evil ’s infected humans can mutate into creatures that feel like nods to Katamari Damacy and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild . But it’s hard not to laugh when Bryan muses about how interesting the zombies’ transformations are to see up close.