A review of the new Resident Evil film suggests that, through the perspective of an ordinary courier, original monster designs, and a fast-paced 95-minute runtime, the movie creates a survival pressure akin to that of the games. Instead of centering on the game's main characters, the film places an ordinary person with little combat experience in the midst of Raccoon City's crisis.
The film's protagonist, Brian, played by Austin Abrams, is a courier responsible for delivering medical supplies. He accepts a high-priority delivery mission to Raccoon City, tasked with ensuring the package remains intact and avoiding detours. While driving through a snowy night, he hits a woman in pajamas and is subsequently plunged into a relentless series of escapes.
Brian has no special forces training, and his experience with firearms comes solely from video games. Critics note that this setup makes him more relatable to the average viewer: he panics and curses in the face of danger, clumsily reloads his dwindling ammunition under pressure, but never stops moving forward.
The film maintains a fast pace throughout its 95-minute runtime, leaving almost no time to catch one's breath or reflect. Every time Brian finds a temporarily safe spot, he is quickly dragged into the next crisis. Critics describe it as a horror marathon, arguing that the film focuses more on sustained tension than on relying solely on scare tactics.
Beyond horror, the film incorporates plenty of humor and body horror elements. The protagonist uses jokes to cope with the chaos around him, but these moments do not diminish the sense of crisis; some punchlines even occur just before danger strikes. The film also includes jump scares and plenty of graphic, bloody imagery.
The monster design does not rely entirely on the classic enemies from the Resident Evil series. The number of zombies in the film is relatively low, with the main threats coming from original creatures, including bodies composed of numerous limbs and tentacles tipped with teeth. Critics believe these designs still carry forward the visual characteristics of the series' virus-mutated beings.
The film does not feature cameo appearances by Raccoon City Police Department officers or S.T.A.R.S. members, but it retains many details aimed at series fans. Critics suggest that by avoiding the game's existing plotlines and main characters, the film is able to portray the experience of an ordinary person stumbling into the world of Resident Evil and constantly fleeing for their life.