Zach Cregg's new Resident Evil film features an original story, casting ordinary person Bryan as the survival protagonist amid the outbreak. Rather than adapting a specific game's main storyline, the film retains the series' worldview and Raccoon City outbreak backdrop, borrowing elements like exploration, resource scarcity, and unknown threats to create horror.
Over nearly 30 years, the Resident Evil franchise has expanded into games, films, and TV series, with its Hollywood adaptations having a notably turbulent history. Previous reboot films attempted to merge the plots of the first two games, while this new version chooses to craft an original story within the established setting, reusing elements such as monsters, weapons, and environments.
ComicBook's review suggests that while this approach deviates from the original plot, it may better capture the gaming experience: horror stems not only from zombies and giant monsters, but also from the survivors' constant vulnerability and uncertainty about what lies ahead.
The camera follows Bryan through unfamiliar spaces, allowing audiences to discover new areas and threats alongside him, rather than relying on continuous action sequences. Quiet exploration suddenly gives way to chaos, before the pace slows again. The aforementioned review identifies this shift as a key way the film draws from the gaming experience.
Bryan is no action hero familiar with every monster; his lack of preparation fuels the story's tension. As he presses forward, the film introduces objectives, obstacles, limited resources, and unfamiliar locations, with threats becoming increasingly bizarre. Instead of recreating plotlines known to players, the new version focuses suspense on whether this ordinary person can survive the immediate crisis.