AbbyNormal Reviews EP18 - Resident Evil 2026

Welcome to the eighteenth episode of AbbyNormal Reviews where I share thoughts on movies I watch.  

I wanted to see the latest Resident Evil movie so badly that I watched it knowing practically nothing about the video game and without having seen the previous ones. Despite that, it was an interesting watch.

Bryan, a young courier transporting medical supplies and organs, finds himself having to make a crucial delivery to Raccoon City Hospital in the dead of night. However, upon arriving in the city, he is forced to battle strange monsters in order to complete the delivery.

Lots of suspense, there's a moderate number of jump scares, I expected more, but they still pack a punch.

It gets off to a very strong start, a great way to kick off the story. A courier has to transport vital medical supplies to another hospital on a snowy night. All the horror elements are there: the darkness, the snow making the car skid, a mysterious delivery, and then, of course, that woman who appears out of nowhere, giving us the film's first scare. From there, things go from bad to worse.

The protagonist is very realistic. He is afraid and doesn't know how to use weapons. He isn't one of those horror movie characters who, by some stroke of magic, effortlessly wields any weapon while remaining cool-headed and super strong.

This makes certain scenes involving our Bryan almost comical. The blend of these two genres works incredibly well. It elicits a few smiles without breaking the sense of anxiety that persists throughout the film.

For instance, there is a running gag about padlocks that he never manages to break by shooting at them, something that happens easily in video games. This serves as a nice character detail: he is a guy who likes video games and even admits that his only experience with shooting comes from playing them.

As previously mentioned, I’m not a fan of the series, but it is immediately obvious that the film is based on a video game.

It feels like watching a speedrun; you can easily identify the checkpoints and the various levels.

There isn't a moment’s respite for our protagonist between scenes. No sooner has he cleared one obstacle than he encounters another.

The end of each sequence (such as the encounter with the dog in the barn or the descent into the manhole) acts as a checkpoint, while every change of setting (like the elevator or the maternity ward) marks a new level, complete with its own monsters to defeat. Naturally, Bryan miraculously manages to pull it all off without dying, yet it is easy to see exactly where the scene would restart if the player were to fail.

Two other distinctly video-game-like elements are the scientist’s voice heard over the intercom at Raccoon City Hospital whose face isn't revealed until the final scene, and the multi-legged monster that relentlessly pursues poor Bryan, much like a final boss that refuses to stay down after just one defeat.

One directorial choice I really appreciated was the use of Bryan’s POV in two specific instances: one is when he is looking around with his rifle. The way the weapon’s barrel moves within the frame along with the camera makes it feel exactly like a first-person video game.

The second instance occurs when Bryan is standing on the hospital “precipice.” I really enjoyed that entire scene. The hospital sequence, from the elevator to the finale, is probably my favorite.

I’m sure that if I had been a fan of the game, I would have appreciated many references that I missed. I have just a couple of criticisms at this point.

One is that there was very little of the Umbrella Corporation.

Even though I’m not a fan, the name isn't new to me since they are the series' antagonist, so I expected them to play a more significant role. There is only a brief hint that they were behind everything, but that’s merely a guess made by Bryan while he was delirious. I would have liked a bit more backstory.

Another point is that the protagonist plays a rather passive role in the narrative, especially at the beginning. He spends most of his time running and shooting. While I understand that this is realistic, it makes things feel a bit repetitive. There are few moments where he makes actual decisions, like while escaping the monster in the elevator.

The rest of the time, he is simply running and moving forward, driven by the events unfolding around him.

Given that the film is based on a video game, it makes sense for there to be more reactions than proactive actions, but it does leave the plot feeling a bit thin.

It’s not that there are empty spaces, that’s not what I’m saying. The film is very packed; as soon as one action scene ends, another begins immediately. However, the protagonist is essentially just being pushed along by the plot.

On top of that, the movie is only an hour and a half long; while that makes sense given the breakneck pacing, I would have liked to see more.

The ending fits the genre, but the whole laboratory scene really got on my nerves. How hard would it have been for one of those scientists to just inject the serum? They had the chance, damn it!

The moral of the film? You shouldn't mess with genetics.

So, there isn't really a lesson for us ordinary viewers; rather, the issue lies with corporations, too arrogant to know when to stop, that won't be watching this movie.

Still, it’s a good movie. I wouldn't call it the film of the year, it didn't really move me, but I had a fun time watching it.

(And Austin Abrams is a cutie)