Resident Evil (2026) Review – Into Raccoon City Once More!

Resident Evil is one of the longest-running video game franchises in the horror genre. There are over 30 games in the franchise, starting back in 1996. There are a lot of hits in the video game franchise, but there are a few misses as well. As a whole, the good outweighs the bad. I cannot say the same for the films. There were 9 films in total before Zach Cregger took over, and let me tell you, I can name maybe 3. It’s not that they are bad; it’s that they are awful. Seriously though, with the exception of the first one in the Milla series, I personally think these movies just go downhill with each one.

Welcome to Raccoon City was an okay movie; HOWEVER…they did my boy Leon dirty. So, with so many duds in this franchise, will we finally get a hit with Cregger’s 2026 adaptation? In my opinion, the answer is hell yes. There are so many things to like about this movie. I was very impressed with how much Austin Abrams carried this film. In its runtime of 95 minutes, the supporting characters appear for maybe a total of 15 minutes. And let me tell you, it is perfectly fine.

S.T.A.R.S.

Listen, Bryan just wants to deliver this poor kid’s heart or kidney so he can get home to his newly pregnant girlfriend. Bryan’s job is to deliver the package into the mountains to Raccoon City General, and come hell or high water, that man is finishing the job. Austin Abrams does a great job as the lovable yet dimwitted Bryan. There were times when he made me laugh, cry, and shake my head in disbelief (I will never understand what he was thinking with that ladder). He is terrible with guns, but why shouldn’t he be? And to be fair, if someone is running at you full speed, frothing at the mouth, it’s going to be really hard to shoot them. I don’t know that from experience; I’m just guessing by the way my heart was racing. The boy goes through absolute hell, and instead of turning around and going home, he moves forward to complete his delivery.

Bryan encounters some unique characters along the way. One of my favorite scenes is in the abandoned RV. Bryan finds a small child alone in this tunnel (which, by the way, dude, HUGE red flag) in the back of an RV and proves that he should not have been driving without glasses because, my God, man, look at those toes! Some things happen here that directly affect the outcome of the movie, but I won’t get into that. Getting discovered by Maxine (why the hell did she get out of the car?) and one of the Umbrella scientists moves the plot toward the Umbrella lab. And the climax of this movie is fantastic. The lab scene had me laughing and screaming the whole time internally. I thought the movie ended perfectly, and though I was frustrated, I was happy with what I had just experienced.

Final Thoughts

There are plenty of nods here to the games. The upgrading of weapons as Bryan progresses, typewriter, and green herbs were subtle but a nice touch. For anyone asking, “Why did he keep shooting the locks?” I ask you this…you really haven’t done that? I don’t care how many Resident Evil games I’ve played; if I come to a lock, you can bet your ass I’m going to shoot that bad boy. Maybe it’s my weird brain, but sometimes it does work. I loved Bryan even though he had me wanting to scream “keep going, why are you stopping?!!” more times than a few. There are no fan favorite characters here, and in my opinion, that’s just fine. This was a very enjoyable Resident Evil movie, and for once, I actually want to go back and watch it again. I would give this movie a 7/10 and the scientists a 5/10.

Nerd Initiative Official Score: 8/10

Read more of Ian’s reviews here!

Have you seen Resident Evil? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!