Resident Evil

I went into this movie with about as much excitement as one could have for a film. I've always wanted a good Resident Evil movie, and let's face it, while some of the character designs were spot on in the previous attempts, they were a pile of dog shit—at least in my opinion 😂.

I've also been a huge fan of Zach Cregger's other movies, Barbarian and Weapons. I wasn't concerned in the slightest about his take on RE revolving around a new character who wasn't in the games. He had earned my trust.

There are some truly epic jump scares that got even the most seasoned horror fans to pop out of their seats. There was one scare in particular (IYKYK) that had me in tears because my best friend yelped and almost dumped his popcorn.

Austin Abrams was really good here, too. After seeing him play a side character junkie in Weapons, I would have never looked at him and said, "yep, he's a leading man!" But that's part of his charm. Sure, there may be a few too many jokes for some, but most of them land and are well timed. The packed theater was cracking up as much as they were gasping at the tension.

The creature design was great, and the use of practical effects throughout really added to it. This movie looks and sounds incredible.

Lastly, the elephant in the room. If you are a faithful Resident Evil truther, will you enjoy this film? I think you will. If you went in expecting to see the cast of the video games, you may be disappointed, but the promotion of this movie has made it very clear not to expect that going in. There are plenty of nods and easter eggs throughout that will make fans smile while still keeping the story original within the same universe of the games.

I give this one a solid 9 out of 10. I had a blast and cannot wait to watch it again at home. But if you get a chance to see it on the big screen, DO IT!