Quest-en-Scène: Resident Evil is Disgustingly Fun
Going into Resident Evil, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I haven’t been the biggest fan of Zach Cregger’s previous films and Resident Evil isn’t a franchise I have much familiarity with. I was pretty sure this movie wasn’t going to be for me. I am so glad I went against my initial instincts, because it ended up being one of the best horror movies I’ve seen in a very long time!
I’m not sure what a diehard Resident Evil fan would think about this movie, but as someone with pretty limited knowledge (I’ve seen a playthrough of Resident Evil Village, which, in my understanding, is not the best representation of the franchise), I had an amazing time. Like the other Resident Evil films, this is not a direct adaptation of any of the games, instead it is an original story set in the same universe. Unlike the previous movies, none of the game characters appear, allowing the story to completely stand on its own. This is a great decision, since without the pressure of trying to perfectly fit the story into the lore and continuity of the games, the filmmakers can instead dedicate their full focus to crafting an exciting, well-done horror movie. And boy, did they!
Resident Evil follows Bryan, a medical courier who is hired to deliver a package to Raccoon City, the home of the mysterious Umbrella Corporation, a collection of scientists developing mutagenic viruses in order to create bioweapons. As grotesque mutated beings begin hunting him down, he realizes that he’s accidentally gotten involved in something much bigger than himself and it’s all up to him to prevent a potentially world-ending catastrophe.
I found Bryan to be a very well done iteration of the everyman horror protagonist. He’s an ordinary guy who’s completely out of his depth, but in a realistic way. He doesn’t suddenly become hyper-competent or a suave action hero in the face of danger. He trips and falls over in embarrassing ways, makes dumb mistakes, and has absolutely no idea how to use a machine gun. I found his failed attempts to act like a cool video game protagonist to be very endearing. One of the funniest ongoing threads in the film was Bryan’s numerous failed attempts to shoot a lock off a door, exclaiming that, “it looks so easy to do in video games!” Additionally, on many occasions, he tries and fails to come up with cool, quippy responses to the dangers around him, instead only able to curse the monsters out in between screaming.
However, despite his numerous failures, Bryan maintains a level of common sense that is refreshing to see in a horror protagonist. There was never a moment in the film where I felt he was being dumbed down or acting stupidly out of character in order for the plot to progress, a trait I dislike about many horror films. Austin Abrams does an incredible job playing him, doing an excellent job of selling the film’s comedic moments, as well as its moments of genuine pathos. The film would not work nearly as well without such a strong central character to anchor it.
Another thing I enjoyed about the film was its excellent pacing. The film moves at a breakneck speed, barely giving the viewer a chance to process what just happened before moving on to the next threat. The film is around 90 minutes long, and this short runtime allows it to maintain this propulsive momentum the whole way through without ever feeling like it’s dragging. Are there elements of the film that could have been explained better? Sure. Did some of the attempts at giving Bryan more depth feel a bit rushed or overly simplistic? Absolutely. The condensed nature of the film made everything feel more surface level, but that doesn’t matter. When it comes to big budget mainstream horror movies like this, I’d rather they prioritize making the audience’s adrenaline levels spike over making sure they have a complete understanding of every single bit of backstory and lore.
Finally, I appreciate that this film is really gross. I love body horror, it’s by far my favorite horror subgenre, and this film delivers! All of the monsters are extremely well designed, both in how they visually look as well as the deeply unsettling ways they move and interact with their environment. There is one especially gruesome scene towards the end of the film (you’ll know it when you see it) that made me feel both sick to my stomach and impressed that the filmmakers were unafraid to interrogate some of the more upsetting implications of a virus that drastically mutates the body of its host. I love psychological, artsy horror movies as much as the next person, but sometimes you just want to see something schlocky and filled to the brim with blood and guts!
All in all, I adored Resident Evil and had a blast watching it. Whether you’re a fan of the games or just someone who wants to see some messed up, gnarly looking monsters, I guarantee you will find something to love about this film. I personally found the film so immersive that, as I was walking home from the bus stop, I was terrified that some mutated beast was going to jump out and assimilate me into its disgusting conglomerate of flesh and tentacles. I can’t think of a stronger endorsement than that!