Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil movie understands that video games are ridiculous, and that’s why it’s great.
Video games are ridiculous. The Resident Evil series is a perfect example of this. One moment you’re running in terror away from a comically oversized trench-coated tank of a man in a tiny hat; the next, you’re messing around with electronic chess pieces in order to open a door. These are completely alien situations that, somehow, these games make us feel compelled to navigate through rational thought. This is what Zach Cregger understands about Capcom’s genre-defining series so well. His Resident Evil movie knows that this is all ridiculous, and so the film has its lead, Brian, progress through its 90-minute rollercoaster just as we would if we had a controller in our hands. It’s a fantastic translation of the sensation that playing a survival horror game grants us, never forgetting to include every piece of glorious nonsense that comes with it.
