'The best videogame movie' ever? The first reviews of Zach Cregger's Resident Evil adaptation are absolutely glowing
Overview & Key Takeaways
Low bar to clear, but still.
Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie comes out this week on September 18, and the early reviews have just dropped. It's good news for games and horror fans: it sounds like just about everyone likes it, with more than one reviewer calling it the best videogame adaptation ever made.
(That's a pretty low bar, but still.)
Granted, early reviewers are hand-picked by studios, so it pays to take these first batch of glowing reviews with a grain of salt—and speaking of salty, PC Gamer (despite asking nicely a number of times!) wasn't granted a press screening, so we can't offer our own take. I know, boo hoo, poor us. In the meantime, until we get a chance to see it ourselves, you can get hyped by what a bunch of other outlets have said about the latest Resident Evil flick:
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GamesRadar+ (4/5): "Turns out eighth time's a charm, as despite much pre-release griping over the absence of iconic game characters like Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, director Zach Cregger's Resident Evil isn't just the best Resi movie by a distance; it's the best video game movie full stop," says Jordan Farley.
Polygon (91/100): "Cregger takes his love for both the franchise and the genre and channels them into something we've never really seen before," says Jake Kleinman. "Resident Evil is funny, scary, gross, and beautiful. Above all else, it captures the fight-or-flight experience of actually playing a Resident Evil game."
Gamespot (8/10): "By backing away from the stories and characters of the video games, Cregger dodges the giant bullet of 'that’s not my Leon Kennedy' and instead lets us finally experience Resident Evil ourselves, through our own eyes," says Eric Frederiksen.
(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
IGN (8/10): "With a laser focus on putting its hero through the worst night of his life," Tom Jorgensen says, "Resident Evil is a simple and exciting survival horror story that benefits greatly from director Zach Cregger’s sensibilities."
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Discussing Film (4/5): "Even though it’s an original story, Cregger’s take on Resident Evil sets a new high bar for video game movies by capturing the source material’s demented spirit while doing something clever and inventive with it.
Collider (8/10): "Clocking in at 90 minutes, Cregger's Resident Evil puts a lean, mean spin on an iconic horror franchise that's only poised to keep getting bigger, with a story that sits within the margins of the existing games while still giving fun, clever nods to its source material," says Carly Lane.
AV Club (B): "The 90-minute B-movie so deftly juggles gags and gross-outs that, when it’s finally boxed in by the larger demands of IP, it’s as tragic as watching a beloved character succumb to the dehumanizing effects of a virus."
(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Rolling Stone (Unscored): "Screw what hardcore fans say a movie adaptation should be," says Pie Conzaga. "Cregger’s take on RE is just as gross, funny, and scary as the games."
Variety (Unscored): "Is it a good movie?" asks Owen Gleiberman. "Let’s call it a sweetly executed piece of escapist trivia. It’s got a quirky relatability… for a Resident Evil movie."
The Hollywood Reporter (Unscored): "Cregger very much makes the film his own while displaying his obvious affinity for the source material," says Frank Scheck. "He’s crafted a propulsive, simultaneously terrifying and hilarious thrill ride that showcases both his cinematic chops and perverse sense of humor."
(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
A few more quotes? Lisa Laman of Land of the Nerds says "Resident Evil is automatically up there with Exit 8 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as the best live-action video game movie ever made," Donald Clark of the Irish Times says "Cregger’s shameless romp, though smallish in scale, feels like the best Resident Evil film in the franchise’s long history," and Adam Olinger of Adam Does Movies (YouTube review) calls it "the best videogame movie of all time."
