Resident Evil

Medical courier Bryan (Austin Abrams, "Weapons") is in for a very bad night when a viral outbreak that turns people into zombies and horrific mutations occurs just as he's attempting a delivery to Racoon City Hospital in cowriter (with "Ballerina's" Shay Hatten)/director Zach Cregger's ("Barbarian," "Weapons") reboot of "Resident Evil."

Laura's Review: B+

As a fan of the horror genre, I've never been interested in the "Resident Evil" series, having only bothered with the first one, but damn if Zach Cregger has not only resuscitated the franchise, but completely remade it, albeit with bits and pieces we've seen before. Abrams, who may have set a record for the number of F-bombs muttered in a movie, is a relatable Everyman, a guy with a lot in common with "Exit 8's" protagonist. The film's biggest surprise may be just how funny it is, an unqualified blast.

As Bryan makes what he thinks is his last medical delivery of the day, he's learning from his girlfriend Michelle that they have a pregnancy to deal with and although we'll see Bryan is generally a good guy, his reaction is less than ideal. And then, after having promised to return home immediately to discuss the issue, he accepts one last job when it's offered at double pay, lying about his vehicle's road worthiness for snowy mountain travel.

He continues to plead with Michelle, who is now saying she's taking time by moving in with a friend, as he slips and slides in the storm when suddenly a woman oddly clad in a sleeveless dress steps out from the woods right into his path, crashing over his windshield, the impact cracking it. With the clock ticking on his Class A delivery, Bryan stops and goes to investigate, finding a pool of blood in the road, then tracking footprints off into the snowy woods.

The new "Resident Evil's" script is a masterclass in building tension, running gags and ominous clues sprinkled throughout. It can be broken down into three acts, with Bryan's increasingly bizarre interactions with locals and their pets outside of Racoon City, including a disturbing biting incident from a sympathetic source, leading into a rescue when he finally makes it into the city, on foot, by Umbrella enforcer Maxine (Kali Reis, 2024's 'True Detective') and Umbrella scientist Carl (Paul Walter Hauser, "I, Tonya," "The Luckiest Man in America"). The last act finds him navigating Racoon City's sewer system, but making it to the hospital where the film's videogame roots, like "Exit 8's," are most apparent when he faces making his way from the subterranean garage to the 28th floor.

Umbrella's lab leaked virus, quickly spread, causes mutations right out of John Carpenter's "The Thing," body parts merging into new entities like the demons at the end of "Evil Dead Rise," other mutations suggesting Stuart Gordon's "From Beyond" and "Dune's" Baron Harkonen. Some of the most horrific nightmares are to be found in Racoon City Hospital's maternity ward, which Bryan must navigate on his way to a sky bridge. Along the way Bryan finds vehicles and weapons but is stymied by a series of padlocks and that bite is getting increasingly gnarly looking.

The production is more elevated that one usually associated with the genre, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski ("The Martian," "Napoleon") creating mood as Bryan's car disappears into a small circle of light as snow and nightfall close in around it. He'll use the lights on Arklay County sheriff Max's (Johnno Wilson, TV's 'I Love That for You') squad car to equally effective eeriness. Editor Joe Murphy ("Weapons") knows how to punctuate a scene (just ask Max Cherry (TV's 'Severance') as Umbrella scientist Dave). Sound design ranges from snow covered hush to bodily fluid squish. Composers Ryan and Hays Holladay's ("Weapons") score pulses and spirals with dread. Special effects, practical effect and hair and makeup artists all deliver award worthy contributions.

Videogame adaptations generally don't excite me (you couldn't pay me to watch "Five Nights at Freddy's" or "Mortal Kombat"), but this one, which apparently takes place parallel to events of Resident Evil 2 with all new characters, might just have broken the mold. Bring on the next one!

Sony Pictures releases "Resident Evil" in theaters on 9/18/26.