We were invited by Sony/Eagle Pictures to a preview of the so-called footage of Resident Evil, basically the first 20 minutes of the setup (which is partly visible in the trailer) before the opening titles. We aren’t fans of this practice, which Zach Cregger himself presented to us in a short video introduction. We like to see films in full, but since horror enthusiasts like us the American director is one of the best working today (it’s almost unbelievable that a new film lands just a year after his admirable Weapons), we made an exception to the rule this time. Resident Evil brings the video game saga to the cinema in a way, as we seem to have understood, that is totally different from the film series (six films) directed by Paul S.W. Anderson starting in 2002 with Milla Jovovich in the heroine’s role, and also from the 2021 reboot by Johannes Roberts. The film runs only 90 minutes, which is already worthy of praise: after all Cregger is capable of condensing in this timespan more action, suspense, involvement and fun than some of his colleagues can in 100-plus minutes. Resident Evil will hit cinemas on September 17, and we will return to discuss it, but in the meantime here are our first impressions and (in our opinion) what we can expect, noting that we know the game but have never played it, so we limit ourselves to the perspective of the cinematic adaptation. Obviously, if you don’t want spoilers, stop here, although in this case the concept is a bit ridiculous since the plot has already been spread for a while and even the trailer is quite revealing.
Resident Evil: Impressions from the First 20 Minutes
The first good piece of news is that the protagonist is, for once, as aptly described, “one of us,” not the usual hero or heroine who discovers superhuman abilities, but someone a bit awkward, who doesn’t quite understand what’s happening, doesn’t really know what to do, and finds himself drawn into something unthinkable and far bigger than himself. The second good piece of news is that Bryan, the young medical courier tasked with transporting organs for transplants to hospitals, is played by Austin Abrams, whom we absolutely adored in the role of the addict in Weapons, and who here takes on a role that is the polar opposite. At the start of the film, Bryan is about to finish his shift and head home, but as he’s about to do so, he’s offered a urgent, well-paid assignment for the hospital in Raccoon City. The night is stormy and the streets are snow-covered (an atmosphere a bit reminiscent of The Shining), and he, evidently not as prepared as he should be to navigate them, is also quite distracted because he has just learned that his girlfriend is pregnant (and here the analogy is with Exit 8). For all these reasons, shortly afterward the incident that will change everything occurs. What strikes us is the pace, the humor, and the promise of very, very gore-filled moments (the film has been rated R, though, knowing how Americans are, it could be for all the “fucks” uttered in the opening minutes). Austin Abrams has already found himself in a zombie outbreak in The Walking Dead, but here we suspect his character is more naïve and will have to learn a series of skills to survive and avoid infection. We know no more and do not want to know more, waiting like everyone else for September 17 to see what Zach Cregger and his co-writer Shay Hatten, who has plenty of experience in the action and horror genres, have come up with to keep us on the edge of our seats. And we can’t wait.
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