Zach Cregger's Resident Evil Understands The True Appeal Of The Best Games In The Series

There's something to be said for living in a time where Hollywood is clearly still trying to figure out how to make this whole "video game adaptation" thing work. It's not unlike the early Wild West when superhero movies were still in their most nascent phase, leading to a barrage of unique efforts ranging from "Blade" to the early "X-Men" movies to even something as subversive as M. Night Shyamalan's "Unbreakable." So far, the video game landscape is littered with a similar spread of both hits and misses. For every "The Last of Us" or "Fallout" or (hopefully) "Mortal Kombat II," there's an "Uncharted" or "Borderlands" or "Five Nights At Freddy's 2."

But perhaps "Barbarian" and "Weapons" director Zach Cregger has finally cracked the code once and for all with his upcoming take on "Resident Evil." Our first official look at the new trailer doesn't merely show a beat-for-beat mimicry of the games, but a brand-new story told within the terrifying confines of this franchise. Fan-favorites like Leon, Chris, Jill, or Claire aren't likely to swoop in to the rescue this time around. In fact, the only main character we even see throughout the footage (still breathing, that is) is Austin Abrams' Bryan, a hapless medical courier caught amid what seems to be a t-Virus outbreak, with absolutely no backup on the horizon.

That, more than anything else, could be the key to making this movie succeed where so many others have failed. Cregger's adaptation already looks like it understands the appeal of the best "Resident Evil" games. Rather than an action-packed approach with guns blazing, this is a pivot back to the originals: horror-focused, with powerful foes that can't be put down easily, essentially pitting a gamer and their alarmingly limited inventory against the world.

You know what's much, much better than a video game movie or show that simply copy/pastes the plot and visuals of a game with 100% faithfulness? How about one that innately understands the core appeal of the source material, lovingly embraces the iconography that we all know and love, and actually bothers to do something new with it. It's far too early to say whether Zach Cregger's "Resident Evil" will live up to the hype, but there's no shortage of reasons to hope for the best.

Look no further than the nightmarish journey that main protagonist Bryan undergoes in this teaser trailer. It's true that his specific set of circumstances don't mirror anything from the games, but the broad strokes of his dire predicament sure do. If anyone needed proof that Cregger is the "Resident Evil" diehard that he appears to be, just watch Austin Abrams run through eerily empty vistas in the dead of night, explore seemingly abandoned buildings, frantically pull open drawers for resources, and be rewarded for his efforts with a shotgun ... only to discover that he has no bullets. An argument could be made that this segment alone is the purest distillation of the games we've ever seen in live action.

This might well be exactly what so many gamers claim to want from any adaptation of their favorite series: a throwback to the first three acclaimed installments. These were the games that landed "Resident Evil" on the map in the first place and set the tone for everything that followed. Filter that sensibility through the modern lens of "Biohazard," "Village," and "Requiem," and you have the makings of something truly special.

Fans may notice that the "Resident Evil" footage appears to be holding quite a lot back, and that's certainly by design. Though we get brief glimpses of mutated-looking monsters, locations that hint at sinister designs, and basic production design that hearkens back to the mood and atmosphere of the source material, this is a fairly straightforward teaser in every sense of the word. And even that is enough to make Zach Cregger's approach feel all the more promising.

Everywhere you look, "Resident Evil" seems to be emphasizing one thing and one thing only: a stripped-down, minimalist, and back-to-basics return to what made this franchise so great to begin with. Beyond the obvious fact that Austin Abrams is so good at playing someone at the end of their rope and left in completely desperate straits (which we saw in "Weapons" and will see again soon in the upcoming "Whalefall"), everything about this footage plays up the sheer helplessness of someone unwittingly caught in a situation like this. At their best, the "Resident Evil" games preyed on our darkest vulnerabilities and fears, forcing our backs against the walls and daring us to use our wits to find a way out. While an adaptation can't recreate the immersion and interface of a gamer controlling a character's actions, it sure can bring us back to that base-level, animalistic instinct of needing to find a way to survive at all costs.

Yeah, you could say we're pretty excited for this and all the potential practically oozing out of its every orifice. (You're welcome for that visual.) "Resident Evil" will scare its way into theaters on September 18, 2026. That's just enough time for another playthrough of the games.