Resident evil reboot: director prioritizes game feel over canon
Forget the Jovovich explosions – Zach Cregger’s new Resident Evil movie is chasing a different ghost entirely: the unsettling isolation and frantic resourcefulness of the video games themselves.
A different breed of horror
The latest trailer, dropping September 18th, confirms Cregger’s unwavering focus on replicating the core gameplay experience, eschewing the established lore of the series in favor of a tighter, more character-driven narrative set within the familiar confines of Raccoon City. This isn’t a nostalgic retread; it’s a deliberate divergence, a conscious rejection of the expansive, often chaotic, world-building that defined the Resident Evil films starring Milla Jovovich.
Mimicking the mechanics
Cregger isn’t interested in replicating the spectacle. Instead, he’s meticulously crafting a claustrophobic atmosphere, mirroring the desperate scramble for bullets and the bone-chilling realization of being utterly alone against monstrous odds. The trailer effectively captures that feeling of a lone courier, Bryan (played by Austin Abrams), slowly piecing together a terrifying mystery, armed with a pistol that inevitably graduates to a shotgun, and then, finally, an MP5 – a constant, nagging worry about dwindling ammunition.
Echoes of the games, new story
As Cregger himself explained in an interview with PlayStation, his aim is to tell a story “following a character from point A to point B,” mirroring the episodic, journey-based structure that’s been so successful in the games. “You go on this crazy journey, and you go through all these different environments, and things just seem to be escalating and escalating. That feels so cinematic to me.” He explicitly stated he wanted to avoid simply retelling stories the games had already explored – a sentiment brilliantly articulated: “To me, I would feel like there’s kind of no winning there if I were to tell Leon’s story, because the games do such a great job. It would just be kind of redundant, and ultimately, I think, disappointing.”
Adjacent to raccoon city
The film is positioned adjacent to the events of Resident Evil 2, albeit with significant alterations “for dramatic license,” according to Cregger. It’s essentially the story of a lone operative, tasked with a critical mission in the midst of the city’s apocalyptic descent – a mission that demands a constant awareness of dwindling resources and a willingness to confront increasingly grotesque horrors. The shift in perspective, from action hero to ordinary citizen, is a deliberate one, designed to amplify the sense of vulnerability and dread.
A worthy upgrade
With current-gen remakes of titles like Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 readily available, and the recently released Resident Evil 9 offering a thrilling experience, Cregger’s project arrives at a crucial moment. The director’s decision to prioritize the visceral feel of the games over established lore may prove to be a stroke of genius, delivering a fresh and genuinely unsettling take on the Resident Evil universe.