Following the trials and tribulations of organ donor carrier Brian (played marvelously by Austin Adams) as he delivers a package to Raccoon City General.  We all knew it wasn’t going to be smooth. Mixing comedy, and ghastly horror, this “Resident  Evil” reboot, remake, alternate reality version of the horror video game franchise is the BEST film version  yet, period your argument is now void.  It features all that enticed us with the video. The creepiness, the eeriness, the small touches of visage threaded wonderfully in the film. Small reminders of its origin nearly thirty years ago. The crumbs of a mystery and not trusting the darkness, the reminders of the video game are there but do not forget, it is a movie and with this Zach Cregger is now officially the go to man for horror cinema. and being unable to trust what you see and hear. 

There is no big exposition dumb, no narration cards, no time table, or title cards, it just starts, it just goes. The film is betting that you are already knowledgeable of the lore and waste no time getting to  the catalyst. Cregger not only  knows depth and scale, but when to use it. A witty play on the film trope that shooting a gun  at locks will automatically break it cements the meta play in this. The film is aware it is a corporate and  corporate entity and ahem,…..needs someone to resuscitate it. Cregger is the perfect candidate, never diminishing his style and way of making film, it feels authentic to his works and yet stills feel corporate.  Cregger is also very smart at casting. He seems to get the right person in each role. Another solid trait of his that does get overlooked. It is hilarious and outright ghastly and gory. It does not hide from the horror and also lets your imagination fill in the blanks at times. It never feels rushed or lulls, it is pure popcorn horror cinema worthy to watch in groups.  

“Resident Evil” is a strong candidate for being in my top ten best horror films of the year in an already loaded category.  The film is not exactly the same as the story in the video game but has the right way to tell the story.  What works is the journey of the story smoothly, hopping from one part to another. From the country to the city, to inside the building to the hospital all the while the audience has  the sense that they are all witnesses to the catastrophe. This feels refreshing and new while being faithful to the tropes of the franchise. The horror and comedy is absolutely dialed up. It was smart to not go with an over-achieving action heroine instead lead with a mediocre white dude only with much video game experience, the change was clearly intentional.  If it continues to be successful at the box office a sequel would be the obvious reply for being corporate. This is one of the rare films that does it right at every step and dares to challenge the tropes with not a great script but a great script greatly executed. No one was safe, even kids. The only down side is the final is it weakest part but by then we had already our delicious fill of laughs and screams.  8.5/10