Okay, let’s continue on with the Halloween-themed films this weekend (yeah, it’s still nearly six weeks away). Now, this one’s not specifically set during the holiday, and it’s definitely not for families (as the old joke goes, unless it’s Addams or Manson), like those punkin’ luvin’ sheepies. However, this is also an “IP”. The new Shaun film comes from a nearly twenty-year-old TV show. This one’s a bit more convoluted. It was a computer game first introduced thirty years ago, then a movie series six years later, followed by several more. Off the theatre screens since 2019, the studio behind it thinks that it’s overdue for a “reboot” or “re-imaging”. And what better director for the project than the man behind one of the surprise horror hits of last year (it even scored an acting Oscar). So, is there still life (or afterlife) in the world of RESIDENT EVIL?
In the opening moments, we’re introduced to a bedraggled, frazzled medical courier named Bryan (Austin Abrams). He’s making an organ delivery at a Colorado hospital during a cold, snowy night. He’s eager to clock out and head home to his girlfriend (she just told him over the phone that she’s “preggers”), but a doctor pleads with him to make one more delivery to a hospital in Raccoon City. And since it’s “double overtime”, Bryan agrees, despite his lack of snow chains on his clunker of a car. The combination of icy conditions and his ongoing “convo’ with his “bae” leads to him striking a woman who dashes out of the forest. He skids to a halt and gets out. Walking back, Bryan sees her body’s snow imprint, but…no body. He follows her footprints and finds her lying in the snow, wearing a cocktail dress and barefoot. After an encounter with a local policeman, Bryan heads away to a distant farmhouse. He’s chased by the watchdog, whose head explodes into a tangled mass of razor-sharp fangs and writhing tentacles. Just what has happened? Somehow, Bryan must find a way to reach a research hospital in downtown Raccoon City. But could this desperate delivery take Bryan into a horrific hellscape teaming with mutated monsters bent on making him one of their own? What a way to earn a couple of overtime bonus bucks!
Unlike many action game movie adaptations, this centers on one character, who’s in nearly every scene. Luckily, the talented Mr. Abrams is more than up to this formidable task. His Bryan is the ultimate “everyman”, thrust into a situation well past his abilities and “skill set,” as his ongoing mantra may be, “I’m not good with (fill in the blank)”. This “wage slave” would be having the most stressful night of his life, even without the slimy horrors lurking in every shadow. Abrams shows us how his heart is with his ladylove, as their relationship jumps to the new, higher level of parenthood. His voice cracks as he struggles to say the right words. And then the world goes “wonky”. With his frantic body language and darting eyes, Abrams conveys Bryant’s panic as he must concoct a defensive strategy very, very quickly. And with his humanity, we also get his “keep going” courage and his snarky sense of humor that prevails (his “f-bombs” hit on target, more than his bullets). It’s wild to think that Abrams will be in more deadly danger as the lead in WHALEFALL next month. Here, he does get a few other terrific actors to share his panic. Of note is the hilarious Paul Walter Hauser as a shadowy “secret spook” named Paul (yes, but his unsaid last name could be Ex Machina, as he “spills the beans” on the cause of this “s#*storm”) in a couple of brief scenes, who has us wanting more (he and Bryan are a superb team). And in the final moments, we get some chaotic chuckles from Zach Cherry as an exasperated head genetics geek. But still, this is Abrams’ “showcase”.
So, who’s this horror movie “wonderkind” who has been given the keys to this decades-old IP? Why, it’s director Zach Cregger (“Mr. WEAPONS”), who co-wrote this script with Shay Hatten. Sure, he gives us lots of excellent “jump scares” and “edge-of-your-seat” suspense sequences, while maintaining an overriding vibe of impending doom. That’s not what surprised me. I was not expecting the humor, as I may have laughed more than I gasped (frequently on both counts). Now, I’ll admit that I’ve never played the game, nor have I seen any of the previous flicks (it seemed like one screen in the multiplex always had one), as I went in “fresh”, so I’m not one of the critical “gamers” who are kvetching online about the jokes. And I enjoyed Cregger’s “spin” that plays on how one of us would try to survive in a “mutant monster-verse”, figuring out weapons and security (padlocks are tougher than we’ve been led to believe). Speaking of the creatures, they’ve found a great balance between the CGI and practical effects, which reminded me a bit of the work of Rob Bottin (1982’s THE THING) and Chris Walas (1986’s THE FLY). They’re truly the stuff of “body horror” nightmares. My only quibble may be the ending, as it feels like a bit of a downbeat detour to Bryan’s jolt-fueled journey. Ah, but this is a full banquet of terror and thrills with a tasty side dish of gags (in every sense), giving a new saucy, spicy spin to the plague-filled play(or slay)ground of RESIDENT EVIL. At least it’ll remind you to tip those delivery workers.
3 out of 4
RESIDENT EVIL is now playing in theatres everywhere.
