From Variety · Zack Sharf · · 1m
Resident Evil reboot earns bloody first praise
Early reactions say Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is scary, gory, and built for a packed theater.
In brief
Early reactions say Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is scary, gory, and built for a packed theater. Zach Cregger’s first studio franchise movie is being framed as a big, crowd-pleasing horror swing, not a watered-down IP job. Originally reported by Variety.
Cregger takes on IP
Zach Cregger, known for Barbarian and Weapons, is making his first studio franchise move with Sony’s Resident Evil reboot.
Scares still hit hard
Early press reactions say the franchise setting has not dulled Cregger’s taste for wild, bloody horror.
“joining a franchise has done nothing to weaken the filmmaker’s knack”
A big-screen horror play
Critics are pitching the movie as a loud, communal theater experience, not a small, quiet scare piece.
“you have to see on the biggest screen with a big crowd!”
Adaptation praise lands
The first responses place Resident Evil near the top tier of video game movies, a category fans often judge harshly.
“easily among the best video game adaptations”
Bigger and bloodier
EJ Moreno singled out the scale, scares, and fun, calling the reboot a horror blockbuster with spectacle on its mind.
“Zach Cregger goes bigger, scarier, and at his most fun.”
What matters most
Zach Cregger’s first studio franchise movie is being framed as a big, crowd-pleasing horror swing, not a watered-down IP job.
