Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is receiving high praise from critics, making it the best reviewed movie based on a video game franchise so far.
Early reviews are praising Zach Cregger’s movie for its combination of horror, comedy, gore and the feeling of actually playing a Resident Evil game. Several of them have already hailed it as a new high point for video game adaptations.
Total Film, calls Cregger’s film “an easy frontrunner for the best video game movie to date.” The Film Stage similarly describes it as “the ideal tribute to 30 years of the series,” while praising it as a thrill ride that works as its own film.
A prominent part of the critical enthusiasm is Cregger’s ability to translate the experience of the games to the screen. Polygon notes that the movie captures “the fight-or-flight experience of actually playing a Resident Evil game.” IndieWire likewise argues that the film shows how movies and video games can “merge in a way that makes them stronger for sharing their DNA rather than disfiguring them both.”
Critics have also responded enthusiastically to the movie’s unusual tonal mixture. TheWrap praises its ability to begin as terrifying horror before becoming increasingly ridiculous, calling it an adaptation that captures the “strange dichotomy” of the game series. The Hollywood Reporter describes it as a “propulsive, simultaneously terrifying and hilarious thrill ride.”
There are some early reservations as well. Empire notes that the narrative is “surprise-free,” while Time Out argues that the film is more goofy and good-looking than genuinely frightening. Nevertheless, the overall critical reception has been very positive thus far, based on which Resident Evil (2026) has made a strong first impression, and may have set a new benchmark for the successful transition of a beloved video game franchise to the big screen.
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is out in theaters on September 18, 2026.
