The next Resident Evil movie reboot needs to finally get the game series right after eight misfiring attempts. Barbarian’s Zach Cregger will write and direct the new Resident Evil film, which bodes very well. Cregger is a rising talent who has demonstrated a clear understanding of the genre, and he will almost certainly steer the film series away from its action trappings. While the previous Resident Evil movies have all been successful, they largely ignored the video games in favor of having Milla Jovovich kick zombies in the face or shoot anonymous goons.

That’s not to say there isn’t fun to be had with the saga – it’s just that they barely resemble the source material. A major failing of the films is that none has been particularly scary, with Resident Evil’s laser hallway sequence being one of the few suspenseful moments in the entire series. Moviegoers have a very different concept of what the property is than gamers do, with the Jovovich era framing Resident Evil as a junky action saga.

There Hasn’t Been A Great Live-Action Resident Evil After 8 Attempts

The series hasn’t hit the target after 20 years of trying

While director Paul W.S. Anderson envisioned the 2002 Resident Evil film as a prequel to the original game, the sequels moved the story in a completely different direction. Jovovich fronted six installments before bowing out with 2017’s The Final Chapter, which was followed by a total reboot in the from of 2021’s Welcome to Raccoon City and Netflix’s Resident Evil series. While a Rotten Tomatoes rating is never the final word on any movie’s quality, it’s notable that not a single one of these live-action outings is rated “Fresh.”

The original movie and the third entry Extinction have their admirers, while Welcome to Raccoon City is easily the most faithful to the games. Still, there has yet to be a genuinely great adaptation; one that captures the atmosphere and mood of Capcom’s games while working as a solid horror/monster flick on its own terms. Netflix’s series was so out of sync with the games that it may as well have called itself something else, and was critically lambasted before being quickly canceled.

The thing is that none of the Resident Evil games are particularly sophisticated in terms of character or plot. They are interactive B-movies filled with cheesy dialogue and slimy creatures, but what they excel at is a sense of dread and excitement. None of the live-action efforts to date have successfully translated that feeling, but with Cregger on board, that’s hope the next reboot could finally change that.

Why A Resident Evil Zero Movie Could Fix The Franchise

This 2002 prequel game is ripe for a film adaptation

2002 saw the arrival of both Anderson’s movie and Resident Evil Zero, a prequel set a day before the events of the first game. This followed S.T.A.R.S. medic Rebecca Chambers as she boards a pᴀssenger train filled with zombies and monsters. The тιтle itself received mixed reviews for its irritating mechanics and thin plot, but time has been kind to it and the train setting is a great one. Rumors (via Bloody Disgusting) suggest Cregger’s reboot will adapt Resident Evil Zero, and that the prequel itself might be receiving a game remake too.

This report should be taken with the correct dosage of sodium, but if the rumor is accurate, Cregger has picked the perfect Resident Evil game to adapt. It has close ties to the original games without having to rehash the events of those тιтles, and the train makes for a unique setting. It’s easy to see how Cregger could milk the claustrophobic confines of the Ecliptic Express for all it’s worth while staying through to the games. It could also – finally – earn the live-action Resident Evils some decent reviews.

Source: Bloody Disgusting, Rotten Tomatoes

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  Resident Evil Zero