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“Weapons” and “Barbarian” director Zach Cregger has delivered his new take on “Resident Evil”. The result? Going by the reviews so far, he’s delivered the best video game adaptation of all time and one of the best horror films in years.
Cregger has famously ignored the panned previous films and shows, and avoided the lore of the games in favour of doing his own spin on the property – a lean, mean, gore-soaked, darkly humorous 90-minute thrill ride.
In doing so, he’s faced massive backlash for months from fans who’ve hurled criticism his way for not listening to them and their desires. Judging by the results though, maybe more filmmakers should adopt Cregger’s approach.
With 57 reviews counted, the title sits at a stunning 98% (8.0/10) on Rotten Tomatoes and a strong 80/100 on Metacritic – easily a franchise best and it’s not even close. High praise has been handed out for the film’s pacing, central performance by Austin Abrams, score, visuals and more. Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“This is I.P. cinema with vision and verve… This is how movies and video games can merge in a way that makes them stronger for sharing their DNA rather than disfiguring them both.” – David Ehrlich, IndieWire
“It feels thoroughly like a film by Zach Cregger… proving that subtle, psychological work isn’t always the superior horror when you have a filmmaker who can deliver a jump scare shock with this much elegant panache.” – Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent
“Cregger very much makes the film his own while displaying his obvious affinity for the source material. He’s crafted a propulsive, simultaneously terrifying and hilarious thrill ride that showcases both his cinematic chops and perverse sense of humor.” – Frank Scheck, THR
“Cregger’s most straightforward horror film to date — pure adrenaline, showcasing the director’s real talent for crafting jump scares that truly do shock you without playing as overtly cruel or manipulative.” – Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
“Anchored by a fantastic performance from Cregger alum Austin Abrams, what could have been a chintzy cash-grab ends up being a scary, breathless, and downright hilarious good time.” – Kristen Lopez, The Film Maven
“Cregger has shown exactly how you should approach a video game movie. Tell the story you want, pepper it with nods that fans will love and capture the spirit of playing the game. Canon be damned, Resident Evil is a winner.” – Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
“An explosive horror experience which, unlike every other ‘Resident Evil’ adaptation, captures the strange dichotomy of this popular video game series. It starts out terrifying, gradually becomes ridiculous, and totally gets away with that tonal shift.” – William Bibbiani, The Wrap
“Cregger and Hatten have concocted a wild, hilarious, unpredictably bonkers thrill ride from start to finish with nary a moment to catch your breath. They’re cooking with napalm.” – Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
The new “Resident Evil” is on track to debut in the $40-50 million range domestically this weekend at the box-office.
The post Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” Reviews Are In appeared first on Dark Horizons.
