Watch a fantastic ‘lean-and-mean’ new action movie this week

JOE spoke to the director and star of the sure-to-be blockbuster that has broken a decades-long curse.

The movie is the latest from comedian-turned-horror-maestro Zach Cregger (Barbarian, the Oscar-winning Weapons). Here, the director turns his attention to the classic horror video game franchise, injecting fresh blood into this stand-alone film reboot.

Over one horrifying night, he finds himself battling countless people and animals infected with a virus that turns them into mutated monsters.

Here is JOE's review of Resident Evil

In interviews, Cregger has said he wanted to capture the same immersive quality, terror, and fight for survival that’s present in the games, while delivering a movie that feels new and unexpected. He has succeeded with aplomb.

The lean-and-mean, grounded, 1917-style approach to the story, following one ordinary guy on an extraordinary quest full of dangers, is genius. Not only does it make the viewer instantly care more about what is happening, but it gives Cregger a narrative engine to deliver a string of stylish and tense action-horror sequences, all imbued with his trademark dark humour.

Resident Evil (2026) also benefits from a lovable, almost silent film-esque, lead turn from Abrams. His comic timing and the way he expresses his character’s frustrations help make Bryan the most believable, relatable protagonist we’ve seen in a blockbuster like this in some time.

The source material and the limited, 'one crazy night' scope of the story mean Cregger's Resident Evil lacks some of the depth of his breakthrough horrors Barbarian and Weapons. Yet, purely as a rollercoaster ride of a movie that will have you alternating between laughter and fear, it's extremely effective. Plus, there are interesting underlying themes to be found here about human fears and fallibility.

Here is JOE's interview with Zach Cregger and Austin Abrams

JOE interviewed Resident Evil co-writer and director Zach Cregger and star Austin Abrams. We asked them about making the first widely loved video game movie ever (breaking a decades-long curse), crazy stunts, and the appeal of IMAX.

You can read that full conversation below, which has been edited for clarity and length.

JOE: Congratulations on making an exceptional video game movie. Historically, film video game adaptations haven't been so well received. What do you think are the challenges of adapting a video game for the big screen, and how did you overcome those challenges making Resident Evil?

Zach Cregger: I feel like a video game is so much fun to play because you are engaged with it. You are responsible for what happens on the screen, and that has this just incredible advantage over a narrative thing because you're passive when you're watching a movie. So because you're actively participating [in a video game], you're inherently more invested.

But what makes a game fun to play is not always going to translate into a narrative thing. Pong is a cool game, but a movie version of that is going to be a challenge.

Austin Abrams: Could be cool.

Zach Cregger: Could be great... [The pair laugh] For me though, Resident Evil is inherently cinematic because there's this tension. There's so many factors at play. And yes, in the game, you're culpable for what happens to your character. But there's just all of these beautiful moments of tension and environments, and the lore is deep.

And so it wasn't a daunting task necessarily to think about how this could translate into a compelling movie, because it's all right there.

JOE: There's an amazing scene, it's in the trailer, of the infected bodies falling and detonating around you, Austin. Zach has talked about the work that went into that and how you narrowly avoided dodging these body-sized blood bags. What was your experience like shooting that, Austin?

Austin Abrams: Yeah, man, it was pretty crazy because you only have so many takes to do it, and when you do one, you've got to clean up everything, so it takes, I don't even know, an hour, hours to clean it up before you can get the next one.

And so it's pretty harrowing each time because you're jumping over a car, you're running, you're hoping not to slip...

Zach Cregger: ...You've got this motorised camera car following you, and they've got to keep perfect pace with you. The bodies have to be released at the exact right time so that they land in the frame. It was a logistical nightmare.

Austin Abrams: It's pretty harrowing, but you just like do your best. Yeah, before every time you do it, it's just like: 'Oh my God, I can't believe we're going to do this again.' I feel like everyone kind of had that feeling too.

Zach Cregger: It was wildly stressful.

JOE: I'm speaking to you from Ireland, and we often ask the people we interview if they have any Irish connection. Zach, I read that you do have some Irish heritage. Is that true?

Zach Cregger: I do. Yeah, my mom's side is Irish. That's right.

JOE: Have you got a chance to visit here yet? 

Zach Cregger: I've never been, and I would really love to.

Next year I'm going to be, I think, working in the UK for a good part of the year, so I will have no excuse not to get over to Ireland.

JOE: Is this for Flood [his upcoming space-set sci-fi]?

Zach Cregger: Yes, it is.

JOE: I'm excited for that.

Zach Cregger: Me too.

JOE: I want to ask as well; there's been a renewed interest in IMAX recently, and Resident Evil, part of it uses IMAX [The film is said to feature 33 minutes of IMAX exclusive 1.90:1 Expanded Aspect Ratio].

Can you talk about your experience filming the movie for IMAX and what do you think it adds?

Zach Cregger: It just punches harder when you watch the movie in IMAX. I had the really fun experience this week of going in and seeing the whole movie at IMAX in Santa Monica. They have their big centre there and, so I did my final IMAX check just to make sure it looks great. It does.

And I was really struck by just how much more that scale creates an immersive experience.

It's just bigger is better. It was awesome to see the movie in IMAX, and so I'm a big fan.

I know how limited the availability is of those screens. So, I feel really privileged to be able to present this movie in that format. It's great.

Resident Evil is in cinemas on Friday, 18 September.