Resident Evil 2026 is pretty cool, besides some things
I went to the movies to watch Resident Evil today. I had heard some mixed reviews, but the ones that liked the movie liked it enough to convince me to watch it, even though I'm not much of a horror guy. I'll try not to spoil any specific scene or plot point if you want to watch it blind.
The movie had its share of scary moments, but most are just jump scares, and outside of that, the scare factor takes the form of grotesque creatures with some good designs. I wish the movie had taken a bit of time to construct actually scary scenes without relying on loud sounds and zombies jumping at the protagonist, but I don't think this movie actually wanted to be a full- "horror movie", but a mix of horror and comedy, so I can give it a pass. The comedy side of things works really well; the actor is very fun to watch, and the comedic scenes help break up the scary scenes, giving a breather that helps intensify the next one.
One thing to be aware of is that the protagonist is frustrating, and purposefully so. He is a guy, just that, a normal guy. He doesn't know how to use a gun properly, he doesn't immediately assume the zombie is a zombie, he makes dumb choices, and it can be a bit infuriating sometimes, but they are realistic scenarios. He is a glorified uber driver; he is not gonna be proficient in this, and to his credit, I would have died 10 minutes into the movie if I was in his shoes. I like his story, I like his character, just be aware that you are gonna be a bit mad with him sometimes.
I don't know how to explain it, but the movie really felt like a video game to me, with set pieces that each felt like a separate mission, and overall I had a fun time, but it wasn't a perfect movie. One thing that stuck out to me was the lack of urgency; the protagonist accepts his situation as if he was being attacked by rabid dogs and not horrendous creatures. For a movie that tries to ground the character, that feels weird, and it's not just the protagonist but the other characters as well.
I still think you should watch it; it's fun, and I wish we had more video game movies that take the same approach of telling a story in the game universe without retelling the game story.