'Resident Evil' Fans Need To Relax About Zach Cregger's Movie
Dear ‘Resident Evil’ “Fans,” Go Touch Grass & Let Zach Cregger Cook
- Fans quick to judge trailer without seeing full film, despite director's proven horror credentials
- Resident Evil 7 also broke from franchise norms, yet revived the series
- Trailer hints at creative reimagining, not just rehash of previous Resident Evil movies
Zach Cregger dropped the first trailer for his Resident Evil movie, and boy, did the internet have a lot to say. Honestly, it’s a clear example of a fanbase that doesn’t deserve nice things.
Resident Evil is one of the most beloved video game franchises on the planet, and most recently enjoyed a groundswell of love from gamers following the release of Resident Evil: Requiem
What should come as no surprise to anyone: Resident Evil made its way to Hollywood, sparking multiple films and sequels, but we have to be honest, the movies ranged from meh to outright trash.
The Resident Evil Netflix series only got one season, so we don’t even know if it would have delivered anything memorable that fans could be proud of.
There were serviceable animated films that were entertaining, thanks in large part to the inclusion of the video game’s characters, but we wouldn’t describe them as flawless.
Enter Zach Cregger.
Cregger is no slouch in the horror film genre, delivering two films many cinephiles describe as classics with Barbarian and, most recently, Weapons.
So you would think fans of the game would give him all of the grace when making his own movie based on the video game, even with the knowledge embedded in their skulls that the past movies stunk, right?
WRONG.
It didn’t take long for fans to hop on social media to b**** and moan about the first trailer for Creggor’s Resident Evil movie, starring Austin Abrams and set to arrive in theaters on September 18.
Zach Creggor Is “Obsessed” With Resident Evil Games
Cregger admitted he is “obsessed” with the games and set out “to give the experience I have with playing these games to the big screen. That’s the goal, and I think we’re gonna do that.”
The trailer for the film teases what he described in an interview with Screen Rant as a “weird” movie while promising fans that “you’ve never seen a movie like it.” It does play “fast and loose” with the game’s chronology, while teasing tons of callbacks to the video games, but it turns out it’s not enough for hardcore fans.
What Are Fans Complaining About?
There were complaints that the film didn’t look like a Resident Evil movie at all, but a basic horror film because it didn’t show anything related to the game.
The trailer teases Abrams’ lead, Bryan, in Raccoon City during the events of Resident Evil 2, according to Cregger, and he is dealing with the effects of the T-Virus outbreak in the fictional midwest U.S. location.
We don’t see an Umbrella logo in the trailer, and there are plenty of spooky monsters, but they don’t resemble what we have become used to from the games and other films, and that left a bad taste in the mouths of fans.
The film’s timeline is also sparking criticism, with purists noting that Leon and Claire’s adventure took place in September 1998, yet the film clearly shows it’s snowing, so how is that possible? Also, they point out that Bryan is using a smartphone, and the game took place before the devices arrived.
Okay, those are fair criticisms to have, but here’s why y’all need to relax, go touch grass, and let Cregger cook.
We only saw a 1:53 trailer and don’t even know the film’s entire plot. In an exclusive sit-down with IGN, Cregger pointed out all the Resident Evil-related Easter eggs in his film and other intricacies he took from the game and put in the movie, like how Bryan loads up a shotgun he finds and the POV switching between first-person and over-the-shoulder.
Who Cares That The Movie Doesn’t “Look” Like A Typical Resident Evil Game
As to the complaint that this game doesn’t have the “look” of a Resident Evil game, that same logic could be applied to Resident Evil 7.
The game, which many credit as revigorating the franchise after the colossal dumpster fire that was Resident Evil 6, didn’t have the “look” of a traditional RE game. It was completely first-person, and if it didn’t have the Resident Evil name attached, it could have also been billed as a new survival horror game.
It also didn’t present itself as having any greater connection to the lore until the end of the game, when Chris Redfield and his wolf squad showed up, and we got a “Blue Umbrella” mention.
That can also be the same case with Cregger’s film. To instantly pan the movie based on a teaser, without even seeing the film in its entirety, is absolutely absurd.
It’s even more asinine not to give Cregger, who has proven to be really good at making horror films, so much grief just because you didn’t see Leon, Chris, Jill, Barry, or Claire pop up in a trailer saying cheesy one-liners.
We could be getting absolute cinema with Cregger’s Resident Evil, which could lead to sequels of equal quality, finally giving this video game franchise the big-budget Hollywood films it deserves.
So, if you’re still out here judging this movie based on a trailer composed of mashed-up clips, do yourself a favor and relax.
You can see reactions to the teaser for Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil movie below.
