There is a moment early on in “Resident Evil” when Bryan (Austin Abrams) is on the run from his first zombie – but the chase isn’t taking him very far.
In this early sequence, Bryan, cornered up against a cop car by the bloody, screeching creature, panics and starts to frantically circle the car. The zombie gives chase, and the two run circles around the cop car for a bit longer than feels appropriate, until finally, the zombie tries a new tactic.
It might seem silly, but that round-the-car chase solidifies that filmmaker Zach Cregger has a pretty good handle on not only how to adapt the “Resident Evil” video games, but how to adapt video games in general. The stream of expletives and yelps coming out of Bryan’s mouth are entirely reminiscent of the sounds one might make while being chased in a video game – frantically tapping at the controller, accidentally running around in circles, cursing wildly at the screen.
“Resident Evil” is full of moments like this, ones that succinctly capture the odd marriage of nail-biting tension and blundering silliness that make up the experience of first-person shooter and survival horror gaming. Cregger is able to avoid the pitfalls of most video game adaptations by finding the similarities between his own sensibilities as a filmmaker (he co-wrote the script with Shay Hatten) and what it is that makes video games so enjoyable. It’s his most straightforward film by far, but also a bloody disgusting good time.
Read Sammie’s full list on Rough Draft
