Resident Evil (2026)

October Challenge Day 2

My brother called up me recently and asked if I wanted to see the latest Resident Evil film. I wasn't exactly thrilled - it wasn't totally on my radar, and I had lost track of the series after the first film from a lifetime ago (aka 2002). Then he added "It's getting really great reviews". Coming from him, that's a big deal. I said, Okay. Let's go.

Let's talk about:

Resident Evil

I got us balcony tickets at the Cinerama, grabbed some popcorn and drinks, and settled in for an adventure - as I walked in completely blind.  

This film had me roaring with fears and cheers. I was bouncing all over my seat at the jump scares, cackling at the ridiculous, and overall having a great time. I was having so much fun I didn't notice my brother was sitting there .... silent.

By the end of the film I excitedly turned to him and asked, "What did you think? I loved it!"

He turned to me and said, decidedly, "I hated it."

I was dumbfounded, as we agree on most films. He added that he thought the main character was stupid and embarrassing - that nothing was scary, and overall it felt cheep and silly.

I said, "Yes, I agree - that's why I loved it!"

That's when I realized:

My brother is a gamer, and when he played this video game he was scared. It was a fun game for him to play.

I am not a gamer, and I think what I saw and experienced from the film was as if I was a player in the game. See, this young man here, our protagonist, is hapless, bumbling, and just making bad decision after bad decision as he navigates a hellscape of creatures and nightmares - like in a game. The same mistakes and misshapes a player would make. 

The monsters were frightening and fun because the film *felt* like a video game, and should I be playing it, I would shout, holler, and laugh too if a man-beast-thing came rolling up the wall after me on it's 15 legs.

In short, I think my brother was looking for a deeper experience, based on his gaming experience. I didn't know what to expect and still play the original Dr. Mario from time to time, and found it a rock n' roll great time. I would recommend this film on the big screen, however!!

Watch this film with friends if you can, laugh and scream together - it's fun. Pairs with very very very buttery popcorn and your favorite drink. 

I caught this film in the theater but I anticipate it will be streaming soon. Or use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's side bar to see where else you can find this wild ride.

Resident Evil (2002)

Tonight I'm watching Resident Evil. That's right folks - this is happening.

Haters gonna hate.

See you after the show!

Update:

Oh, what a carnival ride. I thought I'd seen this before - perhaps in the movie theater, but all I remembered was that there were some creepy creepy dogs. But once I officially saw the dogs this evening, my attention waned.

Sure sure, this is a entertaining film, but I found the editing a little strange and the main character's magical disappearing dress a little silly.

This is quite obviously a video game movie. It's fun, it's silly, it's full of action but ... it was made for video games. I'm not a fan of many video games. You'll have to pry the original Nintendo game controllers from my Tetris and Dr. Mario addicted hands, but otherwise I play very little video games. (Yes, I still play with my working-quite-well-thank-you-very-much original Nintendo. It sits right next to my working-quite-well-thank-you-very-much-stop-making-fun-of-me VCR).

This is a great movie to check-out to. In fact, this one was chosen specifically because I didn't want to think but just veg out. Mission. Accomplished.

Suggested pairing: pizza, beer, chips, candy bars, leave a mess everywhere.