The first fan reactions for Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil movie trailer are in — and while some say the film looks like fun horror fare, many have complained that it doesn’t look much like Resident Evil.
The lack of recognizable Resident Evil elements in the movie shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Cregger has spoken repeatedly in the past about being a Resident Evil fan, but not wanting to replicate anything from the franchise seen in the video games already — as fans can already go play those games instead. And the direction of the film certainly has Capcom’s blessing, with Cregger given the green light to create his own personal take.
Still, the absence of anything familiar in the trailer is causing concern among some fans, who seemingly expected an Umbrella logo or Crimson Head to still pop up somewhere.
“The trailer looks good for a proper horror movie but not as good for a RE movie,” wrote one fan on social media, responding to Sony’s official trailer. “What’s the point of using the IP? Genuinely asking,” said another. “This looks more like a 28 Days Later spinoff than anything Resident Evil,” a third fan agreed.
“Doesn’t look like Resident Evil at all,” read a further reaction. “Why can’t anybody make a RE film like the games?” asked another. “Zombies in a mansion.”
“You need to have some Resident Evil in your Resident Evil movie adaptation,” reads a longer comment by Resi fan Ivan. “Where’s the RPD? Where’s Umbrella? Where’s even some familiar game music? There’s thousands of horror movies, but only one RE franchise. Just a trailer but TEASE those things. Not just the horror.”
Some viewers were more complementary, however, praising the creepy trailer shot where various limbs can be seen emerging from a doorway, and the glimpse of Raccoon City in the snow — even if nothing designates it as Raccoon City directly.
IGN recently travelled to the set of the Resident Evil movie and spoke with Cregger to discover the kinds of Easter eggs fans can expect — such as recognisable weapons, locations, and green herbs (none of which were in the trailer). Still, Cregger seems to understand the need to please fans with the film, and noted that he expects lore nerds will likely “crucify” him if his reboot deviates from franchise lore.
Co-written by Cregger and Shay Hatten, Resident Evil stars Austin Abrams, Paul Walter Hauser, Zach Cherry, and Kali Reis. The movie is set to launch in theaters on September 18.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
