Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is out today, and it’s already the highest-rated video game movie of all time on Rotten Tomatoes.
The scores are in, and at least as far as the review-aggregating website is concerned, the latest shot at a live-action adaptation of Capcom’s beloved survival horror series has received the best reaction of any game movie to date. Resident Evil, which was directed by Weapons’ Cregger and stars Austin Abrams, boasts a 96% critics’ rating at the time of this story’s publication, placing it multiple percentage points above a shortlist of other well-received adaptations, including Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (86%), Werewolves Within (86%), and The Angry Birds Movie 2 (72%).
Video games have a long history of what has been deemed by many to be mediocre releases. Although many of those — including 2001’s Tomb Raider and 1993’s Super Mario Bros. — arrived early in the industry’s life, recent years have had their fill of poorly received projects, too. Both Five Nights at Freddy’s movies, despite pulling in plenty of love from audiences, failed to impress critics, and 2024’s Borderlands fell just 11 places short of being the worst-rated video game movie of all time. What we’re saying is that it’s not exactly been stiff competition for Resident Evil, but don’t let that dampen its impact.
Despite Cregger making a splash with his last two horror movies, the director has faced an uphill battle with his latest flick. Fans expecting the movie to stick closer to the lore were let down to see Abrams playing an original character in a live-action Raccoon City that looked a bit different than they may have been hoping for. Instead of Leon S. Kennedy, Nemesis, or any other familiar elements, the live-action Resident Evil instead opted to focus on new character Bryan in a story inspired by the feeling of playing the games rather than their stories.
“I did not really appreciate the sentiment that, ‘We’ve been waiting forever for Leon’s story.’ And I appreciate that, and I’m sorry that’s not the story I’m bringing,” Cregger said during a recent conversation with IGN. “I get it, I understand the frustration. I understand it so well because I haven’t seen the earlier [Resident Evil] movies, because they don’t look like the Resident Evil that I love, so how could I be frustrated with fans who have that same attitude?”
It’s been controversial, to say the least, but despite the online backlash that’s seeped into Cregger’s world, the critics aren’t the only ones finding something to love about Resident Evil. After more than 500 verified ratings, Rotten Tomatoes has recorded a staggering 91% score from audiences. Whatever hangups you may have thought audiences would have going in, it seems the film has proven too good for most to deny.
“My only hope is that they’ll see the movie regardless of their skepticism or their disappointment that I’m not telling some of the stories that the games tell so well, and they will feel seen when they do watch the movie, and they will recognize all of the love for the games that are in this movie, because it is there,” Cregger added during his talk with IGN. “This is not me just telling a story and slapping Resident Evil on it so I can get a budget. This is me telling a Resident Evil story.”
Resident Evil is still just getting its feet wet when it comes to its reception, so only time will tell if it will continue to be seen in a positive light in the weeks, months, and years ahead. It’s undeniably a strong start, though, with the project also expected to clear the franchise’s box office record.
IGN gave it a solid rating, too, awarding it an 8/10 review. We said, “With a laser focus on putting its hero through the worst night of his life, Resident Evil is a simple and exciting survival horror story that benefits greatly from director Zach Cregger’s sensibilities.”
