Resident Evil has been very well received by the majority of critics, but a lot of gamers have taken issue with co-writer/director Zach Cregger's decision not to directly adapt the source material.
Does the movie hold any surprises for fans of the long-running survival horror video game series?
Major spoilers follow.
While it's true that Cregger's reboot focuses on original characters and a storyline that doesn't pull from any particular game, there are lots of references and Easter eggs (padlocks, puzzles, green herbs, a typewriter, etc.), and the insane ending features a major nod to one of the franchise's most recognizable bosses.
After somehow managing to reach Raccoon City General Hospital via a gauntlet of hellish monsters while still in possession of the serum needed to create the T-Virus(?) antidote, Bryan (Austin Abrams) arrives at the top-floor laboratory. Umbrella scientists take the vial and get to work, but they're about to have a big problem:
While attempting to save an infected child earlier on in the movie (it doesn't exactly go to plan), Bryan was bitten on the arm and is now beginning to mutate.
The scientists successfully synthesize the antidote, but now unable to fully control his actions, Bryan sets about killing (in increasingly gruesome and messy ways) and absorbing the entire team until only one remains. The surviving scientist attempts to inject Bryan as they clamber to a ledge outside the building, but he's too far gone, and the syringe falls as the unfortunate Umbrella tech is added to the writhing mass of limbs.
As helicopters surround the monster that was Bryan, a massive, bulbous eye opens on his shoulder, and a version of the creature known as "G" (or the Golgotha Monster) lets out a roar as the screen cuts to black.
In the games, Dr. William Birkin transforms into the "Eye Monster" after injecting himself with the G-Virus.
There is no post-credits scene, but this clearly leaves the door open for a sequel that will more than likely stick a lot closer to the games.
From the mind of visionary filmmaker Zach Cregger (Weapons, Barbarian) comes a thrilling — and terrifying — reinvention of the Resident Evil franchise. In an all-new story, Resident Evil follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself in an action-packed, non-stop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos.
The cast also includes Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser. Cregger directs from a screenplay he wrote with Shay Hatten, and producers include Robert Kulzer, Zach Cregger, Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, Carter Swan, and Asad Qizilbash. The executive producers are Oliver Berben, Victor Hadida, Richard Wright, and Robert Bernacci.
Resident Evil is set to be released in theaters on September 18. Do you plan on seeing this one on the big screen?