Resident Evil (2026) does a good job of introducing its protagonist, Bryan Hodukavich, a likeable enough character who’s comically inept. He has just enough competence and resourcefulness to not become annoying.
Bryan is a medical courier tasked with delivering a critical package. On a snowy winter night, he evades mutated monsters as he seeks to deliver the package to the hospital in Racoon City.
With a budget $75 million, the film was a critical and commercial success (earning $401 million at the box office). It’s a horror with jump scares as well as comic moments. The story hits the right level of character backstory with action, and comedy. It captures the spirit of the computer games, without that reference going stylistically overboard. On the negative side, I never felt a deep connection with the protagonist.
The hapless protagonist of this new version comes in contrast to Alice, the highly proficient protagonist of the original Resident Evil (2002) film. She had military training and special forces levels of competence.
This latest ‘Resident Evil’ franchise film is an enjoyable watch. The ending is slightly disappointing though. It’s clearly been set up for a sequel.