Video game adaptations have always been a sore spot for fans and the industry at large. Most directors struggle with shifting what works in the interactive medium to film or television, and while some decent showings have been made, especially recently, the worst of the pile is always at the forefront of minds.
Resident Evil has been an odd case, with Paul W.S. Anderson's series forgoing much of the true tone of the series for pulpy, off-the-wall action. While the Resident Evil games have always housed some ridiculous action, they're balanced by an undercurrent of tension that had gone unrepresented until Zach Cregger's recent spin at Resident Evil, breaking records as the highest-rated video game adaptation of all time.
With his masterful blend of genuine comedy and dripping, crawling dread, Zach Cregger was the perfect pick for director of the newest attempt at a Resident Evil theatrical release, as glowing reviews pile in.
Horror and comedy, despite their seemingly polar opposite goals, are perfect at emboldening each other, a fact more and more horror directors have picked up on. Zach Creggor himself has decades of experience with this marriage, utilizing his years of time on shows like The Whitest Kids U'Know and his inherent love of horror to establish a tone all his own.
Most likely, you know Zach Creggor from his director seat on both Barbarian and Weapons, two films that drenched themselves in black comedy to perfectly set up jaw-dropping scares and spine-chilling gore. Every moment feels intentional, and even the comedic beats begin to build a sense of dread in the back of your mind once you realize just how effective they are at lowering your guard.
Resident Evil uses comedy and levity the exact same way, as early as its very first entry. While many modern fans poke fun at the goofy dialogue and amateur delivery, these bright spots feel deeply intentional, allowing your head to come above water before you need to make another run through the Spencer Manor, counting bullets and carefully noting where each and every corpse is, walking or not.
Even the iconic endings of each game, blasting some pulsing monster with a devastating weapon, serve as the perfect emotional resolution both for the player and characters, a final explosive catharsis. For beating back the horror, you get to send it sky-high, even if the true masterminds are safe in some suite a world away.
Cregger's own experience with the franchise has influenced his film deeply, aiming for a match of tone, if not of canon. While the film itself has been revealed to occur during RE2 and 3's Raccoon City Incident, Creggor has aimed to match the feel of the series rather than adapt its plot beats one to one.
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