Resident Evil’s First Reviews Are In, and Critics Are Calling It the Best Film in the Franchise
The review embargo for Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil reboot lifted at 9 a.m. PT today, two days ahead of the film’s September 18 wide release. The movie had its world premiere Tuesday night at The United Theater in Los Angeles, and critics who caught the full film, not just an early clip, are overwhelmingly positive, with more than a few calling it the best Resident Evil movie the franchise has ever produced.
What Critics Are Saying After the Premiere
Full text reviews are still trickling in, but plenty of critics who attended the Los Angeles premiere posted their reactions right away. The tone across the board leans heavily toward “funniest, bloodiest Resident Evil yet”:
- Eric Goldman wrote that “Resident Evil is a blast! Unrelenting once it gets going.”
- Courtney Howard (Variety, Fresh Fiction) said “Zach Cregger is cookin’ with napalm.”
- Tom Chatalbash called it “a relentlessly thrilling, blood-soaked and pulse-pounding thrill ride from start to finish.”
- Wendy Lee Szany admitted the movie “fully stressed me out but in a good way.”
- Jeff Nelson described “a real nail-biter that combines the franchise’s knack for infected scares and tongue-in-cheek humor.”
Not everyone left completely won over. Critic Joey Magidson called the film “real fun” overall but said the ending didn’t fully work for him, a rare note of hesitation in an otherwise glowing round of reactions.
The First Formal Review Score Is In
Since social reactions aren’t the same as a graded review, it’s worth noting that one of the first full write-ups has already landed. Mike Massie of Gone With The Twins gave the film a 7 out of 10, writing that it’s “easily the best Resident Evil film,” a fresh direction for a franchise that’s struggled to find its footing on screen since 2002. Rotten Tomatoes has only just started tallying scores as the embargo lifts, so expect a fuller picture, including an official Tomatometer average, to form over the next day or two.
Resident Evil gets a gala screening at Fantastic Fest and opens early in IMAX on September 17, before expanding to theaters everywhere on September 18.
When and Where You Can See It Yourself
Resident Evil already had its world premiere this week in Los Angeles, but the wider public rollout is still ahead. The film gets a gala screening on Fantastic Fest’s opening night in Austin on September 17 (the festival’s actual opening film is the creature feature Beware Boiúna), the same day Resident Evil opens early in IMAX. It then expands to standard theaters everywhere on September 18. Sony has been building toward this for months, screening roughly the first half hour of footage for press back in early September, reactions that were already trending positive well before anyone had seen the full film.
For the full breakdown of the cast, the R rating, and how the story runs parallel to Resident Evil 2 without following Leon or Claire, check out our complete Resident Evil (2026): Everything You Need to Know guide.
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Picture Source: Sony Pictures
