Resident Evil (2026): Devoid of Thought; Fun to Watch

Kathryn joins Melvin to discuss Zach Cregger’s new adaptation of a popular horror franchise, Resident Evil! How does it compare to his previous, original films Barbarian and Weapons? How much does the film draw from the video games? Should comedy be illegal? Tune in and find out!

Topics:

• (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 23-minutes discussing 2026’s current world-wide box-office winners, from Backrooms to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and where they’re placed alongside a myriad of other movies. (PATREON EXCLUSIVE)
• In good practice, Kathryn & Melvin share their experience with the Resident Evil franchise before discussing Cregger’s interpretation.
• For Kathryn, there was a disparity between how the trailer advertised the film and the film itself.
• Melvin, “I didn’t love it. I don’t dislike it. I think it might be Cregger’s weakest movie.”
• Is the humor here “Millennial” coded?
• Cregger made a Resident Evil movie that draws a lot from John Carpenter’s The Thing… why not use more practical effects?
• Melvin wonders if the “controversy” around Cregger’s interpretation was bot-motivated, but he shares his thoughts nonetheless regarding the “sanctity” of canon.
• Is the movie actually about fatherhood, or is it using it as window dressing?
• There’s a lot of similarities between Resident Evil (2026) and Exit 8.
• Script-doctoring the ending.
• Comparing the dramatic character arcs of Bryan from Resident Evil and The Lost Man from Exit 8.

Recommendations:

• [REC] (2007) (Movie)
• Hope (2026) (Movie)

Resident Evil (2026) is Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore and language throughout. It features Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser. Directed by Zach Cregger. Resident Evil (2026) is available here.

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Melvin Benson is the Founder, Editor-In-Chief, and Lead Host of Cinematic Doctrine. Whether it’s a movie, show, game, comic, or novel, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s rich, he’s ready and willing to give it a try! His hope is to see King Jesus glorified as far as the east is from the west!

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