Overview
- Advance reviews published Sept. 16–17 praise Austin Abrams’s lead performance and Cregger’s one‑night survival‑horror approach that mirrors the feel of the games without using established characters.
- Critics highlighted the film’s practical creature effects, heavy gore and dark humor, and many called its blend of scares and laughs a faithful translation of survival‑horror mechanics.
- Rotten Tomatoes reflected the positive response, showing roughly a mid‑90s Tomatometer score from early reviews, while a minority of critics noted tonal swings and a less satisfying final act.
- The movie is an original, R‑rated story set in the Resident Evil universe that opens in theaters and IMAX on Sept. 18, and its wider success will be judged by opening‑weekend box office and fan reaction.
- If the film performs well, it could revive the live‑action series and expand Cregger’s opportunities, and it follows more than two decades of Resident Evil films that have together grossed over a billion dollars worldwide.