‘Resident Evil’ 2026 is a gamer’s dream come true – yet I barely stopped myself from hurling popcorn at the screen

Hollywood’s latest attempt at a Resident Evil adaptation has thrilled fans and rightly so. Director Zach Cregger’s choice to introduce a new character was undoubtedly the right move, despite backlash from the more hardcore parts of the fanbase. But while Austin Abrams’ turn as Bryan has delighted many, including this writer, some glaring issues with the main character are hard to overlook.

Cregger brought the video game world of Resident Evil and grounded it in a way that feels more real. Aside from referential easter eggs, there’s no saving the game, no healing herbs, no do-overs. While the director does everything in his power to make it feel like a video game, the fact is that it is set up in the real world with real-world consequences; the stakes are higher because Bryan won’t get a do-over like your average player if he messes up.

Despite the more “real-world setting,” in many ways, Bryan behaves like a video game character, pleasing some fans but making others scratch their heads and grit their teeth in frustration.

Bryan feels like a video game character

Abrams’ character is relatable to all who watch; he’s just a man, out of his depth and terrified by the things happening around him. He’s not your typical Resident Evil protagonist, with his closest video game counterpart probably being Ethan Winters from Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil: Village. Bryan is not prepared for this mess, and many scenes establish that perfectly.

However, the film itself often forgets that Bryan is just a regular man, having him deal with situations in a way that is closer to how a seasoned pro such as Leon Kennedy would in the games. His fight against one particular infected in a hospital elevator felt inconsistent with the type of person he’d been shown to be up until that point and felt more like a video game character than a real human.

And then there’s Bryan’s job as a medical courier. Regardless of how important the delivery is, would a normal person really continue on their journey to Raccoon City after dealing with multiple infected humans and a mutated fusion of corpses? 

Running away would have been the most logical option

The logic behind Bryan’s decision to move forward rather than turn and run home to Michelle doesn’t quite add up and is another reason he feels more like a video game character as opposed to a real human thrust into a horrifying situation.

Ultimately, the film is a video game adaptation about a viral infection that mutates people into terrifying monsters, so it’s not too hard to suspend your disbelief. Bryan may act more like a video game character than an actual person at times, but fans of the series (including myself) love him regardless.

Considering what Hollywood gave Resident Evil fans before, this latest entry feels fresh and exciting, and more importantly, good. So we fans are more than willing to overlook character inconsistencies and just enjoy the film for what it is.