Fans might have been vocal about franchise characters not making an appearance in Zach Cregger’s new film, but the Rotten Tomatoes score for his new Resident Evil movie proves he really didn’t need them. Not only is his new horror film based on the video game franchise taking the top spot above all the Resident Evil films that have come before it, but it’s also now the highest-rated live-action video game adaptation ever on the site.
At 97%, it just beats The Last of Us season 1 and Fallout season 2, which are both ranked at 96%. On the movie side, it’s miles ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 at 86%. Arcane season 2 is still on top though with a perfect score on the movie aggregation site.
The praise has come pouring in for Cregger’s movie, with GamesRadar+’s own Jordan Farley giving it four stars. Our Resident Evil movie review calls it: “The best Resi movie by a distance, and the best video game movie full stop.”
Meanwhile, IndieWire called it “a massive and rapidly mutating middle finger to the Comic-Con-brained idea that video game adaptations should just give ‘the fans’ what they think they want.” The Hollywood Reporter gave Cregger some well-deserved props, saying, “The talented filmmaker has completely rejuvenated the series, leaving the six original films and the misbegotten reboot attempt Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in the dust.”
There’s no doubt that some might take issue with the direction that Cregger takes, with Austin Abrams’ worn-down organ delivery guy having the night from hell, and never once running into Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, or any of your franchise horror favorites. Nevertheless, that is the movie’s cheat code. Daily Dead wrote, “The essence of Capcom’s survival horror franchise is alive, yet Cregger’s horror-comedy snapshot centered around the Raccoon City outbreak creates its own glorious nightmares.”
Of course, as with any time spent in Resident Evil, some shots miss their mark in the frantic horror, and critics’ common complaint is that Cregger’s time with the franchise suffers in its final act. The Guardian highlighted that “After doing a great job making us care about [Bryan] for more than 90 minutes, Cregger seems to abandon him a few steps shy of completing any real journey.”
Resident Evil arrives in theaters on September 18. Check out all the other upcoming horror movies coming in 2026 and beyond.