The Ringer-Verse - 'Resident Evil' Reactions | Button Mash

Episode Date: September 17, 2026

Ben, Daniel Chin, and Joshua Rivera team up to break down the new 'Resident Evil' movie reboot, cowritten and directed by Zach Cregger. They discuss how the film compares to Cregger's previous work and the preexisting 'Resident Evil' film franchise, where it falls on the horror-humor spectrum, Cregger's approach to adapting the games, the prerelease fan response, whether the movie is better because it's a franchise film, and their favorite set pieces, gags, and Easter eggs. Then, in a clearly indicated closing spoiler section, they briefly share their thoughts on the ending of the movie. (0:00) Intro (3:13) 'Resident Evil' movie breakdown (1:04:14) Honest thoughts on the ‘Resident Evil’ ending (SPOILERS) (1:14:57) Outro Host: Ben LindberghGuests: Daniel Chin and Joshua RiveraProducer: Devon RenaldoAdditional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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delivery orders only. Terms and conditions apply. And welcome into the ringerverse, your nexus feed for all things fandom. I am Ben, Umbrella Lindberg, senior editor at The Ringer and your host here at Button Mesh. joining me today are the Maxine and Carl to my medical career, Brian. Sorry, that's insulting to at least one of you. Daniel, Dimitresk Chin. Welcome, Daniel. Thank you. I'll be fine taking Carl, honestly, and I don't know if I can look like a lot.

You'll have to fight over. I mean, not that's, well, you know what? I'm not going to get into spoiler territory about the fates that befall Maxine and Carl, but they handle their fates in different fashions. We are also joined by Joshua Raccoon. Rivera. Welcome back, Joshua. What's up? What's up? So the Maxine and Carl and Brian were referring to are, of course, characters in the movie we're discussing today. We are here to talk about the eighth release in the Resident Evil film franchise. The second reboot and the second movie simply entitled Resident Evil, to say nothing of the many animated movies or the Netflix series called Resident Evil. This is the latest, possibly greatest Resident Evil movie adaptation, which is maybe not. not saying so much, written by Zach Kregor and Shea Hatton, directed by Kregor, and starring Austin Abrams with Zach Cherry, Kaylee Reese, and Paul Walter Houser in supporting roles.

This movie hits theaters the day this podcast comes out. We have seen it. We have survived it, and we are here to tell you about it. We will steer clear of major story spoilers, at least until the very end of the episode, when we may warn you that we're about to enter spoiler territory. but this isn't an especially spoilable movie, I would say. It's more about the ride. It's more about the experience.

And it looks like people have enjoyed the experience. That is, people other than us, we will tell you what we thought in a second. But until now, there has been no such thing as a critically acclaimed live action, Resident Evil movie. Not sure I even needed the live action qualifier there. Maybe I could have just said Resident Evil movie. But 2016's Resident Evil, the final chapter, which was, of course, not the final chapter,

is sitting at 39% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes, which could also be described, I guess, as 61% rotten. And this one, as we speak, reviews just dropped before we hit record. The numbers are still fluctuating, but it's at 97 on Rotten Tomatoes and 80 on Metacritic, same range as Barbarian and Weapons, Craigor's previous films. This is poised to blow away the big,

domestic opening in franchise history at the box office, which was afterlife's 26 million. This could come close to afterlife's total take domestically 60 million in its first weekend, although that movie did better internationally. So we have much to discuss about the making of this movie, what we thought of it, the response to it. Shall we just give our quick capsule summaries? We want to just say what we thought. Are we joining the chorus of praise, Joshua? Hell yeah, I am. Yeah. Yeah.

My sort of like, you know, one liner on this is that it's kind of like, what if Raymie made another evil dead, you know, not one of the, you know, new or meaner evil dads, but like evil dead two, like, it's like a resident evil themed evil dead three if you don't count Army of Darkness as Evil Dead three. And that kind of conveys it, right? It's very, it's very goofy. It's very silly and it's very funny. but also has respect for the horror fundamentals. Yeah, it is as much Evil Dead 2 as Resident Evil 2, the game that it's ostensibly inspired by Daniel. Yeah, I'm definitely in the same boat as Joshua here.

I had such a fun time with this movie. And I think it's just a really fun. I know we'll get more into this as we talk about the film, but I mean, it's just such a fun progression seeing this movie after Barbarian and After Weapons. I feel like Zach Craigers definitely one of the most exciting, up-and-coming directors in Hollywood right now, especially in the horror space, and seeing him take on IP like this, I thought was a lot of fun. So I had a great time in this movie. Yeah, I did too.

We were sitting next to each other, Daniel, so we have some sense of what our response was. But I'm with you. I had a lot of fun. It's a 90-ish-minute movie. It just, it's a roller coaster ride. It just kind of starts and never stops and doesn't really slow down much. And there are a lot of laughs along the way. The only source of my slight disappointment, I guess, is just the unfair expectations that I placed on it just because of how much I admired and enjoyed barbarian and weapons. And Kregor warned me about this. In fact, he commented on this specifically, I think on the big picture of the Ringer podcast, when he said, and I quote, it's going to be not at all like barbarian and weapons. So forewarned is forearmed. I should not have been

expecting anything like Barbarian and Weapons as it isn't really. And so the only reason why I left feeling just a little letdown is because I love those movies so much and kind of just wanted more of that. And it's not quite that. Craigers quote continued on that same appearance. It's going to be a rockum sockam. It's for me to play and turn my brain off and just make an evil dead to get crazy with the camera.

That's exactly what it is. He delivered exactly what he intended to make here. I just think there's intentionally, I guess, a little less depth to it, a little less subtext to it. But the text is a ton of fun, and we can talk about all of that. And then you mentioned a lot of the hype here, not to be too a tourist about it, is coming from the fact that Zach Kreger is making this movie. And he's making it while he's in the midst of an incredible run. And so I toss this prompt out to YouTube before we started recording. Is that Craigger the most talented adapter of a video game movie we've seen yet?

Or at least be creative with the most juice at the time that they made a video game adaptation? Because coming off Barbarian and Weapons, both of which were incredibly critically acclaimed, weapons was a huge box office success. Craigor is making the Stephen Spielberg produced sci-fi film The Flood next. That's coming in 2028. Junebug, Joshua's dog, makes the first appearance on this podcast, which is welcome, given some of the dog cameos in the Resident Evil movie. This is much more wholesome. But Kregor was attached to Resident Evil before weapons came out.

So I guess the hype train wasn't fully out of the station at that time. But according to the Hollywood. reporter, which just anointed him the, and I quote, top genre filmmaker working today. This movie, along with Weapons and the Flood, inspired Furious Bidding Wars. So can anyone else compare? Can either of you think of anyone who made a video game adaptation at the top of their game with a game that had this highest ceiling as Craigor right now? I at least personally don't think so.

And with absolutely no disrespect to all the other directors that have made. video game adaptations, I feel like the bar was pretty low coming into this. I feel like, you know, Ben, you've written about this on the site, too. Like, we've definitely seen a lot of really good video game adaptations in previous years, especially compared to what we had a few decades ago. But a lot of that's been on the TV side as well. So I feel like especially with just, you know, with the amount of juice that he does have right now, it's like kind of a wild confluence of just like big name, a lot.

especially often after weapons last year. I feel like that was one of the biggest movies of 2025 and just coming on the heels of that and turning around a movie in a year like this. You know, I think it's just, it's brought a lot of hype into this film, rightly so. Yeah. I would like to spare a thought for Justin Kursal,

director of the Assassin's Creed film, which is not good at all. Oof. But that's kind of like a, you know, he's a filmmaker who occupies, like, this fun middle space between like middle brown art house He had a really well-regarded film two years ago, a year ago, called The Order about, I think, the hunt for a white, you know, like a white supremacist outcamp outpost in the Pacific Northwest.

That was like really, really good. Great performance from Mark Marin. Again, he doesn't operate in space where, like, heat accumulates, you know, the way that, like, it does for Crager and genre films. It was sort of like kind of a thing that everyone, including he would, like, like, forget, as opposed to Kregor, who seems to be embracing that, you know, he's a hired hand here and one with the freedom to just play. Yeah, yeah. Assassin's Creed definitely did not enhance the reputation, whereas it seems like Resident Evil is on track to only bolster Craigor's reputation and add to the perception that he can do no wrong. And even if you sort of

slap the sometimes derogatory genre label on him. He just seemingly can't miss right now. And, you know, maybe if you talk about some of the TV adaptations, especially the prestige aspiring ones like The Last of Us and Craig Mason coming off of Chernobyl, you could kind of come up with some comps. But yeah, in the movie space, it's really tough. And I wonder whether this marks a bit of a shift because historically, video game movies definitely have been, and this applies to Resident Evil specifically, more Paul

W.S. Anderson than Paul Thomas Anderson. No offense to Paul W.S. Maybe suboffence. But I wonder whether we are transitioning into a stage where you can get top talent to make video game adaptations. Because looking ahead, we do have a few coming down the pike where there are some pretty big name directors attached to projects like Alex Garland making the Eldon Ring movie or Justin Lynn or Christopher McCrory. So, you know, it has to do with maybe the fact that obviously the hot directors working now are in an age range where they played video games and grew up playing video games the way that Zach Cracker, who's 45, grew up playing Resident Evil. So they're obviously familiar with the source material. And we've seen a lot of that now where it's not just like

license the IP, and then we'll get people who know nothing about that IP to make the adaptation. Now, you not only have producing partners who are involved with making the video games, but often the people writing and directing these movies have some sort of sentimental attachment to them, which is the case with Craigor. So this really is just a perfect pairing of creator and source material, not only because of Craigor's affection for it and because of his clear skill, but also just his sensibilities because Joshua, you were on the podcast and on the ringer.com. What a great website earlier this year when Resident Evil Requiem came out.

We talked about this then that you think that the humor of Resident Evil historically has been undervalued. That that's a key part of the secret sauce. Yes, it's horror, but it's also humor and it's the melding of those two things. And who better to do that than Craigor, who obviously has been in a compliment. horror director, but came up in comedy, too. So it's just, it feels perfect as if you had somehow engineered it in an IP lab or something, except that it seems to have come about much more organically and authentically than that. Yeah, I think, what do you call it? Like, you know, a horror film is kind of like playing a prank on the characters and the audience. And like a horror game

is kind of like really playing a prank on the audience and characters. And that's kind of how this movie feels, right? It's just sort of like an extended, you know, series of, you know, Looney Tunes, you know, things happening to this poor guy, you know. But I don't know. I think I would love to hear what Daniel thinks about, like, just the idea of, of, because some people don't agree or some people think about it in a different way when it comes to, like, how funny Resident Evil is and if it's on purpose or not.

Yeah. And Daniel, you just played Resident Evil 2 remake in preparation for this movie. Exactly. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I actually, I feel like probably my older brother had played Resident Evil, some of the Resident Evil games when I was growing up, but I was too scared, I guess, at that point. So my first foray into Resident Evil 2 was just like a couple of weeks ago.

And I just did not expect it to be so weird and like so quirky. Like the first time, totally blanking on the name of the, a zombie figure, but the, dude with the top hat that comes in at you. Oh, Mr. X. Yes, exal. I was just like, you know, what the fuck? The second he comes on, it's just like,

it's absolutely terrifying. I feel like I did the classic, like, horror movie thing where I just, like, was frozen for a few seconds before I started shooting at his top hat. But I just did not expect any of that coming into it. And it was just, you know, between like Leon's, like, extremely corny lines that are, they're so

disarmingly funny. Like, it is so weird. And like, I, Josh, your piece was great about this. And it's just like, it's very true that it has a lot of that inherent quirkiness and comedy and at least the Resident Evil 2 that I played. So it really, like, after playing that game, I was like, this makes so much sense for Zach Greger. Yeah. And just a quick plot summary of this film. And there's only so much to say, really. But we do follow Brian, played by Austin Abrams, who is a medical courier. He gets an assignment, which he assumes is a, some sort of organ that he's bringing to a transplant or something.

He has to bring it to the hospital in Raccoon City. And hijinks and horror ensues. And along the way, we have a T-virus outbreak that spills out from Raccoon City. He encounters all sorts of zombies and infected creatures of all kinds and has to survive and has to take whatever the mystery thing that he is transplanting and transporting here. to its destination and transcend all manner of obstacles along the way. So it's really a one-hander. I mean, this is following Abrams and Brian almost exclusively. You have a few other cast members who just sort of flit in and out of his story. And most of them, you know, don't meet the happiest

ends and don't stick around on screen for all that long. So this is really just following Abrams from start to finish. Abrams, of course, was in weapons. This feels like a breakout role. And I guess we're heading for a fall of Abrams to some extent, because of course, he's also the star of whale fall coming next month, hotly anticipated. He's a scuba diver who gets stuck inside a whale, and I have not seen whale fall yet. I can't wait, too. But presumably, aside from the whale, not exactly an ensemble story either. So he's probably commanding a lot of that screen time. And he does a great job here, just being personable and relatable and funny. And that's the thing. I am famously a coward when it comes to video games and movies, which is why my Resident Evil playing experience has been somewhat limited,

though I did greatly enjoy Requiem earlier this year. However, I really like Craigers movies because of the humor because the humor just adds enough levity to distract from the horror. The thing about this movie is it's really not scary at all, or at least I didn't find it scary. I mean, I was all ready to be just clinging to Daniel's arm in the seat next to me and squealing like Austin Abrams does during much of this movie. But I really didn't have a hard time with it because I would say there's plenty of body horror and there's plenty of gore. But as far as just pure unsettling stuff, there are a couple scenes that come to mind.

But the creepiness that was present in barbarian and weapons isn't so much here because of that evil dead tone that you were referring to Joshua. So even compared to Resident Evil games, where I guess you're more immersed in the experience just because you're handling the controller, there are jump scares certainly but genuine scares i mean would you say that anything really rose to that level for you joshua i don't think so i think i think uh mostly there's like the dread of the first encounter that you feel right that's like because you know it's going to go bad for him you know he's going into zombies or monsters of some sort right like you're going into this and like

they play the lead up to that first encounter really well and it's kind of nerve-racking but like once once they pop that seal, you know, like, it's pretty much just like a roller coaster. It's just really, really fun. Yeah. Daniel, I didn't hear you screaming next to me either. So there were a lot of laughs, but yeah, did you feel the same way? I appreciate you not calling me out for the jump scare of the dog hopping through the barn because I just like totally shot up out of my seat. Yeah. They definitely had a few like good, like, classic jump scares, I feel like. But I do, I do agree with you both where it wasn't like as creepy. as some of the other ones as like barbarians and weapons but there was a lot of like really good imagery I thought just like especially and they showed some of it in just like the trailers leading

up to the movie too but like the like conjoined zombie like the arms like coming out of the house for the first time I thought it was like an awesome shot but yeah I think because it leaned so this especially this movie leans so much into the humor it does take away from that a little bit but they really do go hand in hand with just I feel like the the tension that builds up from just like way like just like going through a dark tunnel and opening up an empty RV like all of those moments still like really build up attention and in a really great way that just makes the laughs like come out so much like harder it's like such a such a great relief of stress the combination of horror and comedy and and cragger is just like so good at that yeah and it's a fine line to tread and he evidently

according to his own commentary was maybe on the wrong side of that line at one point because he talked about and told the Hollywood reporter that he changed the movie after test screenings. He said, I learned that people really liked the movie, but they thought it was too funny. So over the course of my testing, I stripped out as much of the jokes as possible. I then found that not only did the audience enjoy the movie more, but I also liked the movie a lot more. A little bit of humor goes a long way in a horror movie, and there's not a single joke I took out of this movie that I miss.

So I would love to see the initial, not to start a hashtag, release the Craigor cut. This is the Craigor cut, to be clear. But the initial pre-test screening cut, the jockey cut, because a little bit of humor goes a long way. There's a lot of humor in this movie, even in the final cut. And I can imagine how any more than that might have thrown the balance off a bit. Because it verges on sort of that over-the-top evil dead tone, almost like, a parodic or spoofy sort of take on this thing. And the genre conventions, you know, when he has the first encounter with the infected,

there's almost like a Sean of the Dead aspect to it. You know, he doesn't really realize what's happening, just thinks that someone is maybe feeling under the weather a little bit, not realizing the full extent of what is happening here. And I could imagine that being taken so far that it would disrupt any of the stakes or suspense. And ultimately, I think it does achieve the right balance. But I think that was probably a good impulse, because if there were way more jokes than this initially, a lot of the humor just comes from the running commentary that Abrams is making here, which is, I guess, somewhat video game like, right? I mean, this is not Leon doing wisecracks, but it is not unlike a video game

protagonist who's kind of talking to themselves and by extension, the player or maybe you while you're playing a game by yourself and trying to not be too terrified. So I think it nailed it. I don't know. Would either of you have wanted more or less humor? Or was this just, yeah, chef's kiss? I think they nailed it. I think it was a big part of why it works is that like, instead of making you scared of a of a thing, it leans into. Brian being scared of that thing. And him being scared is funny. Whereas, you know, like a lot of the stuff that, like, it's like a very normal fear.

It's a dread what's behind the other side of the door. But then when Brian is dreading what's on the other side of the door, right? Then you're laughing at him. And he's sort of like, it's very inviting in that way, as gross as this movie is. And this movie is really gross. You know? Like, we mentioned the body horror before. It's pretty intense at times.

But, like, it's as. writing as that kind of movie can be. And Junbug is very upset about it. Yeah. Junbug's remembering the Doberman scene, which is probably quite painful for the K-9 audience. One of the things that I'm interested in the sea is how people who are super interested in like Resident Evil lore are response to it because I think a lot of the jokes are built

around not really caring about the lore that much, you know? Like when umbrella comes up, it's kind of a gag. There are like a dozen sight gags that involve things from the video game that nobody draws attention to. But like, it's like objectively funny to run into, you know, a padlock and not be able to shoot it. But that's also like a video game trope, right? I really admire the way that the jokes, that many of the jokes, work if you have no idea that he's riffing on something and also work if you do. I don't know, how do you, like, is this a, what were you thinking, Daniel? No, I'm definitely on the same page as you there.

I think it's just right. If anything, I would say, I would have liked a little bit more of the horror in it because I am a fan of horror movies and I loved just, I feel like barbarian and weapons had really a perfect balance of it as well. But the grotesque nature of how much of what we see in this movie, like the body horror as you're talking about Joshua, like that, there's so much of that. And I feel like that's what's perfect in a zombie movie especially, you know, like, Barbarian and weapons obviously aren't that. So, like, he leans into it in a different way in this movie.

And I feel like that works so well. Like, both of you have talked about how, you know, you got a little bit of the perspective of Brian here. You get a lot of the perspective of Brian here. And that really, it really does capture the experience. At least, I don't know about, well, I know the answer for Ben because Ben avoids horror games. But I don't know about you, Joshua. But for me, that's how I'm playing a lot of these games where I'm just like, oh, my God. Like, I guess I have to go in here to find.

what's in that room, but I'm just like, shit. Like, I really, I really don't want to. And it really is exactly what Brian is. So it's just like, he's the perfect avatar for you in this. Yes, exactly. Yeah, it's lacking the spookiness, the unsettling nature of weapon and barbarians. Just that sort of, I guess, you know, walking dead station 11 to the monsters, where the monsters, you know, were the true evil, right?

Like, what does this say about human nature? That kind of thing is not as present in this movie. It's more about the gore and the guts. And there are a couple moments where it supplies the pathos of, you know, you slow down for a second. And it's not just about splattering some tentacle monster all over the wall, but it's about the actual victims of the infection, whether it be a dog or a child, let's say, where you actually do feel. for the people involved here, but then that's kind of lightened, undercut by just blowing whatever the victim's brains out is in the most gory way possible, which is sort of almost a humorous resolution to it. Or like, you know, Brian himself kind of being like, that just happened.

I just blew out the brains of insert victim here, you know? So he's like clearly feeling bad about it, but you don't kind of linger, right? There's no time to process like the survivor's guilt or anything. It's just it's on to the next set piece. And there are some excellent set pieces here. And that's something that the movie does well. Maybe in a mini spoiler section at the end, we can talk about the actual finale of the film.

But some of the encounters here, whether it be, yeah, the initial encounter in the car with the first infected, or the dog or the child. Or there's a scene in Raccoon City where Brian's just sprinting down a street and infected are launching themselves off the rooftops around him and splattering, which evidently Austin Abrams had kind of a close encounter with a blood bag at one point during the production of this movie that verged on being dangerous. You do kind of feel that here because it's just these flesh bags that are just dropping like bombs all around him.

And then, of course, it culminates in this sort of scaling a skyscraper and all of the obstacles that come with stairwells and elevators, as you might expect. And gradually, the enemies, including some familiar ones from the games, do really ramp up in size and horror quotient. So I like a lot of that. I mean, they do just keep raising the bar with the encounters. And it starts in a really restrained way. and then suddenly you're in an infected city where it's just all hell has broken loose. Yeah, at least for me, like, I think that's part of like what I really loved about the movie in general, too, where it's just like, you know, you're talking about how you're kind of progressing through it and like it's getting harder in that way.

Like it really just captures the spirit, especially of Resident Evil. And then like Craigers talked about this in interviews too, where it's just like, you know, first you got to find the gun and then you got to find the bullets and then you level up to the shotgun. You know, like, it really just captured that in a way that I thought was really, really fun from an adaptation standpoint. Yeah, I think we should talk about the lore or lack thereof and what this actually does pull directly from the games. But I think that's the main way in which it is a video game adaptation and it's true to the roots is this commitment to depicting the playing experience of someone in a game. And there are times where I guess you could say it approaches gimmickery. I know that that Kregor has asked interviewers, did this work for you, essentially, you know, maybe a little bit of self-consciousness. There are some first-person shots, for instance.

Obviously, we tend to think of Resident Evil as a primarily third-person franchise, but there are some first-person detours. And we get that here, you know, not quite to the Doom movie level or some movies that have been just like all first-person, you know, what if first-person shooter but movie. but there are occasional just little detours into first-person perspective. But then it's also really the commitment to trying to depict the third-person video gaming experience. And, you know, faster-paced, I guess, than in a lot of traditional Resident Evil games. But that kind of the camera is right behind your shoulder or something. You know, when Brian looks one way, the camera swivels to look. that way so that you're kind of getting that perspective.

Craigor has talked about how a lot of horror movies, it's just, you know, someone's walking down a dark hall and maybe their face is lit up by a flashlight or something and you can't really see their surroundings. And that can obviously add to the creep factor. But what he seemed to be going for here is actually being highly aware of Brian's surroundings because in a video game, you're constantly scanning. Okay, where do I go next? You know, there's a part where he gets trapped in a barn.

and there's a ladder, and that leads to sort of a site gag, which is clever. But then also he's looking around and he's like, okay, wait, what if I can jump on this hook that's hanging here? You know, it's very video gamey in that sort of, here are my surroundings, here's the way I go, you know, if it's kind of a linear action game and you're being propelled along this path the way that Brian is.

So I appreciated that, that it does feel like I'm over my head, I'm out of my depth. I'm just trying to go from point A to point B, and it's more or less transpiring in real time. And so that, I think, was really faithful to the video game experience. What did you think, Joshua? Yeah. No, I also appreciate that sense of geography, really, which is also just like good, like, shot composition, right? So, like, the audience always knows where we are.

And like, Craigers, you know, this is in keeping with, you know, his previous two horror movies, right? He makes sure you know exactly what is in a room or in the frame. So, you know, you're paranoid about it, you know? Yeah. I don't want to misquote him. But if I recall correctly when it was first announced that he was doing this, he had said something like, do you either of you remember this quote? He had said something to the effect of like there's like this tiny little thing, you know,

like a note or something in one of the games. that has like lingered in his brain forever and he kind of wanted to make a thing riffing on that and like I don't have an encyclopedic you know knowledge of Resident Evil lore like I know the story of all the main games I've played most of them I couldn't tell you what was in every note

but it does feel like he read a note in the game and thought that is really funny and goofy and like for the life of me I can't you know yeah yeah think of me what it may be you know Like maybe like one of the closest I get is like some of the Lisa stuff in the remake of the first game.

That's more sad. I don't know. Are you a huge Resident Evil head, Daniel? This is just, you're still going through it for the first time, right? Yeah, so going through it for the first time. Like Resident Evil 2 was my first, the remake was my first experience of it. And like I loved it. And I think I'll probably try.

I don't know. Maybe you guys have advice from, well, I guess Ben, you haven't really played much either. But I know like Resident Evil 4. I think I want to try out maybe next. I guess both of you guys like to Requiam, so I'll probably go for that. But yeah, I mean, I definitely

like came into this like kind of fresh as well. But even just after playing Resident Evil 2 in the way that it's lined up with like the timeline of it and just like the world of Raccoon City. And again, just like the general like the vibe of what the experience of playing it is like and just like the problem solving of it. Like the padlocks that you were.

talking about Joshua. Like I just, I remember like, you're going, you're going through the police station. You're just like, oh, my God, all right. Now I got to find the diamond key. Now I got to find like, where's the heart key? I got to play the next play through for that. So it's just like, they really captured that, that sentiment, like that feeling like really, really well in a fun way. Yeah, it's a really good running bit throughout the movie. Just like, oh, not another padlock at the worst possible time. But you don't need to know anything about Resident Evil or Resident Evil or our colleague Joanna Robinson really like the movie, don't think she's a huge Resident Evil head. So you can just come in cold and appreciate this like any other horror or horror spoof film.

Now, we should talk a little bit about the gamer response, the focal subset of the Resident Evil fan base response to this and how Craigor has navigated that. But I do appreciate that it's kind of taking the heightened stories of Resident Evil and just saying, like, what about the banal mundane mechanics of like, how does something get to the evil lab where the T virus vaccine is produced or whatever or the actual T virus was released from? It's like, is there a medical courier who is transporting this through all of this chaos? And this is his story. So I think that maybe we can kind of trace the timeline of Craigor quotes here because the trailer came out this spring. And maybe Craigor got himself into trouble a little bit. He's talked about how he has underestimated the response that he received to this, although he's also said maybe he was naive to think that it would be anything different. But back in April, he said, basically my rule for this movie was to just try and make a movie that felt like my experience of playing the game.

that could live in the world of Resident Evil. I feel like this movie takes place alongside the events of Resident Evil 2. I like to think that everything that's going on in the police station could be happening in this world. This is just another dude on another mission on the other side of town and what's going on with him. So a lot of people kind of took that literally, I think, and said, oh, it's a Resident Evil 2 direct adaptation, or at least everything that happened in Resident Evil 2 is happening as this movie is taking place. And then when people saw the trailer, it was, wait, that game takes place in the 90s. Why does Brian have a smartphone?

Why is it snowing in the movie? It's not snowing in the game. And so a couple months later, in July, Craigar comes along and says, it takes place in the snow and in 2026. That's why he has an iPhone because I took liberties to tell a story I wanted to tell and make the movie look the way I wanted it to look. I am not doing exactly a one-for-one Resident Evil 2 adaptation. There are differences between this movie in the game, so I just want to acknowledge that. I don't think it makes the movie any worse. I think it looks really fucking cool to have a horror movie set in the snow.

I don't see enough of those. I like it a lot. The snow is an aesthetic decision. If the barrier of entry is whether I do a one-for-one port, then I guess in that regard, I have failed. But I think the movie is stronger for it. And I would agree. But this didn't quell some of the uprising out there. And of course, social media makes everything worse.

I mean, that's just a blanket statement. But specifically in this case, I guess, because it elevates the loudest, most aggrieved voices. And I think probably plenty of Resident Evil fans are very happy to have this thing, get the Zach Greger treatment and to take some creative license. But people have continued to say, this is not my Resident Evil. This is not Resident Evil enough. And so as recently as this month, he said, there are different kinds of Resident Evil fans. There are fans like me who love the experience of playing the games and think there's never been a movie that has represented what it feels like to play Resident Evil. That's how I categorize myself as a fan.

Then there are fans of the games who specifically love the lore and the characters and the nitty gritty details of the backstory. But my movie is not spending a lot of currency on those things. And that's certainly true. I mean, do we want to talk about just anything that is actually present here from the narratives of the games or there are a lot of Easter eggs? as you said, Joshua, right? And it's not in the really ostentatious look at me. I'm doing the Assassin's Creed jump into a haybail or whatever kind of thing. But there's a lot of stuff that if you played Resident Evil games, do recognize.

So what stood out to you in that category, Joshua, whether from Resident Evil 2 or just Resident Evil, the franchise? There's like very little. What it does kind of do if you want it to, right? Like, because again, the game, the movie's not very overt about any of this. Right. But if like you have a question about like, what did umbrella do to try to get this under control, right? Did they just not care at all? You could see this movie as like making an argument for that or like answering that question. Right. Like what, you know, like was it really? Because because I don't know, you play these games and, you know, this company gets, let's this virus get out of control. And it's just sort of like, well, does it really benefit them to have things get so bad that Recoon City has to get nuked in the. third game or whatever. That's kind of there. But for the most part, I don't know.

I don't really care for that stuff to be super prominent. Like, it could be fun if there was like, you know, a character from the games making a cameo or something, but I don't need it. And yeah, yeah, it's mostly just sort of like, if you are going to bring the stuff up, I kind of just want to know what sort of fun spin you're going to, going to do with it. And that's kind of what happens for me with umbrella, you know?

Where did you spot, Daniel, if anything? Yeah, I think, I think Joshua is right on that. I definitely agree. I think something, like, having just played it, I noticed, like, a few parallels, I guess you could say. Like, for example, like in the opening of the movie, like, the first zombie that you see is, like, you know, you're hit on the road. Like, the zombie gets hit on the road and, like, the car stops. Like, that's exactly the way that Resident Evil 2 opens. And There's like a couple of other things like that, like towards the end, which I won't spoil. So it felt like those were like direct like kind of allusions to some of the events that were happening in that respect. But since it's happening with different characters and it's just like, you know, it's just different.

And I appreciate it that. Like I really like love the idea that he's just tried to still be himself, like Zach Craigers tried to still be himself within this space and like just use this as a sandbox. There is one Easter egg I want to put out there, you know, to the listeners. to get at me, j.m. Rivera.blisky, that social, if you agree. But there's a point where Brian hits an elevator button a bunch of times.

And I think that sound sample is the hit a button sound in the Resident Evil video games. That is an incredibly minor detail. Yeah. And like, it amused the shit out of me. And I only came to mind because he hits that button. a lot of times.

And I'm like, that sounds really goddamn familiar. So if you agree, let me know right into the, bother Ben and then make Ben tell me. Rememberst gaming at gmail.com. I'll forward it to Joshua. Yeah, that's a pretty deep pull. But yeah, I mean, there's lots of little shout out, some of which were in the trailer. So people have already discussed these things. But the green herbs from RE4 are here.

there's a kind of funny moment where Brian breaks into what seems like sort of a safe room and sees a typewriter there as if it's a safe point, right? And they don't really linger on that. But the Resident Evil fans in our audience in the theater, definitely that got a little laugh from them. And then the padlocks and the dogs and the tentacle creatures, kind of like the RE4 Las Plagus sort of tentacle creatures. And then I guess just the general scouring the environment, rummage, through drawers to find ammo because you're short on shotgun shells or whatever. There's a lot of that happening here, just the general scrounging. And, you know, you're going back to Recoon City after all these years, as we did in Requiem, too. But just not a ton of overlap. And honestly, not a lot of is lost there. It's funny that people are so precious about mirroring the games. You know, it's really kind of an embarrassing backlash.

Can you even call it a backlash if it precedes the release of the film? It's almost like it's like Wolverine where there's like three backlash cycles just before the game actually comes out, some of which were maybe more justified in Wolverine's case than in Resident Evil's. But, you know, there's the whole like hashing out what everyone thinks of this just based on footage or trailers or gifts or whatever. And then there's the actual film in the response to that. But it's not as if the lore of Resident Evil is, is really the strength of that series? I mean, there is obviously a strange charm to it,

but it's really tough to tell a coherent recounting of Resident Evil, as we discussed on the Requiem episode, because unlike the film franchise, which gets repeatedly rebooted, they haven't really done that to the games. And so it's just incredibly convoluted and joined together, like the conjoined body monsters in this movie. And so, I mean, I get that people are attached to Jill or Leon or whoever, not physically literally attached, but emotionally.

But, you know, Craigor said as much just like those stories have been told in the games. So I didn't feel like I needed to retell them. But also, do we need to see that? Right. I mean, you know, is that the strength of Resident Evil? It's part of the mix, the soup, the ingredients. But it's more about the gameplay. and this movie mirrors the gameplay.

So as someone who is probably more well-versed in recent evil lore than Daniel and I are, is that more or less how you felt, Natasha? Do you want to see the Leon movie? Yeah, I mean, that's kind of it, right? The fact that, all right, so horror games slow you down to the point where you have to, like, do things much slower than you would in other games, and also try again more than you might. other games, right? And do a lot of repetition. Oh, I forgot this key. Oh, this goes over here. And

you've got to, like, do all these things that you dread. And you spend all this time thinking more about the stories of these games. So I completely understand why people are so attached to these games and these characters. And also, you know, Leon S. Kennedy, one of the hottest guys ever in a video game. You know, like, I mean, like, if there was a man in the real world that looked exactly like that, yeah, put him on the freaking screen, dude. I think, you know, Again, when you step back from that, right, after you recover from the shock of Mr. X, you're like, oh, that is a guy in its trench coat and fedora, you know, like coming at me. This is stupid.

So, you know, again, I sympathize. There's a lot of fun in putting those stories together. It's something to focus on when you are scared or when you're done being scared, you know. and there is something admirable, even if it's a little foolish, and Capcom's willingness refusal to reboot, right? And their willingness to find a way to connect every subsequent game into what happens before, even if it means rewriting what happened in those games entirely. Yeah, yeah.

And it's very, I mean, you know, when is there not some sort of toxic gamer backlash or prelash to anything and everything? But part of me is like the, you know, fortunately we don't have to talk so much. We don't have to do the Roger Ebert debate. And yes, games can be art. You know, we're past that point. And even fortunately past the point of arguing that video game movies or adaptations can be good and successful because we have seen so many examples of that now. But there is still part of me who remembers being in the trenches for those debates.

Who's just like, guys. And it probably is almost exclusively guys. Just like, stop. bringing shame upon us as a community. It's like we get Zach Craigor, this incredibly talented accomplished filmmaker to make the movie. He's one of us. He loves the games.

He plays the games. Not that I think you need to pass some sort of purity test to direct a video game movie, but like he passes regardless. Do you have to make a spectacle of yourselves and dissuade maybe the next talented filmmaker from wading into the, sewer the muck of of making a video game adaptation and suffering the barbs of people on social media who are getting mad about stuff there is a sewer sequence in this movie by the way so there's another resident evil trope and an re2 trope but yeah like is re2 such a narrative masterpiece that we need

to go beat for beat and retell and not tamper with that story i don't think so as as highly acclaimed as the game itself is and correct He's described it as an apology tour. I think that's kind of, you know, tongue in cheek because he's he's sort of saying, sorry, not sorry, more than anything, and he has nothing to apologize for. But he did say recently, I think I was naive. I thought fans of these games like me would be thrilled that somebody was coming along and turning Resident Evil into a survival horror movie.

I was like, that's great. I did not really appreciate the sentiment that we've been waiting forever for Leon's story. And I appreciate that. And I'm sorry, that's not the story I'm bringing. I get it. I understand the frustration. He's going out of his way. He's bending over backward here to pander and sort of feel like I, I see you and I understand

you and I appreciate you. He said, I understand it so well because I haven't seen the earlier Resident Evil movies because they don't look like the Resident Evil that I love. So how could I be frustrated with fans who have that same attitude? My only hope is that they'll see the movie regardless of their skepticism or their disappointment that I'm not telling some of the stories that the games tell so well. And they will feel seen when they do watch the movie. And they will recognize all of the love for the games that are in this movie because it is there.

This is not me just telling a story and slapping Resident Evil on it so I can get a budget. This is me telling a Resident Evil story. I understand the resistance. I do because I have it myself. It is coming from a true place of love. And I think there's a lot of truth to that. And if these people actually do get tickets and go see the movie and obviously the buzz and the word of mouth will help with that, hopefully they will be won over if we even want to win them over at this point.

But you know, you've probably seen more of the previous Resident Evil movies than Zach Greger has, Joshua, more than I have for that matter. How would you compare and contrast here? Because these are very different approaches to the source material and maybe a more successful one, but also in some ways a less faithful one, but in other ways maybe a more faithful one. Right. Yeah, those movies, there's been a funny sort of like reconsideration of them. Like, I don't think anybody would call them like great. But like people are sort of more appreciative of like what they're doing, which is just sort of like a very shlocky thing.

Right. There was that essay calling Paul W.S. Anderson a vulgar author, I think. And they're like very like workman like. mechanical Miloiovovich basically just sort of like willing those movies to work basically on her own at some points, you know, like, but they kind of do, you know, they're not super, they don't center the game's characters, but they do their part to sort of like work their way through like game set pieces and realize some of these characters. It does it badly, but also I would argue there's a whole lot to improve on because it is all ridiculous. And what happens is when you sort of like have these movies that, you know, that don't have like,

the sort of like, it's hard to know what you're looking for, right? Because everything is so patently ridiculous that the ridiculous is just like when it's made plain in front of you, it's kind of uncomfortable. And that's kind of what those movies are. But yeah, I don't, I don't, I don't. I think they're fun. I think they're great, you know,

if you're like sleepy and like or maybe a little buzzed and you just need something to throw on. Like throw on a Resident Evil movie, man. Those are those are those are those are a solid time. But it's it's sort of like the be careful what you wish for kind of thing, right? Where it's just like it's better to see someone do their own thing and fail at that

than to come into your house. and, you know, like, do a bad, make a bad thing with, like, the stuff that you like, you know? Like, so yeah, that's kind of, that's kind of how I feel about it. Yeah. And those movies do have crossover characters from the games who appear in various movies. Claire and Jill and Ada and Chris and even Leon and some of the antagonists and everything. But the central figure is Alice. And I guess one difference is that Alice is more of a badass than.

Brian, right? She's like, you know, she has some experience with weapons. And Crager has experience with weapons. But Brian does not. Brian throughout the movie is keeping up a steady stream of like, I don't know what I'm doing here. And given that, he does remarkably well, by the way, I mean, he's constantly professing that he has no experience with guns. He can't shoot. Like, all of his experience comes from video games. There's like a little bit of a wink fourth wall breaking aspects there. But he's quite resourceful. And, you know, even if his aim isn't entirely true, he's a survivor here.

He does way better than I would if I were just dropped into Raccoon City with nothing but video game experience. So, but there's a little bit of that kind of clerks. I wasn't even supposed to be here today aspects to it. That's not so much present in the other Resident Evil films where the protagonist is more equipped to take on these enemies. And so Brian makes a good proxy for the audience. Did either of you feel like the frequent allusions to video game playing were a little

on the nose? Or did you like that? Or was it too much for you? I thought it was a little bit on the nose, like something. Because they do it a lot. Most of the time, it did work for me because it's just very relatable. And I think that's the main thing with Brian. It's the whole experience of him trying to survive this.

absolutely ridiculous ordeal, is that it's just relatable. He's just a guy that's just a glorified like postmates delivery guys. I think he says at one point in the movie, he's like, why do I have this? Like I'm like, you know? So it's like I feel like in that sense, it like it works a lot of the time. And I think like that's one of the really the big things that set apart this, this movie with this movie with the other movies is just like the other ones

leaned more towards that action. And this really leans really, really far into the comedy. And it just makes a lot more sense for Zach Greger in the sense. Yeah. And Crager said, I feel like I've been on somewhat of an apology tour. I feel like I'm running for office trying to get these people not to call me a larper. Now, judging by the response in our theater, Daniel, because we went to a press screening, but I think it must have been a mixed press in public screening because we had some Resident Evil diehards in our theater who were applauding when the text Resident Evil appeared on screen.

that sort of moviegoer. And those people, for the most part, seemed to be pretty happy. They were doing the, you know, point at the screen, DiCaprio meme and the clapping every time there was an Easter egg, right? And maybe the ending response was a bit more muted. We could talk about that. But the customers seemed satisfied from what we could tell. The Resident Evil fans were not revolting and throwing things at the screen.

I feel like, yeah, every time there was one of those, like, like, psychags or or Easter egg, like the typewriter, for example, there's a lot of like ooze and ahs from the audience or like some cheers. So, I mean, it makes sense, you know. There is a really, really big audience for this. And I think that was, it was fun to see it in this kind of, it probably had to have been split between press and, and, uh, unless, yeah, there were some,

some press members who were not showing the typical decorum, but I would think, yeah. So, well, let me ask you this then. should this have been a Resident Evil movie or did it need to be a Resident Evil movie, since we're saying that it's not following the games beat for beat or anything. And Craigers very explicit about that. And he actually said on The Big Pick, this is a story that I would have wanted to write, whether I got the IP or not.

I just happened to be able to have these Resident Evil people be down. So I get to play in that sandbox. And there was part of me when this was announced that thought, oh boy, we have another really interesting original filmmaker and screenwriter who's getting absorbed into the franchise machine, you know, and I want him to keep doing his own thing. So do you guys feel like there was any part of his originality or vision that gets compromised because he's playing in someone else's sandbox to an extent? And with this, it worked just as well if it was a zombie movie that had zero IP basis

whatsoever. Like, are you glad that this was a Resident Evil movie, Joshua? I am. And it's like, it's kind of for cynical reasons, right? Like, uh, it, like, it allows you to like lower expectations a little bit, you know, in a way that I think, I guess, benefits the experience as weird as that sounds, right? Where it's just sort of like, you know, Zach Krieger, I would be disappointed in Zach Krieger's, uh, work here if this wasn't, you know, if this was an original film. Because Barbarian and Weapons both have like very, like, compelling, you know, social issues like baked into it, right? Like Barbarian starts with that really fraught circumstance of like, oh, you know, a man and a woman got double booked at an Airbnb.

That's uncomfortable, you know, like, how do we navigate that? Right? And, you know, weapons similarly and I guess like more easily spoiled, you know. of manners. And so I'd kind of be like, well, what is he getting at here? You know, like, I have some notions, you know, like, I don't think it's about nothing, but it's not necessarily about much. Okay.

Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that. Sorry to interrupt. You can resume your thoughts on this, but you could probably classify Barbarian and Weapons has elevated horror. I guess that's sort of a pretentious term. It's like it's horror, but critics like it too, which is. very rare, frankly, even with successful horror movies to get good reviews. And so, you know, the Wikipedia entry for Barbarian, for instance, has a themes and

interpretations subsection. And both these movies just have a lot of allegory and a lot of, oh, this is really about that. And there's a lot of foreboding in those films. And so I think it helps that this is a Resident Evil movie. So if you have any inkling of what Resident Evil is, you kind of get where we're going and you can sort of see him laying the groundwork to get there. But then when I left the theater, I was kind of thinking, well, that was a fun thrill ride. But was there subtext? Was there significance? Was there

something more substantial to it? Not that there needs to be, but do you anticipate a themes and interpretation subsection on the Resident Evil Wiki? Like, what would that be? I mean, you know, Brian, aside from the moment to moment, how am I going to stay alive here? He kind of has a running dialogue with his girlfriend, who we gather is pregnant, and he is kind of equivocating on whether they should keep the baby. And we get the sense that he is maybe a bit immature and is afraid to step up here. And maybe there's growth in his character as he confronts the circumstances that he faces in this film. I don't know whether you think that's saying something in a larger sense. Again, like, I don't want to place too much on this movie just because of its creator. But I wonder

whether you emerged from this thinking that there was more to it, then that was fun. Not a lot, right? Like, I think there is like a very, like, funny and cynical read about it that is sort of like, you could read it as, I mean, you could read it as literally as like a standard for gamers, right? And if you do, if you take that seriously and you run it throughout, it has a pretty dim view of people who play video games. reinforced by the response of some of them to the movie yeah exactly um i don't think that's necessarily what what is happening i think he's purely interested in that for comedy reasons more than you know like thematic ones um i think as it goes on right like there's there's also like a very like superficial

read about like gig work right where uh like you know he has that post-based line that daniel mentioned earlier. But there's also like, again, this is much more, I'm reaching for a comparison that's like much more elevated than like what this movie's doing, but there's like a little bit of like

Robocop kind of ridiculousness. Right? So like when you meet the umbrella people who show up, right? They are I think a lot about how, you know, like, there's a lot of controversy about, you know, like AI stuff and a thing that happens with companies like these, with these tech companies, they hire a lot of bright

talent who might be aware that they're doing something bad, you know, and scrambling to do something about that, right? And this is kind of a movie about that where, like, people with immense power realize they fucked up and are like farcically trying to do something, you know, put toothpaste back in the tube they can't really do. So there is something there, but that's kind of just sort of like, you know, get high after midnight and, you know, talk about, you know, like a bit kind of themes. And it's not like going to support like, I don't know, a themes and inspirations, you know, Wikipedia section, you know? Yeah. Or it's, yeah, it's about the dangers of gain of function research.

And it's a pro pro vaccine sentiment in this. be, you know, probably that's reaching or it's like every other zombie or mutation movie. But I don't know, Daniel, did anything stand out to you about alternative readings of the film or just whether you're glad that it's a Resident Evil movie or whether that was really irrelevant to you? Because again, it's it's not as if he needed a name to get this movie made given that Zach Craigor himself is a name and a brand now. Yeah, I mean, at least in terms of the approach of it all, like whether or not he should have lean more into the Resident Evil franchise.

Like, just speaking to the pre-movie backlash of it all, it's just like, it feels so silly to me. Where it's like, Ben, when you said that this was the eighth Resident Evil movie at the top of the podcast, I was like, damn, they made seven other Resident Evil movies. Like, oh my God. So it's just like, and like they did be. I didn't even know that they made one in 2021 that had like Claire that had like they had all of these people in it. Like, we just did this like five years ago. So it's like this, when you have somebody of Zach Greger's quality, like you, of its caliber, like you want him to do what he, what he does. And I think just the fact that he was able to put his own stamp, but still capture the experience of playing Resident Evil, like we talked about is what made this such a fun movie and such a fun take on a video game adaptation.

Now, like, I do wonder a little bit like what it would have looked like if it was purely a Zach Krieger movie. like you were talking about Joshua, and like I think because of that, you can, like, lower your expectations a little bit for it. And that's not to say that this, this movie wasn't, wasn't really fun because I really did enjoy it. But I do wonder, and like, I know we won't get to spoilers too much yet, but like, I do wonder if, like, some things would have been different about the ending of the movie without, like, the umbrella of at all if, if he doesn't have to be within the space of Resident Evil. But, I mean, overall, again, it's just, like, I feel like he still was able to have his own imprint on this.

which is like a lot of times when you see a lot of big directors come into franchises. Like that's just completely lost and that's always a shame. Yeah, but his personal touch is not lost here. It feels as distinctive as his previous films or true to his style. I enjoy that he has this early West Andersonian proclivity for one classic rock needle drop per film. It's like Ricky Tiki Taffy and Donovan in Barbarian or Beware of Darkness in in weapons, which was great, the George Harrison song, or here it's Animal Farm by the Kinks, playing over the credits.

And, you know, I wonder what his future is. Obviously, we know his direct future in the movie he's making next, but will he get captured by the franchise machine or will he become the machine himself because his movies are so successful that they spawn franchises? And he has addressed this. He said, I've never been approached by another franchise. Maybe I have, but it would never get to me. because I've been very clear that I'm not doing that.

I'm doing this and that's it for me. So I'm not going to tackle any other franchises. Famous last words, just because I'm a writer and I want to write whatever I want to write. I don't want to write something where I have to make sure I'm tagging different data points to satisfy X. I just want to satisfy me. And the only reason that I think Resident Evil is okay for me to do is because I'm

enthusiastic about the games and I like the story that I thought of with the games and I'm making it for me. He did also say in another interview, I can't help but thinking about other places this story could go. I've got ideas, but this movie hasn't even come out yet. Let's see what happens. So he did leave the door open for a potential sequel to this movie. And I wonder about that because there is a prequel to weapons in the work, which he is co-writing but not directing. There was actually a barbarian video game announced a few years ago.

and it's been radio silence ever since. So I assume... Really? Yeah, I assume that's not happening. Yeah, but, you know, like, do you get sort of the snake eating its own tail or some kind of recursive scenario where there's a Resident Evil game adaptation of the Resident Evil movie adaptation? I don't know.

You know, do we want to be Brian or something? Maybe we can take a quick little spoiler interlude here and we will timestamp it in the show notes if you want to skip over this. but just to address the ending of the film, which a lot of the movie is building up to, right? And Brian gets bitten, and you can kind of project out from there what could happen, and he's seeing the infection progressing.

And at the very end, we get the confrontation up in the top tower of the Raccoon City Hospital, and he gets full-blown T-Virus. and mutates and loses his mind. And it is like some of the earlier scenes a little sad because you can see some remnant of his humanity here, even as he is like growing other eyeballs and stuff. Like he is still retaining some semblance of Brian. And it's just like, hey, inject me because as soon as you hit me with this vaccine, maybe

I'll go back to normal. And it just doesn't happen because his tentacles are rebelling and are squishing. various scientists who can help him. And at the very end, we just see him in full-blown monster mode, just, you know, almost Godzilla posing at the top of the building here as helicopters fly in. And that's that. The movie ends. And that surprised me a little bit, frankly.

And Craigard talked about this, again, the sequel talk. He said, with Barbarian, I've never entertained the idea of a sequel or another movie in that universe. Because that story is, at its heart, so foul, what makes barbarian interesting is the unfolding of the narrative, not the subject matter. I don't think I want to write another story about what that movie is about. Don't blame him. But this is different. I want to talk about the ending of the movie so badly because there is a big aspect of it that's worth discussing. This is a different situation. And Daniel, you and I were actually somewhat taken aback when the credits rolled. And we were sitting there waiting for a post-credits.

scene that never came. And it feels almost like set up for a series or a prequel or something. It's like, okay, this was Brian's story. And now here's how the full-blown infection and nukeing or whatever else comes next happens. So what did you make of that, Joshua, that it just ends unhappily for Brian, even though he has had the catharsis of realizing that he's ready to be a dad. I don't think that's in the card for him, unfortunately. It seems like Michelle's going to have to be a single bond if she goes through with that pregnancy. I mean, in some ways, he is, he will be. I mean, he's going to have so many T-virus.

Children. Yeah. Yeah, it's true. It's ballsy, right? Like, it's like, it's, you know, like, you spend all this time, like, sympathizing with this guy who's kind of a little torp, you know. And, but, like, you know, he becomes, like, the monster at the end. and he becomes the horror movie thing that like he's been avoiding he's not quite the weird catamari uh yeah uh creature that is like bedeviling him for the whole which is so funny i love that like

instead of a nemesis it's just this blob of people yep it's kind of a last of us sort of you know with like the the rats the rat king kind of yeah yeah just giant bodies joined together. Yeah. But yeah, and he sort of like looks a little bit like the tyrant, right? Did you finish already too right down?

You saw the tyrant monster? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I guess it kind of looks like like William Birkin. Like Burkin's, yeah, yeah, Burkin. So, you know, I think it's clearly sort of like gesturing in that direction. But yeah,

I am so curious, like, I would love to talk to Craigor and be like, yeah, what do you, what are you doing here, man? I think I appreciate the swing and I think I admire the movie more. I've seen a few people who will complain about the third act and how it's like not as taught as like the, you know, the previous part of the movie. And like, sure. But I do think that like when you have a movie, this light, you need some kind of swing to end with. And I think I appreciate this one. Yeah.

Yeah, I did kind of enjoy the quieter ramp up more, just the isolated encounters than the full blown balls to the wall, infection raging action part of the film. But I think it made sense that it would scale up from small to very big. So it feels appropriate. But, yeah, I kind of liked the traipsing through the snow phase of the film more so than the cityscape. But yeah, Daniel, what did you make of this climax?

Yeah, no, I mean, part of one. Part one is definitely my favorite part of it. Like, the first part of the movie is my favorite. But yeah, as much as I really did enjoy this movie, the ending is what I was most disappointed by. And I think it was very palpable with Ben, just like the reaction that we heard from the audience. It was just like kind of a muted few claps and, like,

people just waiting a second to see if it was actually over and still just processing it in real time. Yeah, the applause came. at the very end of the credits when it became clear that there was no post-credit scenes. Like, oh, relatedly, we applaud. Which was, it was kind of sad, but that really did. That captured how I felt in the moment, too. I was like, really?

You know, because I think it's, especially when you have a movie like this where you're following somebody for so long and you're just stuck to that perspective for it to just end very abruptly like that after you've just gone through all the shit with him. Like, you just shot the little girl in the RV and all the, like, you've just survived the dog in the barn. and like all of these things where it just still like he's finally there. And like, you know, it doesn't need to be a happy ending. Like weapons, I would say does not have a happy ending.

And it's like, you know, it's grossly cathartic in its own way. But I don't know. Maybe I was like thinking about a lot to you. Like maybe for me it was just like a lot of the characters are very unsurious in a way that's fun. And like, you know, Ben, you were saying it's kind of spoof like in a way. And like, you know, Josh, you were talking about how like there is a commentary on umbrella just like fucking up this whole situation. But there are moments where I'm just like, why are you even letting him in the lap?

Like they're so afraid is the whole point, I feel like, where it's just like, you're not even going to check that this guy was bitten, like, you know? And then, you know, it's, they're playing up the whole fact that nobody's going to stick them with the, you know, with the cure and all that. Like that, that makes sense. But it's just the whole time, it's just like you're like smack in your, your forehead with your hand here. because you're just like, come on, somebody just stick them.

But, I don't know. Desper times. Yeah. The screening process was a little lax, but. Yeah, I mean, like, I mean, this is the sheer surprise of having Zach Cherry pop in, though, where you're just like, damn. Like, that was awesome. Like, I was, I feel like I didn't even hear half of what he was saying because I was just so happy he was on screen.

So, I don't know. Like a bug quite quickly. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. But, yeah, I mean, I had, I respect it because you're you're really jonesing for the happy ending and okay, maybe Brian's matured and he's learned his lesson and maybe he gets to walk away from this thing and yeah, not so much. So I don't know if this is his bid for a franchise or a successor or whether it's just, I'll leave it open-ended. You know, if you want to find out what happens, play the Resident Evil games.

Maybe that's part of it is just like reinforcing that message that this is not actually following that narrative. this is just one man's story. And most stories in this universe do not have a happy ending, unfortunately, for for Brian. So I will say if I could pitch you guys how I would have, not to Monday morning quarterback here, I would have really loved for there to be some sort of choice on Brian's part where it's like, you know, this is like maybe the only like the last cure sample. And it'll bring back the fact that, you know, he's just supposedly got him over the hump where he's like, oh, now I want to be a dad.

Like he started up in movie very selfish, and now he could be presented with this choice. It's like, all right, do I choose myself and the cure or do I possibly let it to, you know, maybe he just chooses himself because he's still selfish. And then now the cure is still gone anyway. Yeah. I don't know. I feel like I would have just like some sort of like something else with Brian other than just like, damn. Yeah. Now he's a zombie.

We saw that coming, but, you know. Yeah, we get throughout the movie, he's. professing that he's delivering whatever it is for selfless motives. You know, he's constantly like, this could be a kid's hard or so, you know, this could be saving someone's life. But really, we know he's doing it because he's getting double his regular rates. And he wasn't interested in the assignment initially. And so that's sort of just the justification.

But then by the end of the movie, it's still self-interest because once he knows that it's the vaccine and obviously he needs the vaccine. So it would have been nice, I guess. as you're saying, Daniel, to have a moment where you realize that it's not just about self-interest, but, you know, maybe the voicemail he leaves for Michelle, which I don't know whether she'll ever hear. But, yeah, poor Michelle, you know, she got his earlier voicemail. She called back. He never picked up. I did. I loved that scene in the house where after he eludes the dog and then the initial corpse comes back to life.

and he manages to blow both of those bodies away while Michelle is kind of like hectoring him for not picking up the phone on the voicemail. And meanwhile, he's watching the tentacles start to connect. I love that because every impulse in your body is like, run, get out of there, or just like keep blasting them or something. And he's sitting there like Spock just going, fascinating.

You know, like, wow, look at how this is that. I like that. That was one of the funnier moments of the most of the most of, movie, I think. So that gag and then just him and the cop trying to get the first zombie into the car with my two favorite gags in the whole movie. Her hands are sticking out. Yeah.

Oh, man. All right. Well, good movie. And I'm glad it got made. And I'm glad that unfortunately, Brian may not be immune to the T virus. But Zach Criger immune to the video game movie curse, which I think has been dispelled by this point. but still reassuring that he could retain his sense of self while working in a franchise sandbox.

And I look forward to everything that we see from him, whether it's in the Resident Evil movie universe or even more so beyond. And also looking forward to seeing more of Abrams and seeing him try to escape the whale, which actually seems better. I think I'd rather be trapped inside a whale than in Raccoon City during the T-Pirus outbreak. Neither one is really an enviable situation, but I'd go with whales over mutant virus. But very happy to have you both here.

And Joshua, thanks for coming back on the pod. Yeah, thanks for having me. And Daniel, thanks for keeping me company in the film, even though it turned out that I kept my whips about me and didn't really need a shoulder to lean on. But nonetheless, you did better than me, Ben. All right. you can contact buttonmesh at ringaversegaming at gmail.com. Let us know what you think of the movie and how it did or didn't stay true to

Resident Evil lore. Next week, we have a packed pod with a ton of new games to cover, Fire Emblem, Fortune's Weave, which is out now and also getting rave reviews. By the way, Resident Evil's, Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic scores while we were recording this episode plummeted from 97 and 80. to 96 and 79. Oh, wow. Yeah, the critical reappraisal is happening in real time here, it turns out.

We have Fire Embold to cover also Control, Resonant, and Silent Hill Townfall, both coming next week, so we will be staying in the spooky space and more. Things won't slow down from there. We've got Star Wars Galactic Racer. We've got Gears of War Ede, Ace Combat 8, Castlevania, Belmont's curse coming in mid-Octobobes. and in less than a month, another big screen reboot of a film franchise based on a Capcom classic Street Fighter, which will be a very different movie, I think, although maybe similar in some silly ways. Thanks, as always, to Devin Romato for producing this podcast and to Arjuna Ramgapal for his senior podcast management. And thanks to you, of course, for listening as always.

And I will leave you with a proclamation that Brian makes toward the end of the Resident Evil movie, video games. Yeah!