"Resident Evil" ending disappoints

The recent “Resident Evil” film adaptation had its moments, but overall left unanswered questions and loose ends. The thrilling reimagination of the Raccoon City T-Virus outbreak brought me to the edge of my seat, but didn’t make me fall off of it.

Earlier this year the newest game to be added to the franchise was released, Resident Evil: Requiem. It welcomed new characters and brought back the beloved Leon S. Kennedy, receiving excellent ratings. The games have always blown away my expectations, but not always the films.

We’re introduced to our main character Bryan, played by Austin Abrams. He’s a medical courier who accepts a double-paying gig to deliver a mysterious package to Raccoon City. 

The nightmare quietly builds up as Bryan hits the icy roads. His girlfriend, Michelle, voiced by Sara Paxton, breaks the news of her pregnancy to Bryan over the phone. Bryan hesitates to answer and gives a half baked response, and the connection cuts out.

An encounter with an infected woman drags him closer to the epicenter of the nightmare. On the way he gains a multi-limbed cartwheeling stalker, who follows him the whole film. The T-Virus behaves much differently here. Whilst in the games it did create mutants, this film gave mutants in the franchise a new and unsettling manifestation.

The trope of an inexperienced dude being launched into a gruesome sequence of fights is a classic from the Resident Evil franchise, and it works every time. Throughout the film Bryan gains more confidence with his weaponry and stays determined to deliver the mysterious green package. His slipping and vaulting across edges and through windows take you back to the story of Resident Evil, but with shots of the first-person POV used in later games.

A piece of Resident Evil media isn’t complete without some psychological horror. As Bryan nears his destination in the city, his fears of fatherhood manifest into a bloody and disturbing scene. 

The ending of this film left unanswered questions, which isn’t necessarily bad, but the film lacked the depth to make me believe the unanswered questions were intentional.

Resident Evil 2026 is entertaining, but not satisfying.