Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil has emerged as the highest-rated major video game movie on Rotten Tomatoes as reviews continue to arrive ahead of its theatrical release. As of September 16, the film holds a 96% Tomatometer score from 74 critic reviews, placing it well above the previous leaders among theatrically released game adaptations. Its Metacritic score is also sitting at 80, giving the reboot unusually strong critical reception for both the Resident Evil franchise and video game movies more broadly.
The Rotten Tomatoes figure has shifted slightly as additional reviews have been added. Earlier in the day, Resident Evil briefly sat as high as 98% before settling at 96%, meaning the exact percentage could continue moving as more critics publish their verdicts. Even at 96%, however, it currently stands above Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which holds an 86% Tomatometer score and had previously been one of the strongest-reviewed major video game adaptations on the site.
The result extends the overwhelmingly positive response seen when the first Resident Evil reviews began appearing, with critics frequently praising Cregger’s combination of horror, comedy and game-inspired pacing. Rotten Tomatoes’ own first-reviews roundup describes the film as not only the strongest Resident Evil adaptation but one of the best-reviewed video game movies to date. The site currently lists the film with an average Tomatometer approval of 96%.
Metacritic tells a similar story. Resident Evil currently has a Metascore of 80, a particularly strong result for a franchise whose previous theatrical adaptations were generally met with mixed or negative reviews. The score also puts Cregger’s movie ahead of the overwhelming majority of films based directly on video game properties, although aggregates can change as additional publications submit reviews.
The new film is a complete theatrical reboot rather than a continuation of the Milla Jovovich-led series or 2021’s Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Austin Abrams stars as Bryan, a medical courier who becomes trapped in a rapidly escalating outbreak while attempting a delivery to Raccoon City. Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Johnno Wilson and Paul Walter Hauser are also part of the cast.
Cregger co-wrote the screenplay with Shay Hatten and has deliberately avoided adapting the plot of a specific Resident Evil game. Instead, the movie tells an original story within a setting and structure heavily influenced by Capcom’s survival-horror series. Critics have repeatedly highlighted the way Bryan moves through increasingly dangerous environments as feeling similar to progressing through stages of a game, with weapons, monsters and locations escalating as the night continues.
The film has also received praise for its practical effects and creature work. Cregger’s version leans heavily into physical monster effects, gore and environmental horror rather than simply reproducing familiar characters or scenes from the games. Several reviews have also singled out Abrams’ performance, with his inexperienced courier character providing a very different perspective from heavily armed franchise protagonists such as Leon Kennedy or Chris Redfield.
That approach marks another example of game adaptations moving away from direct retellings. Nintendo has similarly said its upcoming live-action Legend of Zelda movie will tell an original story informed by concepts from across the games rather than recreating one specific title. Resident Evil appears to demonstrate that a looser adaptation can still connect with critics when it retains the tone and underlying structure associated with its source material.
The critical response is especially notable given Resident Evil’s film history. The original 2002 movie currently holds just 36% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City sits at 30%. Even Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, the best-reviewed entry from the previous live-action series, reached only 39%.
Resident Evil opens in theaters on September 18, 2026. Its Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores will continue to fluctuate as more reviews are counted, so its final position is not yet locked. For now, however, Cregger’s reboot has established a new critical high point for the Resident Evil film franchise and is sitting above the best-reviewed major video game movies that came before it.
