It’s probably a little strange to be sharing reactions to the first 30 minutes of a movie. After all, we’ve all seen the skepticism that can surround early reactions to entire movies, so what are we supposed to make of reactions to less than half of one? Well, we’re about to find out.
Sony Pictures has screened the first 30 minutes of Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil for members of the press, and some very enthusiastic reactions are already making their way online. The footage is reportedly delivering the kind of creepy, violent, atmospheric survival horror that fans have been hoping to see from Cregger’s take on the video game franchise.
And, yes, it’s worth keeping that 30-minute caveat in mind. Nobody has seen the entire movie yet. A fantastic opening half hour doesn’t necessarily mean the remaining hour will deliver. But considering Cregger has already promised that Resident Evil is the most violent movie he has ever made, these early impressions are certainly encouraging.
Resident Evil’s First 30 Minutes Are Getting Positive Reactions
JoBlo’s own JimmyO was among those who got to see the footage, and his reaction was extremely positive:
“I just saw the first half hour of Zach Creggers Resident Evil! It was fantastic!”
JimmyO acknowledged the obvious limitation of judging an entire movie from its opening 30 minutes, but said the footage was “f*cking great,” praising both Cregger’s direction and the performance of Austin Abrams as Bryan. According to JimmyO, Abrams brings a grounded quality to the character and makes Bryan an immediately likable protagonist. He also praised the actor’s ability to balance the movie’s scares and humor.
“He carries this film so beautifully. I was rooting for that dude 100%. It’s a funny performance and he handles the scares with perfection.”
That combination of horror and humor appears to be one of the movie’s biggest strengths so far. JimmyO went on to call the opening half hour “one of the best set ups to a horror flick I’ve seen in a while,” praising the balance of “horror with laughs and chills and thrills.” He also had high praise for Cregger’s visual approach, describing the footage as “moody, creepy, atmospheric, and funny.”
That’s quite a promising first impression – and here are a few more:
Resident Evil Has Been Rated R for Gore and Violence
The MPA has officially given Resident Evil an R rating for “strong bloody violence, gore and language throughout.” That rating should come as little surprise to anyone who has been following Cregger’s comments about the movie. The filmmaker previously described Resident Evil as “definitely the most violent thing I’ve done,” promising that he wanted to go “all the way” with the gore.
Cregger has also stressed that the movie isn’t simply interested in checking off pieces of Resident Evil lore. Instead, he wants to deliver a fast-moving survival story about an ordinary person thrown into an extraordinary nightmare.
That protagonist is Bryan, played by Austin Abrams. He’s a medical courier who finds himself caught in the middle of a biohazard outbreak, embarking on a desperate fight for survival as his night gets progressively worse.
And if these first reactions are any indication, Cregger may have found a pretty effective way to throw audiences into that nightmare.
Abrams is joined in the cast by Paul Walter Hauser, Zach Cherry, Johnno Wilson, and Kali Reis. The film is directed by Zach Cregger from a screenplay by Cregger and Shay Hatten.
Resident Evil hits theaters on September 18, 2026.
Are you encouraged by these reactions to the first 30 minutes of Resident Evil, or do you need to see the whole movie before getting excited? Let us know in the comments.
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