The other day came word from “Weapons” filmmaker Zach Cregger that he hopes fans of the “Resident Evil” franchise won’t ‘crucify’ him for his upcoming film adaptation of the property.
He also says he’s prepared for some negative responses to his film as pleasing all fans of a major franchise is impossible, and that he’s going for an “Evil Dead II” tone that just goes “weird, fun, [and] wild”.
Well, word out of test screenings is that he seems to have pleased almost everybody. According to World of Reel, the title recently screened as is being dubbed the “horror version of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road'”.
Specifically it is said to run around 90 minutes and it’s “all gas, no brakes” and “barely time to breathe” as the filmmaker has “delivered something lean, mean, and very confident” which “prioritizes momentum over exposition, with minimal character development and a heavy emphasis on forward motion.”
They add environments are tight and claustrophobic, monsters are frequent and practical effects rule, with the scope on the smaller side – avoiding the franchise’s sprawling mythology.
Austin Abrams stars as a package delivery driver tasked with transporting a mysterious case to Raccoon City Hospital during a deadly virus outbreak.
Paul Walter Hauser, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Johnno Wilson star in the film, which Robert Kulzer, Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan produce the film and which opens September 18th.

