Zach Cregger's Resident Evil film was released to critical acclaim last month, with more than one reviewer calling it 'the best videogame movie ever.' Another review dropped today, from none other than Hideo Kojima, and it's (seemingly) a glowing one.
"I wasn’t particularly interested at first, but since it’s Zach Cregger’s latest film, I went to see Resident Evil," Kojima posted on Twitter on October 12.
"Right from the opening, it hits you with music reminiscent of "The Thing." From there, it’s a relentless barrage of classic horror techniques, terrifying situations, and jump scares that never lets up until the very end."
That bit is sorta why I said seemingly above. Do I detect a little backhanded praise? Calling it a "relentless barrage" isn't necessarily a compliment, saying a director used "classic horror techniques" could be a way of saying it's unoriginal, and pointing out that there are "jump scares" throughout might suggest it's not a particularly sophisticated film.
Or, maybe I'm coloring Kojima's statements with my own paranoia which endlessly scans any compliment I'm given for potential criticism. You be the judge.
Anyway, here's the real meat of Kojima's little review:
"This isn’t a film adaptation of Resident Evil. It’s a film about the experience of playing Resident Evil, controller in hand," Kojima continued. "It reminded me of how I felt when I first played the original Resident Evil on PlayStation back in 1996. I was just like Bryan in this movie. I kept getting game over after game over, shouting 'F***!' over and over again. lol"
Preach. The movie was so much fun because it really did feel like you were watching someone play the game, as Bryan dealt with the horrors he faced the same way we all do in a Resi game: by screaming, running, and often demonstrating terrible aim. As Elie observed, the Resident Evil movie is the best because Bryan sucks.
I've embedded Koj's tweet below, and you should check it out because it includes a picture of the Japanese poster for the Resident Evil movie. It's rad.
I wasn’t particularly interested at first, but since it’s Zach Cregger’s latest film, I went to see “Resident Evil.” Right from the opening, it hits you with music reminiscent of “The Thing.” From there, it’s a relentless barrage of classic horror techniques, terrifying situations, and jump scares that never lets up until the very end. This isn’t a film adaptation of “Resident Evil.” It’s a film about the experience of playing “Resident Evil,” controller in hand. It reminded me of how I felt when I first played the original “Resident Evil” on PlayStation back in 1996. I was just like Bryan in this movie. I kept getting game over after game over, shouting “F***!” over and over again. lol I’m also happy I managed to pick up a program for “Digger.”October 12, 2026
