Zach Cregger's Resident Evil is a wild ride, one that critics are loving and wasn't what many expected. No, this was never going to be a straight adaptation of the video games—instead, this movie is rooted in the franchise's essence.
Instead of adapting events from something like Resident Evil 2, this movie follows Austin Abrams' Bryan, a courier tasked with delivering something important to the Raccoon City General. Turns out, it's not the usual body part in his delivery bag. No, instead, it's the key to the cure for the deadly T-Virus that Bryan discovers is destroying the entire city.
Unfortunately for Bryan, Zach Cregger had no intentions of giving his character a happy ending. Despite making it to the Umbrella Corps scientists, he ends up succumbing to the T-Virus and turning into a monster, one that violently kills all hope of the cure ever making its way out in the world. The film's final shot reveals that this entire tale was the origin story of a monster.
The Direct caught up with Resident Evil director Zach Cregger and star Austin Abrams at Fantastic Fest, where the two explained why Bryan's ending was perfect for both the movie and the character himself.
Why Resident Evil's Ending Is Perfect
"It's the Origin Story of a Monster."
- The Direct: "That ending [is] very ballsy, and I loved it. It's very subversive in terms of, I don't think many people would expect that for such a big franchise and such a big mainstream film. So, can you guys talk about why that was such a fitting ending for your character, and why it worked so perfectly for the movie, and if there were any other considerations about how to wrap this story up?"
Zach Cregger: No, I mean, I knew I didn't want him to, like, get healed and survive. You know, it's like, I like the idea that this movie that we're watching is—we don't realize it till the very end, it's the origin story of a monster. I think that's cool. It was one of those things, I was kind of writing it, thinking he was gonna make it and get saved and all that stuff. And I was like, nearing the end, I was just kind of dreading writing that part. I was like, it has to happen, but like, it's just gonna be so dumb. It was gonna end with like a yay! And when I had the idea of [this ending], it was like, that's what it is. So [there] was no going back.
Austin Abrams: I feel like it's gutsy, which is what I love about what [Zach Cregger] does so much too. And also, it just like, the more I think about it, the more it's pretty tragic. It's super sad. He goes through this whole life change, life realization, you know, leaves a voice message that his girlfriend's probably never gonna hear... There's something really kind of beautifully tragic about it. I think when I start to think about it, that I really like.
Our full red carpet interview with Resident Evil director Zach Cregger and star Austin Abrams can be seen below:
