Resident Evil (2026)'s Most Confusing Moments Explained
All Zach Cregger movies have featured their share of confusing moments, but "Resident Evil" takes the cake on that front — especially if you aren't familiar with the vast lore behind the film. Watch Looper's video above to find out just what all the strange moments in the movie are really about.
Cregger's inventive adaptation of the classic survival horror video game series is barely out of the gates, and it's already nothing short of a phenomenon. "Resident Evil" has blown everyone away at the box office, and its critical appreciation has been through the roof. Looper's own Alistair Ryder called the movie a bloody, chaotic good time in his review, and the film's 95% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes shows that others share the sentiment. As such, the movie is a true feat of horror filmmaking by any stretch of the imagination — but it still has its share of oddities that might confuse a viewer new to Raccoon City.
Resident Evil tells you what its protagonist knows, which is not a lot
"Resident Evil" unfolds through the eyes of its unlucky everyman protagonist, Bryan (Austin Abrams). It's made extremely clear from the beginning that Bryan is essentially the antithesis of the ultra-prepared Alice (Milla Jovovich) from past "Resident Evil" movies. If anything, this is a man who's actually less naturally qualified to tackle mutated abominations than your average person.
Because the movie follows Bryan's struggles faithfully, we only get to know what he personally finds out about the ongoing situation — and since he's often busy just staying alive and passingly marveling in horror at the assorted peculiarities of Raccoon City, this means that the movie often goes out of its way to keep both Bryan and the viewer in the dark about the grander scheme of things.
With this tactic, Zach Cregger creates a fantastic take on the Resident Evil games' hectic survival atmosphere, but it can also leave the viewer with all sorts of unanswered questions. In the video above, Looper helps you unpack the most confusing moments of "Resident Evil."
"Resident Evil" is now in theaters.