Austin Abrams’ Bryan is an excellent horror protagonist, which is great because he’s pretty much the only character on screen for much of the film. Alone and justifiably terrified, he constantly mutters away to keep himself company. After being fantastic in the small role as the homeless drug addict in Cregger’s Weapons (2025), Abrams is captivating elevated to this central role. A reluctant, clumsy hero, Bryan is very realistically flawed, the organ transplant box he’s trying to deliver not being the only baggage he’s carrying. The knowledge of his girlfriend’s pregnancy looms over him throughout the film which isn’t helped by nightmarish infected children he’s plagued with during the film. Completely out of his element, Bryan’s only knowledge of weapons is what he’s learned from video games (a fact that he celebrates later in the film). He’s not the superhuman characters of the games (something some fans have decried) just a likeable everyman in a preposterous and gruesome situation. However, as the events of the night escalate he becomes more competent and you’ll root for him against the overwhelming odds. Paul Walter Hauser appears in a brief but memorable role as a scientist for the villainous Umbrella Corporation who are responsible for the outbreak. Like everyone else who isn’t Austin Abrams it’s only a fleeting interaction although he does give Bryan some belated good advice on firearm safety.

Before release Cregger admitted that he stripped most of the jokes from the film after poor reactions to early screening so while the film is incredibly funny it never detracts from the fact this is a visceral and bloody horror movie. One that is frequently tense and frightening and although there’s a few jump scares the horror is effectively built through a sustained and escalating sense of dread. This tension is exacerbated by the film being so claustrophobic, with tight close ups of Bryan’s terrified expressions and handheld camera work placing the audience in the midst of the horror. Throughout the entirety of Resident Evil, the perspective doesn’t ever shift from Austin Abrams’ Bryan. Closely following over his shoulder or switching directly to a game inspired first person perspective that frames him like a character in a Resident Evil game. Further references to the games come in Bryan’s careful ammo conservation (later in the film) and trying to manage with such scant resources.