Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil arrived with a franchise record to beat: no film in the series had ever been well reviewed. It cleared that bar easily. Here’s the critic scorecard, how the major outlets and horror press reacted, and where reviewers pushed back.
Resident Evil (2026) critic scorecard
| Source | Score | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes (critics) | 96% | Share of 286 critic reviews that are positive |
| Rotten Tomatoes (audience) | 91% | Popcornmeter from verified audience ratings |
| Metacritic | 80 | Weighted average of critic scores, 0 to 100 |
Scores as of October 26, 2026. They shift as reviews come in. Metacritic’s Metascore has been reported anywhere from 79 to 81 since release.
For context, the film opened to about $60 million in the U.S. and Canada, the franchise’s best debut. Critics also rate it higher than Obsession, which sits at 93% and had been the best-reviewed horror film of the year.
What the major outlets thought
Verdicts below summarize each outlet’s individual review. They are not the overall critical consensus.
| Outlet | Critic | Verdict | The takeaway | Full review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variety | Owen Gleiberman | Positive, measured | Enjoyable and well made, but he calls it a “sweetly executed piece of escapist trivia” and seems to prefer Cregger’s earlier films. | Read ↗ |
| The Hollywood Reporter | Frank Scheck | Positive | Says Cregger makes the film his own and gives a tired franchise a real jolt of energy, with strong respect for the games. | Read ↗ |
| Deadline | See review | Check review | Reportedly wary at first that Cregger was spending his talent on a franchise instead of original work. Read the full review for the final call. | Read ↗ |
| IndieWire | David Ehrlich | Positive | Praises a lean, relentless film and calls it “I.P. cinema with vision and verve,” while noting the tone sometimes tips into goofiness. | Read ↗ |
More reviews worth reading
- Dread Central calls it a lean, bloody thrill ride through Raccoon City, though it admits there isn’t much depth beneath the carnage. Read the review ↗
- The Boston Globe gave it three and a half stars and singled out how well it mixes scares with laughs. Read the review ↗
- Pajiba says it’s Cregger’s weakest film but by far the best Resident Evil. Read the review ↗
Where critics push back
The 96% is a near-consensus, but the dissent is consistent. The most common complaints are that the film is funnier and more action-driven than scary, that the back half runs thinner than the tense opening stretch, and that the tone occasionally leans too far into comedy. Some reviewers, like Macabre Daily’s Matt Orozco, found it “more slapstick than scary.” If you want pure dread, expect something closer to a horror-action romp with a sense of humor.
How it compares to the rest of the franchise
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes |
|---|---|
| Resident Evil (2026) | 96% |
| Resident Evil (2002) | 36% |
| Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) | 30% |
| Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) | 18% |
The previous franchise high on Rotten Tomatoes was in the high 30s. On Metacritic, none of the six Paul W.S. Anderson films ever topped 49.
Should you see it?
If you like creature-heavy horror with a mean streak and a sense of humor, the reviews say yes. If you want slow-burn dread or a faithful retelling of the games, adjust your expectations. Either way, it’s worth seeing on a big screen with a crowd.
About these scores
The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer is the percentage of professional reviews that are positive. The Metacritic Metascore is a weighted average on a 0 to 100 scale. They measure different things, and neither is a Heretic Circle rating. Last updated October 26, 2026.
Sources & further reading
- Rotten Tomatoes: Resident Evil (2026)
- PC Gamer: Multiple reviews call Resident Evil the best videogame movie ever
- Dark Horizons: Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” reviews are in
- Video Games Chronicle: Highest rated video game movie on Rotten Tomatoes
- Dread Central: Resident Evil review
- The Boston Globe: Resident Evil review
- Pajiba: Resident Evil review