Monster Mash Double Feature: Resident Evil + Hope

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I caught a double feature this weekend of horror movies starring somewhat clumsy and cowardly guys trying to do the right thing against impossible odds and terrifying monsters. I had a good time with both Resident Evil and Hope, even if I wish I liked each of them a bit more than I ultimately did.

Both movies have strong creature designs and balance the action, horror, and comedic elements with the high stakes fairly well. One falls short by virtue of being a surprise “part one”, while the other has the poor fortune of following in the footsteps of one of my favorite recent movie franchises. But even with my quibbles, my Monster Mash at the Movies day was a very fun time.

Resident Evil

The latest live-action adaptation of the survival horror video game franchise comes from Barbarian and Weapons director Zach Cregger and promised to be more faithful to the source material than the Paul W.S. Anderson-Milla Jovovich franchise that ran before. It is, but that didn't stop gamers from complaining anyway, haranguing Cregger with complaints that the movie isn't adapting one of the stories from the games, as if all copies of the games and YouTube playthroughs have been purged, leaving Cregger's movie as the only method to preserve these stories.

I've never played a Resident Evil game, and I love the Anderson-Jovovich movies, which puts me out of step with most of the people seeing this movie. The new Resident Evil is much more comedically inclined than the previous series, matching Cregger’s sketch comedy background. From the beginning, the movie weaponizes dramatic irony for both humor and tension, and in general the visual humor in the movie is strong, although the endless quips grow tiresome. This movie also leans more into the grotesque zombie designs and satisfyingly mean horror beats than the Anderson movies did, largely to its benefit. However, even though the movie takes its lead character through many different environments, resulting in a video game-like pace, it lacks the narrative understanding of video game logic and the stunning visual language of the Anderson series. 

Cregger is able to capture some very memorable images that make the most of the large IMAX screen, and Austin Abrams is stellar as the cowardly, dense normal guy that gets thrust into the plot of a Resident Evil game while also going through some personal shit. It feels like watching someone bad at Resident Evil play the game, which is a fun direction to take an adaptation. But for me, someone with no connection to the game's franchise beyond the movies that it spawned, this new iteration just can't live up to the exhilarating experience of watching Milla Jovovich respawn over and over again while spin-kicking zombies in the head.

Hope

Hope is an ambitious, gory genre mash-up from celebrated Korean director Na Hong Jin that feels a bit incomplete, due to a combination of its lofty character swings and a cliffhanger ending.

The movie combines elements of science fiction, horror, action, and western movies to mostly strong effect as it explores the small rural town of Hope, which becomes the site of a monster attack, and the assorted citizens that try to stop the monster and uncover the mysteries behind its arrival. Hope follows the Alien rule of waiting as long as possible to show the monster, and it's worth the wait. We're teased with the terrifying completeness of the monster’s destructive capabilities through assaults of sight and sound before finally seeing it (and even when we've finally seen it, we don't have the full picture). 

I don’t want to spoil the reveal because the wait is fun, but this creature is big, smart, and impossibly fast, a combination we don't often see in these kinds of movies. This perfect storm amplifies the tension and the sense of danger while also creating some unique and unforgettable imagery, like the monster chasing a speeding car on a highway. Tense and action-packed, Hope shines in its action scenes, which harmoniously use the monster design, pulsing score, and impressive camerawork to create an exciting, kinetic experience. Once the movie gets going, it doesn't stop, although a verdict on whether or not some of its more ambitious choices land will have to wait until the sequel, as the movie disappointingly ends in a cliffhanger.