Every Resident Evil Game Easter Egg in Cregger's Reboot — SkimNews
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- Zach Cregger directed the new 'Resident Evil' reboot with a fully original story separate from the games, though it retains Raccoon City and the Umbrella Corporation, with Austin Abrams starring as medical courier Bryan.
- The film directly references classic game monsters — zombie dogs from the 1996 original, an acidic vomit-spewing creature inspired by 'Resident Evil 7's' Fat Molded, and the Revenant from 'Resident Evil Revelations 2,' whose tendrils pull in bodies to grow larger; Bryan himself transforms into one at the end.
- Gameplay mechanics translated to the movie include locked doors requiring keys, codes or force; flashlights that illuminate dark areas; ammo scarcity forcing Bryan to scour a farmhouse with a pursuing zombie; and lumbering stalker enemies echoing Nemesis, Mr. X, Lady Dimitrescu and Jack Baker.
- Bryan's weapon progression mirrors the games — starting unarmed, he progressively picks up a handgun, shotgun and assault rifle, three classic firearms from the series.
- Cregger recreates first-person POV shots from later 'Resident Evil' games, framing scenes down the barrel of Bryan's gun, bridging the franchise's shift from third-person to first-person shooters.
- The film follows a failed 2021 reboot with 'Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City,' making this the franchise's second reboot attempt after six Milla Jovovich/Paul W.S. Anderson live-action films.
- Deadline reports the reboot is pulling $8M–$9M in previews with a 91% Rotten Tomatoes audience score, framing it as the franchise's best preview performance.
Why it matters: The reboot is the franchise's second attempt after 2021's 'Welcome to Raccoon City' flopped, and the heavy video game reference catalog — from the 1996 original through 'Revelations 2' — shows Cregger threading franchise reverence into an original story, a balance that Deadline's audience score and preview numbers suggest is landing with viewers.
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