Zach Cregger‘s Resident Evil is continuing its theatrical run and has grossed $216 million worldwide. The film has become the highest-rated film based on a video game on review aggregators Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. Although the film’s visual approach, practical elements, and multiple shooting action sequences with a first-person POV inspired by the games have all been praised, the ending was largely criticized for Bryan’s fate.
Resident Evil ends on a darker and more tragic note, which has sparked debate among viewers, while Austin Abrams said he thought it was “crazy and shocking” when he first read the ending. He praised director Zach Cregger for taking bold and risky creative choices. The story follows Bryan throughout the movie, encouraging audiences to root for his character.
In a recent interview with THR, Abrams opened up about why Cregger decided to give Resident Evil a dark and tragic ending. Abrams has “been living with” the ending for a while now, but said he thought it was “crazy and shocking” when he first read it.
He loves that Zach Cregger takes risks with his movies and isn’t afraid to make unexpected choices. “You follow this one guy the whole time,” so audiences are meant to become invested in Bryan and root for him throughout the story. Having Bryan not make it to the end is what makes the ending such a “risky and gutsy” choice.
Abrams said he was surprised by the ending but ultimately loved that Cregger was willing to take that chance. He feels many movies today are too afraid to kill off characters audiences really like and praised older movies for being willing to “just rip your heart out” instead of holding back emotionally.
Abrams said, “I’ve been living with it for a while now, but I thought it was crazy and shocking when I first read it. I love that Zach takes those risks. You follow this one guy the whole time, so hopefully you’re enjoying watching him and rooting for him. Then, to have him not make it is really risky and gutsy, which is what I love about all of Zach’s work. So I was surprised by it, but I also loved that he would take that chance.”
Abrams added, “With a lot of movies nowadays, they’re a little too afraid to do something like that—to kill off a character you really like. And if they do, the blow is softened in some way so it doesn’t hurt too much. Whereas a lot of older films don’t do that; they just rip your heart out. We’re here to feel, man. We’re here to go through something. So I’m just appreciative that Zach is willing to take a risk like that.”
‘Resident Evil’ Ending Was Almost Completely Different
Cregger revealed that the original ending of Resident Evil was very different, with Austin’s character killing the scientists after the needle was dropped and shattered. Cregger said he shot an alternate version as a contingency plan, knowing the original ending might need to be changed. He filmed a shot of the scientist putting the needle in his pocket because he had a feeling he would eventually need that footage. He also shot a contingency version of the stabbing sequence in Prague, giving him another option for the ending.
Speaking to Collider, Cregger said, “Originally in the script, that scientist pulls the needle out, and as soon as Austin grabs the woman’s face, he drops it. It shatters, and then the rest of the movie is just Austin killing the scientists.” He added, “Thank God I shot for this as a contingency plan. It was like my Plan B.”
“But I shot that shot of the scientist putting the needle in his pocket just because I had a feeling. I was like, I feel like I’m going to need that,” he continued. “And so then we were able to build a new sequence of the end. And I shot a contingency of him going for the stab in Prague when we were doing our thing, just like, if I need it, I should just get it. And thank God, because that’s what we ended up using. It keeps the stakes all the way until the end. It’s like, ‘Save him! Save him!’ Whereas before it’s just like, ‘Kill them, I guess? Kill them all?’”
In the film, Bryan (Abrams), a laid-back organ courier, is sent on a late-night delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital. En route through a snowy mountain road, he accidentally hits a strange woman with his car. She survives — but something is very wrong. As he tries to help, Bryan stumbles into a full-blown outbreak involving horrifying tentacle-based mutations and bio-engineered monstrosities.
The cast includes Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier, alongside Paul Walter Hauser, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Johnno Wilson.
Directed by Cregger, who co-wrote the screenplay with Shay Hatten, the film serves as the second reboot of the Resident Evil film series. It is the eighth installment overall in the franchise, which is based on the video game series by Capcom.
The film is produced by Columbia Pictures and PlayStation Productions, in association with Constantin Film and Vertigo Entertainment.
Resident Evil is now playing in theaters.
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