3.5 stars went to Zach Cregger's "Resident Evil," with the review calling the reboot a fun, effective revival now playing in theaters.
Austin Abrams leads as Bryan, a medical courier headed to Raccoon City whose organ-delivery run collapses after an Umbrella virus leak unleashes grotesque monsters.
Cregger and co-writer Shay Hatten shift the franchise away from Milla Jovovich's Alice-era action toward a more vulnerable, often comic survivor, with Abrams carrying most of the film.
90 minutes long and rated R for bloody violence, gore and language, the film was praised for its first-person game-style flourishes, stronger production values and Cregger's continued post-"Barbarian" rise.