Alam Nyo Ba?

Tyler

With this weekend’s release of Resident Evil, the argument can be made that Cregger’s version is the greatest video game adaptation of all time. Sure, the competition isn’t exactly fierce, but it’s still an absurdly impressive feat of filmmaking. And it puts those embarrassing Milla Jovovich movies to shame. Cregger was able to show that you don’t need to adapt a video game story, to make a very faithful adaptation. Hell, just look at Welcome to Raccoon City for a reason why just plugging in characters and game plot doesn’t always translate to a great movie. Or even a halfway decent one. But thankfully we’re in a new era.

I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that one of the main complaints from game fans was the lack of characters or story beats from any of the games. But does that mean we don’t get any Resident Evil? Absolutely not. The film is absolutely littered with references to the games. But rather than the more “fan film” approach of mentioning a cop named Redfield or a mansion out in the woods, this is really going for the feeling of the games. Cregger said on the promotional tour that he wanted to evoke the same feeling you get when playing the game versus direct story beats. And he absolutely nailed it. I know when I left the theater, my first thought was: I wish that were a game, because I’d love to play it.

So whether you’re a fan of the franchise, or who enjoyed the movie and wants to know more: here are all the Resident Evil Easter Eggs.

Spoilers ahead.

Raccoon City

We don’t get many recognizable names, but obviously, if you’re going to feature a city in a Resident Evil movie, you pick Raccoon City. While the first game took place out in a remote farmhouse, the second game gave us zombie mayhem in the metropolitan city. And it was awesome. To see how much this city is thrown into chaos in such a short amount of time is a terrifying reminder of the fragility of society. I also like the idea Leon and Claire are off dealing with their RE2 shenanigans during the course of this story. Almost feels like if Bryan had gone to the police station, he’d have found them.

Umbrella Corporation

The evil corporation behind the outbreak has become a very large, global operation in the games, which the Paul WS Anderson films really lean into. But I appreciated how much information we don’t actually know about Umbrella in the film. Zach Cherry and Paul Walter Hauser are employees of the company, having worked on the T Virus itself (though it’s not mentioned by name), but we don’t get all the company lore that has gotten pretty convoluted in the games. They’re simply an evil corporation, which is very relevant to 2026.

Progression of Weapons

One basic element of any game is the idea of getting stronger and stronger as you progress. Resident Evil often represents that by providing the player more advanced weapons as the game goes on. You may get a machine gun at some point, but you sure as hell aren’t starting with it. Bryan starts unarmed, then gets a pistol, a shotgun, then a machine gun. Just like the games, ammunition is also extremely limited and can be found in the most random of places (who keeps shells in their underwear drawer?!). It’s just too bad he never comes across a rocket launcher with unlimited ammo. Probably would have resulted in a different outcome.

Typewriter

In the games, Typewriters serve as Save Points for the player. They tend to be safe zones that the player can rest in, unless you’re playing 3 where typewriters exist out of safe zones because “Fuck you, Nemesis.” We get to see a typewriter in the farmhouse that Bryan explores in the beginning. If only he’d stayed in that room to get a little bit of rest. Instead, his avoidance of the room altogether signals to the viewer that this many isn’t going to have a break.

Clocks

During that same farm sequence, we hear the familiar sound of a cuckoo clock. Various clocks were regularly used throughout the franchise as elements of puzzles or secret passageways. These have been featured in nearly every game of the series.

Undead Dogs

When Bryan first enters the farm property, and a dog starts pursuing him, it just feels like a dog protecting its property. Bryan just barely escaping it, only for its head to burst through the barn wall, is one of the best scares of the film. To then have its head split apart and reveal the tendrils beneath is a great way to steadily ramp things up. As seen in the Paul WS Anderson films, these dogs tend to be Dobermans, though the one in the film seems to be a mutt, which is pretty appropriate for a farm dog.

Tendrils

The T-Virus goes unnamed in the film, but there’s no doubt that it’s the culprit behind all these monsters. Resident Evil 4 amped up the regular shambling zombies by giving them these tendrils. So you’d do the usual process of shooting off their head, expecting them to die, only for tendrils to pop out and a continued pursuit. The tendrils themselves are a great way to ramp up the threat even further from a standard shambler. In fact, all the many varieties of zombies are a big reason that this feels like a proper Resident Evil than a random zombie film.

Locks

One of my favorite running gags in the film is Bryan coming across different locks, blocking his path. He tries to shoot them, yet they’re too heavy duty. I can’t count the number of times I’ve come across the same scenario in an RE game, only to think to myself “why can’t I use this gun to just shoot the lock?” Well, apparently I think like Bryan. It’s made even better by the fact that, on the outdoor gate in particular, you can actually see a small diamond, which we also then see on the key when he finds it, meaning they’re a match.

The Puker

I still remember playing Resident Evil 7 for the first time and coming across these fat bastards using projectile acid vomit as a weapon. It’s similar to a zombie from Left4Dead that I always hated, so there was a familiarity there. Also known as Fat Mold, this monster belches and is genuinely disgusting. In the film, it pukes down on the elevator that holds Bryan, dissolving it into little pieces. But it also proves to be quite handy, as Bryan uses it to puke on his pursuer, buying him some time.

Revenant

This creature that stitches itself together using other bodies was first introduced in Resident Evil Revelations 2. In fact, at this point, it’s the monster’s only appearance, which just makes the fact that it’s featured here all the better. The amalgamation of bodies is Society-like in its look, and can feature some genuinely disturbing visuals. Which leads me to…

Stalking Villain

There is nothing that gets my anxiety going more than having a character relentlessly pursue you in a video game. The fact that I can just be minding my own business, picking up a green herb, only for Nemesis to smash through a wall and try to turn me into human paste is a reason I don’t play Resident Evil 3 very much. From Tyrant to Nemesis to Lady Dimitrescu, to all love to make your life a living hell. So it’s awesome to have the Revenant pursuing Bryan throughout the film. Anytime there’s a moment to breathe, he looks around and sees it coming after him, relentless.

I absolutely loved my time with Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil. I had just resigned to the fact that we’d never receive a good film, and was just trying to focus on the video games, which have never let me down (I’ll just ignore 6). So, to get such a high-quality film feels like a pure treat for this Resident Evil fan.

What was your favorite callback to the games? Is there something that I missed? Let me know in the comments below!

Related

Weekend Box Office: Resident Evil tops the box office with $60 million

The post Resident Evil (2026): All the Easter Eggs and Video Game References You Might Have Missed (SPOILERS) appeared first on JoBlo.

Steve

With Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil shambling into theaters this weekend, now feels like the perfect time to revisit Capcom’s hallowed survival horror video game franchise and select the best five installments of the series for a definitive list. Throughout their history, the RE games have delivered some of the best characters, action, and frights in the genre, even when some titles border on parody or venture into absurdity.

Still, even when Resident Evil games are at their worst (I’m looking at you, Resident Evil 6), the franchise manages to endure, reinvent itself, and create lasting experiences while building off a thirty-year-old formula for success. Whether you’re a tank control apologist, a dyed-in-the-wool horror fan, or want the tall, sexy vampire lady to step on your groin before taking a bite out of your neck, the Resident Evil franchise serves up memorable moments, complex lore, and power fantasies that make fighting through a zombie apocalypse look like a hell of a good time.

5) Resident Evil: Requiem

Capcom has been on a hot streak with its Resident Evil franchise ever since Resident Evil 7: Biohazard made up for the sins of the ill-received Resident Evil 6 (and its salacious box art). The latest installment of the franchise is a near-perfect blend of horror, camp, and over-the-top action that keeps players coming back for more. Requiem introduces a great new protagonist in Grace Ashcroft, a tortured FBI technical analyst who finds herself out of her depth as she digs up the bones of her buried past. The game also brings back Leon S. Kennedy, a veteran federal agent, a Raccoon City survivor, and a franchise favorite.

While Ashcroft’s portion of the game feels like a haunted house with intricate lore, Leon’s sequences are more action-oriented, creating a balance that hits hard on both sides to deliver a well-rounded RE experience. With plenty of seeds planted throughout Requiem for another chapter in the ongoing RE saga, this top-tier survival game scratches every itch left after a nasty zombie bite.

4) Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

I’ll never forget the first time I played this Texas Chainsaw-like entry in Capcom’s beloved game series. I was in the ICU for 11 days with an internal bleed, but thanks to my friends, I had a sweet gaming setup in my private hospital room. Considered by many to be one of the scariest RE installments, Biohazard introduces players to Ethan Winters, an ordinary civilian searching for his long-missing wife in Dulvey, Louisiana. While investigating a dilapidated plantation, Ethan is taken hostage by the mutated, cannibalistic Baker family. The setup alone is the stuff of nightmares, but it’s the attention to detail that earns this game a spot on my list.

The Baker property feels like a character unto itself. The house you investigate is in ruins, with insects, rotted food, and soiled linens in every room. The vibes are claustrophobic and putrid as you venture further down a rabbit hole of hidden rooms, stronger enemies, and deranged members of the Baker family breathing heavily from the shadows. While Ethan isn’t the strongest Resident Evil protagonist, Biohazard goes above and beyond to give him a story that’s mysterious, urgent, and completely bonkers. Oh, and if you’re playing the game in VR, have an ambulance on speed dial.

3) Resident Evil

People say you never forget your first, and if there’s anything better than the original Resident Evil, it’s Capcom’s remake of its survival-horror classic for the Nintendo GameCube. While the studio’s reimagining of the first RE experience doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles of more recent remakes, it stays true to the roots of the game that started it all, and it looks better, too!

Yes, there are plenty of drawbacks to playing the original Resident Evil (tank controls, harsh load times, wonky combat), but so much of that jank is part of the game’s everlasting charm. You need to crawl before you walk, and it’s astounding how much RE is a blueprint for almost every game in the survival horror genre. When you add the clever puzzles, heart-stopping jump scares, and iconic dialogue, it’s icing on a cake that’s already delicious.

2) Resident Evil 2 Remake

I’m not going to lie, it was a real toss-up between this and Resident Evil 4 Remake for the top spot on this list. Resident Evil 2 is a five-star game, made even better by Capcom’s latest interpretation of the title. The game looks and feels great after modernizing the mechanics, control, and atmosphere. Tension remains at an all-time high throughout most of the experience, and the level design offers some of the most memorable locales of any Resident Evil game. The Raccoon City Police Department portion of the game is impeccably designed, and the inclusion of Mr. X ratchets the horror up to eleven.

Capcom’s RE 2 Remake is a nostalgia-filled experience that somehow feels brand-new. It’s the game I would recommend if someone said they’re Resident Evil-curious. The gore in this entry is off the charts, the combat is strategic, and you fight a giant frickin’ alligator in the game’s second act. When I wax rhapsodic about the franchise overall, this remake is my go-to game to heap praise upon.

1) Resident Evil 4 Remake

After saying all those flowery things about Resident Evil 2 Remake, it’s time for Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 Remake to get its flowers. This is the game that brought the overall franchise to another level, thanks in part to its over-the-shoulder action and larger-than-life setting. It’s not a miracle that the best RE game features Leon S. Kennedy, as he’s the franchise’s poster child, with his one-liners, wicked skills, and zombie body count.

Resident Evil 4 Remake is Capcom at its peak, taking everything that works about this sprawling sequel and turning the volume to eleven. Going through hell and back with Ashley Graham, the U.S. President’s kidnapped daughter, isn’t nearly as much of a chore as it was in the 2005 original, and the action is dynamic and relentless. RE 4 Remake lets you feel like an action star in a zombie apocalypse, giving you countless reasons to return for another playthrough. Look at it as practice for when the shit hits the fan in real life.

What are your favorite games in the Resident Evil franchise? Let us know in the comments section below!

The post The Top 5 Resident Evil Games Ranked: Defining 30 Years of Survival Horror appeared first on JoBlo.

If there was any doubt that Zach Cregger was among the hottest up-and-coming directors in Hollywood, this weekend will no doubt put those doubts to rest. While everyone expected Resident Evil to easily set franchise records, it’s opening way bigger than anyone expected — including us in our predictions. According to Deadline, it’s looking at about $53 million for the weekend (maybe even $60 million if the Saturday numbers come in hot), easily setting a franchise record. The previous biggest opener in the series was Resident Evil: Afterlife, which made $26.6 million back in 2010. It’s going to open something like ten times higher than the last Resident Evil movie, Welcome to Raccoon City, which opened with an abysmal $5.32 million.

It’s looking at about $10 million more than Cregger’s last film, Weapons, which ended its run with $151 million. Notably, the film has a B+ CinemaScore rating, which is the highest the franchise has ever received and also an exceptionally strong grade for a horror flick.

Last weekend’s big opener, Practical Magic 2, is nosediving at the box office, losing 64% of its audience for a $10.8 million second weekend and a $48 million total. Spider-Man: Brand New Day should be in third place with $6.3 million, as its total approaches a billion domestically. It’s now at $944 million. The Odyssey isn’t far behind with $5 million and a $609 million total. Coyote vs. Acme is still doing well with $4.2 million and a $54 million total, which makes it a nice sleeper hit for Ketchup Entertainment. Angel Studios’ Runner, with Alan Ritchson, fell off 55% to $2.9 million and a light $11 million total. Sadly, one of the best movies of the weekend, The Weight, isn’t seeing much action with a $2.55 million opening. One of the big surprises of the weekend is Fathom’s re-release of Transformers: The Movie, which is looking at $2.9 million.

We’ll be back with a full box office wrap-up tomorrow, but in the meantime, what are you seeing this weekend? Let us know in the comments.

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PLOT: A reimagining of Stephen King’s classic story about misfit teenager Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) and the violent, supernatural revenge she takes on her tormentors.

REVIEW: Mike Flanagan has become the most prolific adapter of Stephen King’s work since Mick Garris back in the nineties. But, as far as adapting his work goes, probably the one most fraught with landmines for someone like him is Carrie, which was already made into a pretty perfect film by Brian De Palma back in 1976. It was updated as a TV movie and later as a movie starring Chloë Grace Moretz in 2013, but both were met with scorn—if not outright ridicule. Surely Flanagan was biting off more than he could chew, especially by making it into an eight-episode series.

Yet, watching the first two episodes at TIFF, I couldn’t help but think that Flanagan has done a really good job reimagining the material for a new generation. While retaining enough of King’s story that it doesn’t come off as too much of a departure, the world has moved on in the fifty years since De Palma’s movie, giving Flanagan and his writers’ room a lot of new material to mine.

The series is framed by a bookend segment suggesting that a kind of streaming docuseries has been made about Carrie’s inevitable pyrotechnic meltdown, which, in the case of the series, not only involves her high school but also burns her entire community to the ground, leading to hundreds of deaths. Were such a thing to happen, it would surely become fodder for a true-crime series, but it’s not overdone either. In this version, Carrie and her deranged mother, Margaret (Samantha Sloyan), have been hidden for many years by Carrie’s father, who dies in the show’s opening sequence. Here, Margaret’s religious devotion, while still prominent, is given a bigger umbrella, with her being a doomsday prepper embedded in all manner of conspiracy theories—an extremist with a total distrust of mainstream society in any form. Carrie has been hidden her whole life, having never watched TV, used a computer, or even been allowed to read much—save for the books a kindly neighbour sneaks to her.

Summer H. Howell is terrific as Carrie. Less “weird” than Sissy Spacek’s classic take, Carrie is portrayed as sunny but also wholly naive to the world around her. Flanagan, who directs the first two episodes, does a good job evoking just how radical the world would seem to Carrie once she is put into the mainstream. As she walks into her high school, she sees open affection, same-sex couples, even trans kids—none of which she was ever exposed to before. She doesn’t look at them with any kind of judgment—she’s just surprised because she didn’t know they existed. Her lack of knowledge is so extreme that it leads to the famously traumatizing moment when she has her first period, which comes at the conclusion of episode one.

The show branches out to focus on a number of characters, with Siena Agudong as Sue Snell, a popular student who has sympathy for Carrie but also finds herself annoyed by how unwise to the world she is, with a school shooting drill becoming an early breaking point. But at least she’s not cruel, like Alison Thornton as Chris, who takes perverse delight in tormenting her to compensate for the lack of power she feels at home, with her formerly rich father going broke and her mom (Heather Graham) having started another family. Amber Midthunder is excellent as the girls’ homeroom teacher who, like Sue, tries to do her best for Carrie but finds herself exasperated by her. The only person in her life who truly looks at Carrie without judgment is Joel Oulette as the kindly Tommy Ross, Sue’s jock boyfriend.

While two episodes aren’t enough to definitively state whether or not the series will work as a whole, it’s off to a great start. Flanagan’s repertory of actors, including Matthew Lillard, Rahul Kohli, and more, are all excellent, although outside of Howell, it’s his regular Samantha Sloyan who really shines as the domineering Margaret, who is less hysterical and more calculating than other versions of the character we’ve seen. Flanagan also gives the show a contemporary soundtrack that will likely help hook younger viewers, with it coming along at a great time as Amazon’s YA programming has blown up. Carrie could cross over to that audience as well as genre fans. I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes one of his biggest shows. Hopefully, the rest of the episodes are as consistently good as the first two, but I’m thinking this is another big winner for Flanagan.

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Could Jason Voorhees be headed into an anthology that puts the Friday the 13th killer into wildly different scenarios? Kevin Smith has just provided some intriguing information about a project that, if it actually comes together, could include an unexpected crossover: Jay and Silent Bob meeting Jason Voorhees.

During the latest episode of the Jay & Silent Bob Are in the Hizzouse podcast, Smith and Jason Mewes were discussing the history of proposed Jay and Silent Bob projects when Smith suddenly remembered an idea that had been pitched to him by The Goldbergs sitcom creator Adam F. Goldberg. Smith said that, around a year ago, Goldberg was working on a Friday the 13th anthology in which Jason Voorhees would be placed into “various scenarios.” At one point, Goldberg asked Smith if he would be interested in making Jay and Silent Bob Meet Jason Voorhees.

Smith’s response?

“In a heartbeat, Adam, of course.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean a Friday the 13th anthology is currently in the works. Smith said Goldberg was developing or working on the concept, but there has never been an official announcement. Still, the story is notable because it reveals that an anthology approach to Friday the 13th was apparently being considered by Goldberg, and that Jay and Silent Bob almost became part of it. And Smith’s enthusiasm for the idea has an interesting history.

Jay and Silent Bob almost met Pinhead

Smith had previously been presented with the possibility of putting Jay and Silent Bob into other horror franchises. After Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Dimension Films chairman Bob Weinstein wanted Smith to take the characters and drop them into something resembling an Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein-style horror comedy where they could cross paths with Dimension’s various horror properties. At the time, Dimension had franchises including Hellraiser, Halloween, and Children of the Corn. Weinstein suggested a movie in which Jay and Silent Bob would encounter some of the studio’s modern-day horror icons.

Smith said his favorite possibility was Jay and Silent Bob Meet Pinhead. Smith even came up with an idea for the crossover: Jay and Bob would find the Lament Configuration and discover that their version of Hell involved being sent to rehab. Smith thought the idea was funny, but ultimately couldn’t “get his head around” actually making the movie.

When he told his friend Ben Affleck about the idea, Affleck initially laughed. Then he thought about it for a moment and predicted that the movie would make $100 million. It never happened. The closest Jay and Silent Bob came to crossing paths with one of Dimension’s horror franchises was their cameo in Scream 3.

Kevin Smith learned his lesson

That’s what makes Smith’s reaction to Goldberg’s Friday the 13th proposal amusing. Looking back on the Pinhead idea, Smith said he had thought, “Jay and Silent Bob and Pinhead? You’re out of your mind. That would never work.”

But years later, when Goldberg approached him about Jay and Silent Bob meeting Jason Voorhees, he immediately saw the potential.

“Instantly, I was like, ‘F*ck yes.’”

Rather than building an entire Friday the 13th movie around Jay and Silent Bob, Goldberg’s anthology format could have allowed Jason to appear in a succession of unusual situations, with each installment functioning as its own story. Whether that anthology is still being developed and what medium it would have been for (live-action shorts? a comic book?) remains unclear.

For now, the biggest takeaway is that Adam F. Goldberg apparently had a Friday the 13th anthology concept in the works at one point and Kevin Smith was enthusiastic about letting Jason Voorhees enter the View Askewniverse.

While we wait to see if Adam F. Goldberg ever actually does make a Friday the 13th anthology, and if Jay and Silent Bob will be involved, Friday the 13th fans have the Peacock series Crystal Lake to look forward to, Goldberg is co-writing a comic book tie-in to Halloween: The Game, and Jay and Silent Bob recently met Marvel superheroes in the pages of the comic book Jays of Future Past.

Would you like to see a Friday the 13th anthology from Adam F. Goldberg, and should Jay and Silent Bob be involved? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

The post Is Adam F. Goldberg planning a Friday the 13th anthology? appeared first on JoBlo.

For years, it looked like World War Z 2 was destined to remain one of those movies that Hollywood talked about forever but never actually made. The sequel went through multiple directors, spent years in development, and came close to production with David Fincher at the helm before Paramount pulled the plug. Now, World War Z 2 is finally moving forward again. Deadline reports that Paramount has closed a deal with Brad Pitt to return as the star, while Edward Berger has signed on to direct the long-awaited sequel. Dennis Kelly, creator of the British series Utopia and writer of The Day of the Lord, is writing the screenplay.

Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner will produce for Plan B Entertainment, while Berger will executive produce. Plot details are being kept under wraps for now.

Brad Pitt is returning for World War Z 2

Pitt starred as former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane in the first World War Z, which was released in 2013. The film was directed by Marc Forster and inspired by Max Brooks’ 2006 novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. The movie wasn’t a particularly faithful adaptation of Brooks’ book, but it was a major box office success, earning more than $540 million worldwide. That made a sequel an obvious possibility, and Paramount spent years trying to figure out what that sequel would be.

Pitt has apparently remained interested in returning to the world of World War Z throughout all of that time. According to Deadline, he began pitching his The Riders director Edward Berger on World War Z 2 while they were working together on that film. By the end of production, Berger was on board, and Paramount subsequently closed deals with both of them. That means the sequel that spent years stuck in development hell has finally found a path forward.

Edward Berger is directing World War Z 2

Berger is taking over a project that has already had a surprisingly complicated history. The filmmaker is best known for directing All Quiet on the Western Front, which won four Academy Awards, including Best International Feature. His other credits include the television series Patrick Melrose, The Terror, and the 2024 thriller Conclave.

The Riders is coming our way from A24 and Scott Free.

What happened to David Fincher’s World War Z 2?

This isn’t the first time World War Z 2 has gotten this close to happening. Before Fincher became attached, J.A. Bayona was set to direct the sequel. Bayona worked on the project for roughly a year before leaving, with reports at the time indicating that the filmmakers had struggled to settle on the story even though Bayona had some major set pieces in mind. He went on to direct Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom instead.

Fincher eventually came aboard, and for a while it looked like World War Z 2 was finally going to become a reality. That version of the movie even had enthusiastic support from members of the original cast. Mireille Enos, who played Karin Lane in the first film, was set to return and later described the project as having a “beautiful script.” But Paramount ultimately scrapped the Fincher version over budget concerns, just months before filming was expected to begin.

Fincher later revealed that he was actually glad the movie wasn’t made. He explained that his version had similarities to HBO’s The Last of Us, particularly in its approach to the zombie apocalypse and the use of a parasitic organism in the opening material. Fincher said he believed The Last of Us had more room to explore those ideas because it was a television series rather than a feature film.

Brad Pitt, meanwhile, remained interested in getting another World War Z movie made.

Why World War Z 2 is finally moving again

The sequel’s revival appears to have been helped by a renewed push from Paramount. Deadline reports that Paramount Pictures co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg identified World War Z 2 as a high-priority project. Skydance, which played a major role in getting the first movie made, is also involved in the renewed effort, with Skydance founder David Ellison sharing Pitt’s interest in moving forward with the sequel.

The first World War Z ended with Gerry discovering that people who are given a specific vaccination will be ignored by the zombies, giving humanity a potential way to survive the outbreak. Whether the new movie picks up from that ending remains unknown.

What we do know is that World War Z 2 is no longer just another abandoned sequel. After years of false starts, the movie has Brad Pitt back, Edward Berger behind the camera, and a new screenplay from Dennis Kelly. And while we never got to see David Fincher’s version of the movie, the sequel he couldn’t make is finally getting another chance.

Do you wish David Fincher had been able to make World War Z 2, or are you interested in seeing what Edward Berger does with the franchise? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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PLOT: A team of doctors embarks on a local mission in the Amazon rain forest, but it soon becomes clear that not everybody – or everything – is happy to see them. Their sudden appearance draws the attention of a predatory animal, the “Boiúna.”

REVIEW: As much as we can complain that there’s really only one truly great shark movie, it can be argued that we’ve never gotten a legitimately good snake movie. 1997’s Anaconda is pretty much the closest thing we’ve received, and even that has pretty questionable quality. So while my next statement may not have tough competition, that doesn’t make it any less true: Beware Boiúna is the greatest killer snake movie of all time, and it’s not even close.

Beware Boiúna follows a group of doctors on a mission in the Amazon Rainforest as they try to save the people with medicine. But when something tragic happens, they run off and end up hunted by a man out for revenge. During their escape, they find themselves in the territory of a giant snake with an insatiable appetite. Now, they have to contend with the humans hunting them and the snake that wants to make a meal out of them. It’s a fairly simple setup, and I always love it when a horror film uses a local legend as its main antagonist. I had never heard of a Boiúna before, but I’m damn sure glad these things don’t exist in modern times.

Happy Death Day made Jessica Rothe a final girl, with the horror world really embracing her, so it’s always nice to see her pop up in any genre fare. She’s very easy to like and root for, as she’s a doctor just trying to make the world a better place. She clearly has a bit of ignorance regarding the harshness of said world, but it just makes her a solid protagonist. Kiana Mediera‘s Lena is from the jungle but was quick to leave, so she has a complicated relationship with returning home. Her main motivation is finding her brother, who disappeared in the jungle. She has a more boots-on-the-ground approach and definitely has some Ellen Ripley in her, especially with how much she’s put through the wringer.

I always love a good villain so it’s hard to view Logan Marshall Green as anything except an absolute highlight. When he’s first introduced, he seems like a stereotypical bad guy; some white dude coming along and wiping out sections of the jungle for profit. Yet he’s given some very intriguing layers, to the point where I actually empathized with him and wanted him to make it out alive. It makes all the sense in the world why he would want revenge against these doctors, yet he never sways too far from his humanity. Admittedly, most of the other characters are simple fodder for the snake.

I found myself constantly comparing the film to last year’s Anaconda, which featured awful FX and a snake that constantly defied the laws of physics. In comparison, Boiúna is a force of nature, but practically blends in with the world around her. Is the snake probably a little too fast for something this size? Sure. But it still manages to be perfectly grounded for the world the film takes place in. Speaking of which, I love that they always referred to the creature as “her,” as it gave the snake a bit of sentience, without having outright motivations. She is simply territorial, and these people are in the wrong place at the wrong time. There’s one shot of the snake silhouetted by lightning, which is absolutely beautiful and perfectly encapsulates the spectacle.

What really helps Beware Boiúna is that it completely avoids campiness. A giant snake is such a ridiculous idea that lampooning it always seems to be the option taken. Make light of it and practically wink at the camera. Thankfully, the filmmakers never so much as dip their toes into camp, and the snake is always a deadly serious threat.

With that realism comes a bit of a sacrifice with the kills. While I enjoyed them all, nothing stands out as overly creative, as it’s mostly quick bites, and dragging the victim off. What works so well about them is their shock factor, with several occuring at the most unexpected moments. Director Mike P. Nelson is also very clever with shot selection, often repeating the framing/setup of an earlier kill to help ramp up the tension later on, where the viewer may not even consciously recognize it’s even happening. Because even when Boiúna isn’t on screen, her presence is always felt.

Beware Boiúna is a non-stop thrill ride that perfectly balances character moments, action, and absolute terror. Boiúna is treated with such care, never going too ludicrous, making her downright horrifying. The FX are fantastic and show the snake just the right amount. Rothe, Mediera, and Marshall-Green are fantastic, being some of my favorite characters of the year, horror or otherwise. And there’s nothing quite like rooting for characters you want to see persevere.

Beware Boiúna releases to theaters on October 2nd, 2026.

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The post Beware Boiúna Review: A serious tone, unexpected twists, and great tension make this the greatest killer snake movie of all time appeared first on JoBlo.