Resident Evil and What's Making Us Happy
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is Iraglass. On this American life, we tell stories about when things change. Like for this guy David, whose entire life took a sharp, unexpected, and very unpleasant turn. And it did take me a while to realize that it's basically because the monkey pressed the button. That's right. Because the monkey pressed the button. Surprising stories every week, wherever you get your podcasts.
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I think there's something fun just about horror comedy that knows that what you need to do after you scream is laugh. Those two things are linked together. That's just like part of the human condition.
The new Resident Evil movie is wild, scary, inventive, fast-paced, and funny. That's probably because the video game-turned film franchise got a reboot courtesy of Zack Kregger, who's behind films like Weapons and Barbarian. I'm Steven Thompson, joining me today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is Vulture TV critic Roxana Hadadi. Hey Roxana! Hey, thank you for having me. It is a pleasure. Also with us, Jordan Morris. He's a podcaster and the writer of the upcoming Marvel Comics series, The Amazing Venom. Hey Jordan. Hey, great to be here. It is great to have you both. So, Resident Evil isn't the kind of horror franchise that requires a ton of character development or lore, thanks to the misdeeds of the Umbrella Corporation, some sort of terrifying, zombifying agent.
What is the new Resident Evil movie and why does it feel both scary and funny?
has been let loose into society and it's turning everyone in its path into bloodthirsty monsters. In the games and in the movies, the primary objective is simple, don't get slaughtered. The new Resident Evil movie is actually the eighth film in the series, but it's a complete reboot without a whole lot of characters. Austin Abrams plays Brian, a medical courier, tasked with transporting an important medical MacGuffin from point A to point B. His journey goes haywire almost immediately, and it gets worse and worse as gnarly perils pile up. And honestly, that's the movie. Resident Evil is in theaters now. Jordan Morris. I'm gonna start with you. What'd you think?
Uh yeah, I'm gonna be a little vulnerable here and say that I am a big fan of the original Milajovovich Resident Evil movies. Wow,
okay.
Yep. Here I am. I'm letting it all hang out. I feel like I can trust y'all, so I'm gonna be honest here. We won't tell anyone. Thank you. I'm with Jordan.
So like he doesn't need to apologize to me. Those movies are fun. This is a private Zoom call, right? Nobody's broadcasting this anywhere.
When I saw that they were taking a different approach to this franchise, I was a little disappointed that this wouldn't include a woman all in leather shooting Uzies in slow motion, which is kind of what the Milyovovich ones are like. But yeah, but once I kind of like accepted that and saw that this movie was taking a different approach, I thought it was really cool. I think it's a really fun way to do You know, a big franchise. It's kind of an all-in-one night movie. It's from the perspective of one character who isn't like a character from the games, as far as I know. Yeah, I think it's really cool for fans because there's a lot of those little Easter eggs, and I think it really captures the feeling of playing those games, but I think it is just welcoming to new horror fans, like somebody who wants a cool, weird horror comic.
somebody can sit down and not be bombarded with a bunch of lore from video games and movies that they haven't experienced. So yeah, I thought this was cool and funny and gross and worked really well.
All right, how about you, Roxana?
Yeah, I mean I think horror comedy is sort of the key terminology there. The Mila movies are very fun and very dumb, but they are primarily action movies, right? They are sort of like hordes of zombies running at fences, and you're on the other side of the fence, and are the zombies gonna break through the fence.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:45
2
What is the new Resident Evil movie and why does it feel both scary and funny?
1:45–5:08
3
How does director Zach Cregger’s style shape the film’s horror‑comedy tone?
5:08–10:24
4
Why do the hosts think the movie works for both newcomers and longtime fans?
10:24–22:52
5
What role does Austin Abrams’ performance play in carrying the story?
22:52–24:23