Resident Evil: Extinction

I think Resident Evil: Extinction elevates itself slightly higher than its two predecessors and slightly higher than I thought it would in general. On one hand, it is a series of bizarre and somewhat illogical events that transpire under the scenario of an apocalyptic event's aftermath but on the other, it is a pastiche of 'zombie' films gone by; a crude study of one man's obsession with his research and a somewhat guilty action film. I liked Resident Evil: Extinction a little more than others of its type because it gives us more of a sedate look at the situation rather than a mere exploitation of special effects, attractive heroines and needless gore. Yes, it's true to say that this film has action scenes of a silly nature but they do not seem as stupid as previous Resident Evil films in which the protagonist is able to use kung-fu on dogs and make impossible shots to defeat her foes.

The action scenes here are paced better and do not rely on the mere visualisation of actually seeing a Licker monster or Nemeses himself as the reason to keep watching. The enemies here are unspectacular and familiar and all the better for it; we get the feeling this is more of a survival film about the beasts and beings that would actually be out there rather than dumb scenes that try to impress us with a mentality: "Look, a Licker." or "Look, this is what Nemeses would look like in reality.". In the film, there is a scene in which several zombies come charging out of a metal crate. The scene works on the level of realism within the film because the film could so easily have substituted them for a larger, more visually impressive enemy that would've sufficed for the following action scene.

I mentioned the word 'realism' in that paragraph, perhaps crazily so. But Resident Evil: Extinction takes time to present its heroes, all of whom travel in a procession of large vehicles, with every day issues that would affect them. Things like 'how much fuel is left? Where is the nearest petrol station?'; 'Where is the next meal coming from?' and 'How can we bed down for the night safely and free from attack?' These sorts of questions were lost in the previous films and are empty from other recent post-apocalyptic horror/sci-fi films like Blade: Trinity. Additionally, when the film does reveal its particularly large scale monster for the film's climax it does so in an effective manner. This is because we have had the monster and the source for the monster presented to us on another plot line. We get a feeling that it may happen within the world of the film unlike when Nemeses popped up in the last film merely because he's had the injection and must now just keep destroying stuff until he meets the hero for the finale fight.

Although it takes on the matter of the pacing and the clarity of the action scenes, Resident Evil: Extinction is still guilty of one or two things. The film actually begins in a manner than had me dreading it would be as bad as the previous two. Alice (Jovovich) meets some human survivors but discovers them oddly unfriendly which acts more of a surprise than a dramatic twist. It's a scene in which implied prior victims have been conned, raped and then fed to the dogs; in this case infected dogs and sure enough Alice finds herself in the said situation – a sequence of events that plays out in a daft manner that reminds you of the prior films. It had me thinking 'how do the renegade survivors lock the infected dogs up for next time once they've had their fun?' Then there was the rather careless scene in which Alice falls asleep in the middle of the desert, at night and with the fire still burning – not smart considering the situation. The film is also disappointing in the sense that when the procession of vehicles housing the characters Alice, they are spread evenly in ethnicity and attitude meaning each individual 'type' could be killed off accordingly.

But for the best part, Resident Evil: Extinction is a surprisingly enjoyable film with an interesting set-up and I was really quite fond of the story running parallel involving Dr. Isaacs (Glen) and his research in developing the un-dead, albeit a clear reference to Dr. Logan in Day of the Dead. This plot line runs alongside the development of the convoy and the situations they must deal with, the thing I like here is that these people are not world savers; they will not go on a cause and effect fuelled story and make all the un-dead disappear, they are just there to survive and through Alice their goal is to make it to the icy regions of Alaska.

The bizarre thing about this latest Resident Evil instalment is just how good it might've been had it cut the action scenes down a little and tidied up the opening twenty or so minutes. It is disappointing that the convoy is made up of a Redneck (who's naturally good at sniping); an Aussie; two African-Americans; a Mexican and a wise-talking white American, all of whom exist for zombie fodder at the end of the day but this film instils me with hope that perhaps the films can be as good as the games – in the games, ammunition was a very sacred thing and the tactic of running from enemies rather than shooting them was a good one. In the films, the producers are gradually realising this and the next film may well surprise a few people in terms of how watchable it actually is.

This is where the film series started really going downhill.

Since the last movie the world has gone through an apocalypse with only a handful of survivors through out Earth. This is explained rather poorly in the dialogue at the beginning of the film.

The Earth has become a wasteland and it's up to Alice again to continue the fight against Umbrella.

Jill Valentine and the little girl from the second movie are now gone with no explanation, but we do meet up with Carlos again as well as meeting Claire Redfield who is a fan favourite from the video games.

At this point I wouldn't even call the series horror anymore. Not that there was much horror to it in the first place. At least the first two movies had several horror elements in it. This does not. Cloning and experiements Yadda Yadda. A sci fi action film sums it up.

The movie was ok. But just barely

Directed by Russell Mulcahy of the criminally underseen awesome creature feature Razorback. I've always really loved this chapter. Maybe its because it has that epic Mad Max feel mixed with the telekinesis of Friday the 13th 7 and although it can be a little silly it takes the franchises back to it's scarier roots with homages to the birds and day of the dead. This time around Alice is still on the run from the Umbrella corporation and the world has become a desert wasteland. She stumbles upon some old friends and some newbies like a teen girl named Kmart, the singer Ashanti playing a nurse and a bad ass Ali Larter as Claire Redfield from the games. This one is the goriest of the first three and features some great old fashioned practical effects. The movie is fun, scary and action packed leading up to a bad ass finale and one hell of a cliffhanger.

Budget: $45m Domestic Box Office: $51m Worldwide Box Office: $148m

4/5

One thing that's for sure is that the "evil" of the title is becoming less and less "residential." This time around the nasty T-virus has spread all over the whole world and humanity is in grave danger. I guess that's where the "extinction" part comes in.

Once again we find ourselves not too long after the previous film left off. Humanity is in shambles and "Extinction" plays itself like a post-apocalyptic thriller, no pun intended. Alice is evading the evil Umbrella Corporation who needs to conclude some experiments but they can only do it with her blood and clones don't work. While wandering the desert Alice finds out she has mental powers, meets a group of survivors, and happens to be tracked by Umbrella all within what must be one hour. I guess it's not her lucky day. The audience however, providing you're fans of stylized carnage, is in for a little treat. "Extinction" not only provides a more interesting plot than the previous film, it also provides much better action and special effects. These effects feature zombies (naturally) but also demonic crows and a nasty mutation at the end. The action scenes are nicely done with somewhat unpredictable approach to who gets munched and who doesn't so tension is there throughout.

There are also many absurdities, but they can only be expected in a film like this. For instance, the film is set in a desolate world with supposedly little supplies yet the women look like they put on make up every morning and regularly get a manicure. The GOOD women that is. Alice meets some BAD people in the beginning and these people somehow haven't picked up any of those bathroom supplies and make up kits that are laying around. Those bad people are another thing, they appear in an early scene that demonstrates that Alice can fight and kick ass... seeing that this is the third movie in the series do they really need to make this point again? If they avoided it, then the climatic fight might have been longer and a bit more, you know, climatic. But I guess that wasn't the point of that fight since right after it we are set up for Resident Evil 4.

"Extinction" is enjoyable for what it is, but that's it. --- 6/10

Rated R for violence/gore and horror. Ages 13+

With Extinction, the Resident Evil franchise perhaps have made its mark as the most enduring computer game turned movie to date. Most of such movies usually make for cheesy lazy weekend entertainment, little in depth but filled with plenty of set action pieces, which for the most parts are nothing groundbreaking. But what this franchise has to credit for its longevity, is Milla Jovovich.

OK, so she has made mostly mediocre movies of late (I sense some fanboys will get me for this, but let me put it straight, I'm a fan of hers too), especially with the lacklustre Ultraviolet, and the really showy .45. If not best remembered for her role as Leeloo in Luc Besson's The Fifth Element (still credited in my books as the ONLY film I watched with having zero prior knowledge on anything about it), then it'll be for her role as Alice, the zombie butt kicking superbeing whose blood holds the key to a reversal of the effects of the T-virus engineered by the evil Umbrella Corporation.

The premise here is similar to that of 28 Days/Weeks Later, where the virus is now out of control, and mutates humans into flesh chomping zombies, spreading mayhem worldwide. Human survivors are few and far between, and where we left off from Apocalypse, Alice is now travelling the world alone, seeking refuge and peace, while evading Umbrella's gunsights. It presumably takes place a significant amount of time after the predecessor, given that Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory) doesn't return for this, keeping the doors open for either an unlikely spin off, or a revisit into the gap in timeline should Guillory sign on the dotted line.

But I guess as Juvovich fans, we don't really care, do we? So long as we get to see our heroine in action, we're satisfied, whether she's causing misery to her opponents from her twin handguns, double Kukri knives or just her incredibly toned limbs, we're rooting for her all the way, dressed in garb personally designed by Juvovich herself, which provides for both form and functionality. The trend of casting pretty women to pair with her continues, with the first movie having Michelle Rodriguez, the second with Guillory, and now, Heroes' Ali Larter and Spencer Locke join the fray. However, they are relegated to more pedestrian roles as compared to previous partners, so don't be expecting much from them, especially for fans of Larter.

The story can be no more simpler than Alice serving as a messiah for a small convoy of survivors headed by Larter's Claire, delivering them a message to journey to the promised land in Alaska. But of course the road to Peace and No Infection is plagued by challenges which culminates in a big battle in Las Vegas, where the trailers have teased with the entire city being semi-buried in sand. And like a video game, all levels will lead to their respective Big Boss to do battle with, and Extinction doesn't evade that formula too. Watching Alice grow in power, provides a lot of kick in some of the cool things she can do, enhanced with special effects of course.

Don't expect the franchise to slam the door of opportunity shut on itself. By the look of things, we might even see a fourth movie coming up in perhaps two or three years time (the interval between the movies thus far). Expect plenty of blood and gore as our heroes cut through ugly zombies like hot knife through butter, and none other does it more balletic and graceful than Milla Juvovich. You go, girl!