Resident Evil: Extinction

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

The storyline builds quite nicely in the 3rd installment and the addition of a few more known actresses and actors, helps move this film forward. Unfortunately the special effects are still very rudimentary.

The world is full of zombies, a variety of kinds, mutations of mutations show an intelligence of mind, but you'll still need a full luger, exploding bullets are preferred, as they all resemble nightmares of Freddy Krueger it's absurd.

As slow as gin, the tale re-begins, but lacks a flow and doesn't go, a familiar end, Alice defends, and gets some help from all her new friends.

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!