Wow. I am really sick of apocalyptic zombie flicks. The “Resident Evil” movies never really started out with much promise anyway, but they’ve always been pretty fun. I guess I got my fill of zombies after seeing “28 Weeks Later” though. “Resident Evil: Extinction” isn’t the worst of these films, but it doesn’t necessarily offer anything new to Resident Evil or the zombie genre. Though it did try! But like the previous two movies, it pays little attention to character development and wanders aimlessly toward an ending that is preordained to be a ridiculous cliffhanger.
“Extinction” shows us a world where the Umbrella Corporation’s t-virus has spread across the globe. The human race is dwindling and the infected (zombies) outnumber them a hundred to one. The t-virus has turned the world in to a barren desert and small groups struggle to stay alive. One such group is led by Claire (a character from the Resident Evil video games) and two other characters that co-stared in the previous movie. Meanwhile, Alice wanders on her own, afraid to hurt anyone with her new powers found at the end of the last film. As our heroes struggle to survive, Umbrella is on the lookout for Alice, believing her blood holds the cure to save the world from extinction.
It’s as ludicrous as it sounds. The movie actually starts out with promise and throws out some interesting ideas. The appearance of this film is believable; it really does look like the end of the world. The infected look more like zombies this time around. Instead of the pale faces and Jack Sparrow eyeliner, the zombies are skinny, have crusty growths on their faces and actually look like a virus has been eating away their humanity. Umbrella is busy making Alice clones to go through a reenactment of something fans of the first movie should enjoy, and they even come up with the idea of trying to domesticate the zombies in an attempt to co-exist. (Which I couldn’t help but laugh at it. Wasn’t this spoofed in “Shaun of the Dead?”)
Unfortunately all these ideas go nowhere. The clone thing is never fully explained. It appears the only reason the idea was put in the film was to piss off Alice. The domesticating zombie idea seems like a big deal at first, but it’s dropped midway in to the movie with no further mention. Speaking of no further mention, what happened to Jill Valentine and the little girl from the previous movie? Fans of these films get no explanation as to why they aren’t with the group or what happened to them. (Not that I miss Jill, but it makes for a rather large plot hole.)
The film’s main villain is your classic, 1950s mad scientist—But with no motivation. He’s as cliché as an evil scientist could be and by the end of the movie I was reminded of the many Power Rangers monsters I would watch in my youth. Clearly my nostalgia didn’t help the movie. Every time he was on screen I wanted to fast forward.
Milla Jovovich stands as the final, consistent talent in this movie. Most actresses look cheesy in action roles, but Jovovich is believable. She keeps the film from being unbearable. Her character, Alice, is sure to be remembered among cult-action fans and Jovovich has secured herself as a class act, action star. I hope to see her in more adrenaline-fueled movies.
“Extinction,” of course, ends on another cliffhanger, ensuring the future of “Resident Evil 4.” The ending borderlines laughable, but I can see some fans of this film throwing their fists in the air and yelling “Hell yeah!” I can certainly understand why; it was a fun movie and I certainly enjoyed it more than “28 Weeks Later,” but it’s still a pretty big mess. For the “Resident Evil” fans, it’s not the worst of the three films. For those people not destined by the cosmos to love zombie flicks, pass. There are better stupid action movies out there.
*½ out of ****
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