Movie Review: Resident Evil: Extinction
The first two Resident Evil films were some of the best movies based on video games, if not the best. The reason they worked so well, in my opinion, was simply the premise: the gigantic Umbrella Corporation creates a super-virus that animates the dead. Take the usual zombie issues, add in some nice action and you’ve got yourself a decent action flick. Resident Evil: Extinction jumps forward in time; the T-virus has spread across the globe, the undead are everywhere, Umbrella corporation continues its activities in underground bases, and those people who survive do so by remaining ever on the move.
Yes, it’s post-apocalyptic. I wasn’t sure how that was going to work, but it was a bold step that panned out well for the most part. On the one hand, the film predominantly lacks the claustrophobic environments of its predecessors, but on the other hand, the spread of the T-virus across the United States would have been extremely difficult to portray well with a coherent plot. Instead of trying for that expansive of a story, Extinction focuses on one particular band of survivors, and on Umbrella’s wayward experiment in superhuman ability, Alice (played once again by Milla Jovovich), who kicks undead butt any chance she gets.
I don’t think this film is quite as strong as the last two, but it’s still fun, and Jovovich alone can keep an action movie going at high speeds. The big monster that rears its (extremely) ugly head by the end isn’t quite up to the par of the Licker in the first movie and Nemesis in Apocalypse. Also, the science has gotten even more dubious (just how exactly does the T-virus wipe out all life?), but all in all, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the movie. You can’t go wrong with a huge flock of killer crows all cawing in anticipation of pecking out some eyeballs.
Don’t go see this movie expecting anything other than a mixture of zombies, post-apocalyptic desert scenery, and Milla Jovovich being badass in an odd outfit (this last one seems to be a theme in her movies). It works surprisingly well, even if it feels like they’ve already planned out the sequel. There’s more than a few places that will make you jump, some action scenes that will make you laugh with glee, and a few confusing comments about the science that will make you scratch your head. If that’s not your cup of tea, go see some foreign film or something and feel secure in your superior tastes. I won’t judge you for it, but I will watch Extinction again when it comes out on DVD.
Resident Evil: Extinction, staring Milla Jovovich. Directed by Russell Mulcahy. In theaters as of September 21st, 2007.