Resident Evil: Extinction
Here Is What You Need To Know:
These Resident Evil movies should be pretty easy to pull off. However, Resident Evil: Extinction doesn’t do it for me. I have been known to love zombie films, but much is off with this movie. The biggest problem is the script, no surprise. Extinction incorporates much of the lore of the previous films and it expects you to remember the details. If you are a fan of the movies and video games, and I am, you know that the storyline is getting a little thick at this point. How can they really expect those of us who have lives, and I do, to remember a great deal of the details, key details, from the previous film?
Anyway, Extinction takes place in a world where the Umbrella Corporation has nearly turned everyone into zombies and Alice, once again played by the quickly aging Jovovich, is out to help a group of survivors. Oh yeah, she has super powers and there are clones of Alice hanging about. Honestly, Extinction is silly due to the fact that much is left unexplained or relies on the audiences collective photographic memories. How did she get the super powers again? Extinction isn’t a mess, its fun enough in fact, but it is pretty annoying as Extinction should have been much more. Stop and think about it. Most of humanity is dead or in the zombie category and what we see just doesn’t measure up in the end. Resident Evil meets Road Warrior, that should have been cooler. What gives?
What Was Cool:
The visual effects are nice, and there is enough mayhem to keep fans satisfied. The cast does a good job and doesn’t take a vacation, which we all know they often do during a horror film. Jovovich is good as Alice, but is aging too quickly to keep anchoring the francise much longer, so expect a changing of the guard soon. Heroes cast favorite Ali Larter is solid as Claire Redfield and Oded Fehr is believable as well. You will also enjoy the zombie ravens.
What Was Stupid:
The script was flawed and relied far too much on the cliches, such as how the main bad guy is handled. I mean come on, no shock here that one of the main bad guy turns into a really freaky monster at the end. God that is getting boring. Also boring is the idea that the British are soooo much smarter than us. Okay fine, the pound is worth like fifty dollars, but really. Why does the ultra, super, fantastically smart computer program, White Queen, have to be a British kid? Read my Tin Man review for more on this annoying topic. Perhaps part of the answer resides in the fact that producer/writer Paul W.S. Anderson (as though Paul Anderson isn’t enough) is British. Whatever the reason, this British superiority stuff in films has really run its course, seriously enough already.
The Film's Real Genius or Geniuses:
All the people who created this franchise to begin with are the real genius.
Overlooked Performance/Accomplishment:
Visual and special effects people do a great job once again.
Story D+
Use of Science C
Acting B
Portrayal of Women B+ (The strong female characters in Extinction are fun to watch. However, why is it that Alice must wear hooker clothes? Isn’t Alice a little too smart to be dressing like a whore? Wouldn’t sensible combat attire be in order?)
Style/Sex Appeal B (Um, the sexy is fading fast.)
Enjoyability Grade C+
Home Theater/HD Factor B-
Gut Check (Level of Studio Executive Guts) F (No courage was necessary, at all, with funding another Resident Evil film. No real risks of any sort were in fact taken.)
Overall Innovation D (There was little innovation overall. On the DVD extras we see some interesting visual effects work, but its not that innovative. Most interesting on the DVD are the intereviews with Anderson and his disconnect with reality concerning the overall quality of the film and its role in the grand scheme of human civilization.)
Overall Grade C- (Disappointing but worth a watch if you are a big horror buff or have seen the other films.)
A Little Fact About Cherie:
I have played all the Resident Evil games and yet maintain a slim, girlish figure. Peace (yeah, I hate people that end statements with “peace” as well.) Much hate (that’s better).
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