Resident Evil: Extinction
Wednesday, 10 Oct 2007 14:06
Milla Jovovich invites you to the gun show
Directed by Russell Mulcahy, out October 12th, in cinemas, starring Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, Ali Larter, Iain Glen, Mike Epps and Ashanti. 94 mins.
In a nutshell
Post-Apocalyptic, Deserts, Zombies, Extinction
What's it all about?
In the third and final part of the Resident Evil trilogy, the deadly T-Virus has traveled around the world and turned the human population into the walking undead. As well as infecting the people, the virus has ravaged the natural world, rendering the planet a dry and desolate desert. A band of survivors voyage in convoy through this arid landscape desperately trying to stay ahead of the zombies and remain alive. Alice (Mila Jovovich) has also survived the virus, although chooses to travels alone, attempting to avoid detection from the evil Umbrella Corporation.
The Corporation are holed up in deep underground bunkers and led by Dr Isaacs, (Iain Glen), try and produce a cure to the virus, a means of subduing the undead and enabling them to be controlled. Inevitably Alice soon comes across the travelling survivors and together they try and head to Alaska to find a safe haven and escape the evil that stalks the desert. It is not long however before they are detected and an almighty battle ensues behind the living and the dead.
Who's in it?
Milla Jovovich returns once more to the role of Alice in the final instalment of the trilogy. Oded Fehr and Mike Epps also return as Carlos and L.J., while Iain Glen's Dr Isaacs is ever present as the evil genius, brooding and experimenting deep under the earth's surface. Ali Larter (Heroes) plays Claire, the leader of the surviving convoy while Spencer Locke (unimaginatively named K-Mart, apparently because of where she was found) and Ashanti's Nurse Betty make up the lead characters.
As an example...
"We fought the infection. We survived the apocalypse. And now, we face extinction – Alice sums up her previous adventures in three easy steps.
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars?
The film will find an audience with the loyal fans of the original computer game and those tempted in with the continuing prospect of Jovovich kicking ass whilst wearing very little. Outside these circles though, Extinction will struggle to excite.
What the others say
"Better than the silly second instalment and boasting an effectively creepy empty world setting" - Empire
So is it any good?
Extinction is surprisingly entertaining. Following on from the absolutely dismal second film, this effort actually manages to excite, scare and interest without ever descending into total stupidity. The desert proves a useful backdrop, helping to develop an effective atmosphere of anticipation. The endless sand dunes provide an eerie and silent environment in which the characters and zombies exist and stalk one another. Jovovich once again plays within herself in the Alice role; it is one of the major disappointments of the trilogy, that at no stage does she ever seemed to have been stretched. The supporting cast this time round offer very little, there is minimal dialogue throughout the film and what there is isn't the best stuff you're likely to see in a cinema any time soon.
The visual effects are more of a success with the bird scene not only triumphing as the film's most out-and-out terrifying moment but also visually looks mighty impressive (the obvious rip off of Hitchcock's The Birds though is difficult to excuse). Other effects, such as the dropping through the earth's surface to show the extent of the Umbrella bunker, are over-used and lose their initial impressiveness.
There are definite scares throughout the film, helped in main by the booming sound effects, while Alice's gun shooting, knife wielding and martial arts are all very well executed. There are however some huge loopholes, like how they are going to manage to fly all the way to Alaska in a helicopter and what on earth they are going to do once they get there. The ending also, especially as it's the conclusion of a trilogy, is extremely disappointing.
Despite this though, the Resident franchise has always known not to takes itself too serious and the film plays to its recognised strengths, namely Jovovich wearing next to nothing kicking, shooting and slicing her way through zombie after zombie. It is a definite improvement on the last outing and can stand alone as an entertaining zombie horror film. A fair attempt at concluding a mildly exciting, and ultimately disappointing, trilogy.
5/10
Richard James
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