• Release Date: 2008 01 01
• Genre: Horror
• Artist Name: Linden Ashby, Rick Cramer, Ramon Franco, Iain Glen, Valorie Hubbard, Milla Jovovich, Gary A. Hecker, Mike Epps, Brian Steele, Ashanti, Chris Durand, Ali Larter, Oded Fehr, Kirk B.R. Woller, Matthew Marsden, Sienna Guillory, Geoff Meed, Peter O'Meara, Shane Woodson, Jason O'Mara
• Director: Russell Mulcahy
• AMG Rating:
• MPAA Rating: R
• Category: Feature Films
• Cautions: Violence, Gore, Nudity
• Year: 2007
• Running Time: 94
• Movie Country of Origin: Canada
• Available Language: English
• Subtitles: Spa/Por
  

Director Russell Mulcahy takes over for the third chapter in the Resident Evil film franchise, which finds genetically altered Alice (Milla Jovovich) joining forces with Carlos (Oded Fehr) and L.J. (Mike Epps) to take down the Umbrella Corporation once and for all. Upon emerging from her hideout in the Nevada desert, Alice is quickly joined by old friends Carlos and L.J., as well as survivors Claire (Ali Larter), K-Mart (Spencer Locke), and Nurse Betty (Ashanti). Now instilled with super-human strength, senses, and dexterity as a result of the biogenetic experimentation conducted on her by the Umbrella Corporation, Alice and the rest of the survivors set out to eliminate a virus that threatens to turn every living human undead, and ensure that the mysterious organization pays the price for their horrific crimes against humanity. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Horror

Future Barbarians, Experiments Gone Awry, Zombies, Plagues and Epidemics

Summery, Tense, Gruesome, Menacing

DVD Features

• Deleted scenes
• Filmmakers' commentary with director Russell Mulcahy, writer/producer Paul W.S. Anderson, and producer Jeremy Bolt
• Sneak peeks of Resident Evil: degeneration the first Resident Evil CGI feature film
• Making of featurettes: Alice vivsion: preproduction, the big bang: shooting Resident Evil: extinction, Bigger, faster, stronger: the undead evolve, Vegas visual effects: miniatures
• Blu-wizard 2.0
• "Under the Umbrella: picture-in-picture"

DVD Chapters

• None Specified

Review

By the time film franchises make it to a third entry, it usually either marks the end of the franchise or a depressing grab at what made the original films so special in the first place -- and then there's Resident Evil: Extinction. Not only have the filmmakers turned the series' premise on its head with the post-apocalyptic setting, but they've gone out of their way to further complicate the story -- even so far as demanding a continuation at its head-scratching finale. All of this would make more sense if the quality of the films demanded it, but if anything, the series has lagged in quality rather than becoming more focused by learning what worked before. While not nearly as outrageous as the action overload of the second film, the third settles into somewhat of a serious tone, more like the original, except this time, it's all presented in a ho-hum fashion, thanks in part to Russell Mulcahy's glossy but largely geriatric direction. As to what his lensing is missing -- for one, the scares that are there just don't work, which would be okay if the action were amped up to realize the pic's full potential. While Extinction evokes a distinct Road Warrior feel, there's nary a time that it delivers on that level of excitement, despite its obvious throwback nature in terms of visuals and stunts. On the plus side, Milla Jovovich still delivers a tough-cookie performance and lives up to her action-starlet status, with her acrobatics being some of the most impressive feats of the film (though what's with the digital smoothing they obviously threw on her face in the close-ups?). Questionably aided dermatology aside, the flick gets points for expanding upon its own mythology while still throwing in a few nods to the gaming crowd -- it's just too bad that they couldn't have spiced up the recipe a bit more so that the onscreen action met the lofty ambitions of the script. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi