New Resident Evil is a Fun Road Warrior Kind of Film: Movie Review of Resident Evil: Extinction

Starring Mila Jovovich (The Fifth Element), Ali Larter (Final Destination) and Oded Fehr (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns), Resident Evil: Extinction looks familiar but feels like no other action film this year.

We last left Alice (Jovovich) leaving the Umbrella Corporation. They established that she's kind of a human computer. With one command, Alice can be "activated" or maybe even deactivated. Now the world has been taken over by the infection, leaving the world a desert wasteland.

Let's bring you up to date. The Umbrella Corporation created a virus for their bio-weaponry program. The virus can raise the physical and maybe even the psychological strength of a human being. It goes bad. This virus ends up bringing the dead back to life. It was supposed to heal wounds, not create zombies. Not only was the virus resurrecting the dead, but it was also mutating human cells. Let's just say, by the end of the film, nothing was pretty.

Alice lives on the road, trying to survive, trying to stay off the grid, and kicks some major zombie butt along the way. She is part of the evil Umbrella Corporation's bio-weaponry program. She can be tracked by satellite. Alice is now practically superhuman. Then she is reunited with some old friends, Carlos Oliveira (Fehr) and L.J. played by Mike Epps. Along with these old friends from Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a tough young woman, Claire Redfield (Larter). She is the leader of an entire convoy of people; men, women and children who have all survived the apocalypse. Together, Alice, her friends and the convoy of survivors travel to Las Vegas for fuel, food, and other essentials.

When they reach the dead, sand-covered city, it appears deserted. There is nothing but monuments of a different time, completely "taken back" by the desert. But how can there not be a single zombie? Las Vegas is a very highly populated city. This fact is in the back of our minds while our heroes are parading through the city in their trucks and vans.

Surprise, surprise, there are zombies in town. The one person who might save the convoy of people has been shut down by Umbrella. It's a devastating battle for our survivors without Alice. But even a human computer has some surprises up her sleeve. This is one of the fun parts in the film. You never feel like Alice is capable of losing, even under the worst of circumstances. Her powers are a mystery. Watching her discover new powers makes the film unpredictable, when it could've been easy to predict.

My thoughts

There are moments when the film appears to be an homage to some of the greatest action films; such as, The Road Warrior and Aliens. That gasoline tanker truck could've been easily driven by a young Mel Gibson. When Alice arrives by elevator at the "hive" deep underground, it becomes sort of a reminder to that great moment when Ellen Ripley walks out of the elevator with her pulse rifle and flame-thrower in Aliens. But the character of Alice is full of great surprises, sort of keeping the audience spellbound. They could have easily went with some traditional heroine without any zestiness, and created a much more predictable and ultimately boring film. It was wonderful to watch Alice's evolution.

Final note

It's not a great action film, but it gets the job done. Expect to be shocked by some average scares. Expect to be thrilled by some well-done action set pieces. Expect to be surprised by our leading lady.

Fun facts

Resident Evil: Extinction was announced officially by Sony Screen Gems on June 13, 2005, months after Resident Evil: Apocalypse was released in Mexico City and in Mexico´s Desert. Recent press release indicates that this third film may in fact be the last.

On November 7, 2005, Davis Film, Constantin Film and Screen Gems announced their distribution rights worldwide. The film's title was also later changed from Resident Evil: Afterlife to Resident Evil: Extinction with the film's director Russell Mulcahy signing on. Principal photography began in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico in May, 2006 (after being pushed back repeatedly from November 05 to May 06) and entered post-production in late July 2006. The film's budget is estimated to be $45,000,000 and the special effects are covered by Tatopoulos Studios and Mr. X Inc., whom both worked on the 2006 film Silent Hill.

In late June, 2006 Sony released the first 2 production stills. Details regarding production have been top-secret but minor details have been revealed, "fans of the series will be pretty damn happy with a new boss monster that's going to rear its ugly head in the film". So far, it seems to be Tyrant.