Review: Resident Evil: Extinction

Oh, Resident Evil: Extinction. How much I wanted to like you. And you know, there were parts that I liked very much. However, as the sum of its parts, the film as a whole just didn't add up. The main problem? Not enough zombies! The set-up of the post-zombie-apocalypse created by the filmmakers held chilling promise that, unfortunately, never fully delivers. Early in the film, they exposit that, like its inhabitants, the world was dying, turning to a barren wasteland. When the camera pulls back from a small hut in the middle of nowhere to reveal nothing but sand and zombies as far as the eye can see, believe me, it is successful in instilling the intended sense of dread. And then that's about all you hear about it. The film is set in Vegas, already a desert, its landscape effectively unchanged. The journey of Claire Redfield's band of survivors would make for a compelling story as well. When we meet them, they're running dangerously low on both food and fuel (no mention of water of course, but we'll let that slide). Yet that, too, is stripped of its urgency by what the filmmakers would like us to believe is a more pressing matter.

You might be wondering, "What, pray tell, might that matter be?" Why, it's the nebulous evil machinations of the Umbrella Corporation, of course. Rather than focus on something simple and visceral like, say, survival, the film spends nearly half its time away from our heroes, deep in the bowels of some underground Umbrella compound. So jarring were these repeated departures, that it felt almost as if they were happening in some other (lower budget) film. And you know, I'm fine with evil corporations. Exaggerated reflections of the times in pop culture and all that tasty goodness. But the extent to which Umbrella was the focus of RE:E left the film feeling ill-paced to the point of almost slow.

That said, there were some good parts. Ali Larter, as Claire Redfield, provided a strong, human, counterpoint to Alice's superpowered heroine. And that superpowered heroine? Was cool as hell. Milla Jovovich was absolutely fierce, committing fully to a role that's taken some admittedly dubious turns over the course of the series, and lending a tenderness that manages to ground the over-the-top character. The scenes actually involving zombies (and/or their furry and feathered brethren) were exciting and well-done (if not, occasionally, done before), including one rather spectacular early scene with the zombie dogs that felt a bit out of place, but was awesome enough not to matter.

Is it worth seeing? Sure. But this is a safe wait for rental. If you're headed to the theaters, save your cash for a worthier venture like 3:10 to Yuma.