 Death, Destruction, Despair, and other Holiday Tidings |
| Review Date: August 11, 2008 |
| Reviewer: !! Ravenova Majere !!, Zombie Nation |
The deadly T-virus has now escaped the Umbrella Corporation's rigorously controlled environment and infected the world. There are few who can remain alive in such a hostile atmosphere where nature has reclaimed her own and flesh hungry zombies seek the warm life blood of the living. Earth is desolate. The entire planet shown from afar is now visible as a barren Necropolis of broken dreams, empty lives, and the fruitless pursuit of existence. It's over. . . or is it? Operation Alice is back, bigger and better than before. The fight for earth has begun . . .
Continuing the ever growing Resident Evil franchise, the latest installment in this seemingly endless movie series has actually managed to redeem much of the harm done in prior movies. While this is still not a "thinking man's" film by any means, the numerous action sequences, interesting special effects, and superior scenes of zombie carnage combined to produce an entertaining and enjoyable film. Perhaps there is hope for the Resident Evil venture after all.
The story continues the very lose plot line established in earlier movies, that is, Alice runs around in skimpy clothes, as before, and engages in random acts of violence while taking herself very seriously. Meanwhile, the ever devious yet massively inefficient Umbrella Corporation tracks her, thinking to take on a monster that they have created, yet have proved time and again that they cannot control. So much for the whole notion of hindsight. But, if you have already seen the first two Resident Evil movies and are still coming back, then you already know all this. Let's face it, the movies are just dumb, but they are fun if you can put aside your thinking cap and indulge in a Friday night flick with friends. And besides, there is one new theme that has emerged in Resident Evil: Extinction that is actually quite appealing in a macabre sort of way, the entire destruction of the world. While Resident Evil has never minded killing off large populations for the pleasure of a disturbingly blood thirsty public, no one ever quite anticipated that they were ready to eradicate the world. Yes, it's been done before, but for some strange reason, this same old concept has a uniquely revolting attraction. The new theme works. Freud might have some interesting theories as to why, but let's face it - - - no one really cares, we just want to be entertained.
Now, what about the characters? I, for a lack of anything better to do (thus are the trials of being nineteen) have unfortunately watched both of the original Resident Evil movies more than once and, despite this, still haven't a clue as to what the character's personality's are really like. Apparently, Resident Evil: Extinction decided not to remedy this problem. We still don't care about these people. As far as we are concerned, they are just future zombie bait or, as I prefer to say, zombie chow on parade. But wait! What about the elusive Alice? Yes, she is still "cool" with her no nonsense mannerisms, incredible and totally unrealistic fighting maneuvers, and her ultra sexy clothes but let's face it, she's just not a talker. Does anyone remember her ever saying more than three words? I rest my case. Resident Evil and characterization are not synonymous and they probably never will be. As I said, this is not a thinking man's movie.
So, now that my poison pen is warmed up, I sadly must switch gears and move onwards, leaving my delightful cynicism behind and explaining the good qualities of this movie to any of you out there who were unfortunate enough to land on my review (laughs maniacally.) Resident Evil is mainly known for its concentration of high drama, edge of the seat tension, unpredictability, and special effects and in all these areas it delivers marvelously. The action presented in this movie far surpasses the first two films keeping the viewer hooked to the screen and diverting their attention from the actual lack of a deep plot. The action is non-stop and for the most part realistically depicted. The special effects have improved over the years and the directors were not afraid to capitalize on this especially since if all these scenes of carnage and mayhem were removed the movie could be recapped in less than three sentences. The combination of horror and action that is unique to the video game to movies franchise that is booming of late is presented most effectively in this film creating a very tense atmosphere and resulting in many unexpected deaths, mutilations, and zombiefications.
The conclusion was both oddly disappointing and strangely satisfying at the same time although it was obviously the prelude to yet another sequel (what ever happened to succinctness?) While Alice's final battle with an unnamed but many clawed creature was abrupt and vastly disappointing especially considering that half the movie had been building up to this grand battle, the "surprise conclusion" that was presented afterwards was most unique and quite interesting thus redeeming the entire conclusion.
Ending Thoughts: The expert manipulation of effects and the inclusion of hordes of flesh hungry zombies and heart stopping action packed scenes will of course appeal to any cynical teenage audience; however, an older crowed will probably find it most banal. If you are more into the thinking man's type of film, then this is not for you. If you are looking for a meaningless yet fun film, then Resident Evil: Extinction is definitely worth seeing.
- Ravenova |
The Resident Evil films are FAR From "Extinct"
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| Review Date: January 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Media Lover, |
| From the start, this film had me completely surrendered to it's gripping narrative, fantastic cinematography and hugely entertaining action scenes. Unlike the first two films in the franchise, "Extinction" brings the next gen gore of the video games "Resident Evil 4 and 5" to the big screen. No more fast cuts, discreet angles or dark lenses... This is a hardcore, zombie killing action-fest. Aside from this new development, the characters are all written with much more attention to characterization and emotion. There are many scenes in the film where you find yourself GENUINELY caring what happens to the characters. On top of everything I've mentioned, the musical score by Charlie Clouser WAY outclasses the previous two scores and is both effective and well produced. If I had one negative thing to say about this film it's that it ended as soon as it did! |
Bonus Features
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| Review Date: May 26, 2010 |
| Reviewer: LoLo, Los Angeles, CA |
| Just FYI this 3-Pack contains all the bonus features that are included on the dvd versions. That wasn't listed clearly anywhere and I was nervous they didn't have them but I opened it and the backs of the cases revealed all the bonus features. Totally worth 32.99! No digital copies though :/ |
Zombies doing what they do best!
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| Review Date: December 13, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Dr Moreau, Ottawa |
I'm not sure what all the griping is about here. Do critics not understand the concept of science fiction? Science fiction: a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology. Get that Entertainment Weekly? It's not supposed to be realistic. I've had it about up to my a** with these paint-chip eating movie critics who grouse to the edge of galactic hell space about bad scripts and lack of originality. Three zombies are about to jump you and eat you alive, what are you supposed to say?
"O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!"
No, more likely it will be "Son of a B." or "F me, these zombies are really hungry." Apologies to all you haughty gas-inhaling elitists who deride every sci-fi film if it is not a Brothers Karamazov parable set in the future. Sometimes a biotechnology corporation, let's say a company called Umbrella Corp., takes things just a little bit too far and unfortunately we end up with a zombie apocalypse. These things happen. Then a group of people - not necessarily thespians of Shakespearean cogency, mind you - get some guns together and form a little brigade that marauders about killing zombies in a search of an antigen that will save the rest of humanity. And sometimes they will come upon a big box in the middle of the desert, that for no apparent reason happens to be filled with zombies. Oh the humanity. Let us all now go bathe, lest our sullied flesh melt after bearing witness to this squalid spectacle, meant so unmistakenly only for the coarse, unwashed masses, who cannot discern TRUE art from a grimy simulacrum of it. Such is the onerous existence of a film critic.
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Going Extinct on Blu-ray
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| Review Date: October 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Ender84, USA |
So, attempts to contain the T-virus to Raccoon City have failed. Great. Now the virus has spread throughout the world, and those who have not been effected yet live a life reminiscent of Mad Max. However, all hope is not lost when you have a saucy, zombie-butt kicking super woman wielding a set of kukri knives and telekinetic powers. Alice is back, and she's not happy.
We learn just how evil and how large Umbrella is in Extinction. Dr. Isaacs is attempting to create a anti-virus of sorts that he hopes will domesticate the undead. I wouldn't call them domesticated, but they are now slightly smarter, stronger and significantly faster! Alice must pull out all the stops if she wishes to defeat the super undead, zombie crows, outlaws, and tentacles...yes, the infamous Tyrant makes an appearance.
The majority of this movie takes place in well lit areas - an oddity for a zombie flick, but it works well. The speed and ferocity of the super undead makes up for the lack of the dark, claustrophobic confinements that we loved in the 2002 release. At times, it feels more like an action movie a la Apocalypse, but with a good dose of that good ol' Resident Evil suspense. Unlike Apocalypse, Extinction is a nice blend of action and horror that never departs from the moody Resident Evil universe.
Picture quality is phenomenal. It rivals, if not surpasses, the brilliant 2002 release. This movie is a showpiece that every HD buff should own. Clarity, detail, and color is unrivaled. The audio will blow you away as well. Bass is tight and clean - crystal clear. I hope you have a good surround setup!
The special features are what we have come to expect with a modern release, but with a twist. This Blu-ray uses picture in picture throughout the movie to show behind the scenes, art boards, and more. It is a very cool feature that I would like to see more of. Another notable feature is the 1080i, 30 minute, four part documentary about the film. As always, the filmmaker's commentary is insightful and revealing. There is no cast commentary this time, but it is not missed. Extinction easily has the best offering of special features in the trilogy.
Extinction puts the Resident Evil series back on track. They have managed to achieve a perfect blend of action, horror, and suspense all while making the ballsy decision to set it in the daytime. The picture and audio quality alone warrants a rental if nothing else. Fans of the series owe it to themselves to pick up this movie asap!
Tech Specs
Video: 1080p, 2.40:1
Audio: English, French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Portuguese, Spanish Dolby 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese |
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