Resident Evil: Extinction DVD Review

Without the need to explain all of the details behind the virus which has caused humans to become flesh-eating zombies or the origins of the Umbrella Corporation who is responsible for it, the third chapter in the Resident Evil franchise actually manages to simplify the story enough to become the most enjoyable film in the series so far. Without the need for silly back-story, which was created for a video game series first, Resident Evil: Extinction is allowed to be a straightforward action-horror film.

This isn’t to say that it is a perfect film or that the bevy of supermodel women fighting zombies is believable, but the other films seemed to fall apart with an over-reliance on complex storylines which quickly removed the audience from the visceral feeling the video game brought. The third, while less interested in the stories, feels much more like the video game. After all, the story enhances the games but it is the zombie action which keeps bringing fans back.

It also helps that Extinction brings the action on the road, taking it to a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas, which has been ravished by rabid crows and taken back by the desert. It also happens to be near an underground Umbrella facility, so it is the location newly upgraded Alice (Milla Jovovich) is heading to. At this location there are several Alice-like creations being cloned as an attempt to cure the virus, but this is just another disaster waiting to happen, and eventually another mutation to deal with.

On the surface all of the survivors are forced to keep moving as the only way not to draw the attention of the zombie masses. A caravan of survivors complete with comic relief (Mike Epps) and a fearless leader (Ali Larter) cross paths with Alice and make a stand together in Vegas, resulting in a majority of the impressive fighting sequences. At just over ninety-minutes, Extinction isn’t a complicated film otherwise, and perhaps that is why it seems to work better than its predecessors. Very few sequels manage to improve in the way Extinction has, and it ensures further films in the franchise.

There are deleted scenes and four featurettes on the DVD, including the usual making-of number. The other three are technically inclined, especially one about the visual effects for creating the desolate land of Las Vegas, for which miniatures were used. There is also a featurette about the zombies and how they have changed from the other films. There is also a commentary with director Russell Mulcahy, writer/producer Paul W.S. Anderson, and producer Jeremy Bolt. The real treat for fans is the sneak peek of the first CGI Resident Evil film, “Degeneration”.