Awe-inspiring zombie mayhem

Rating: 9/10 (24 September 2007)

This is the third installment of the "Resident Evil" franchise and is easily the best entry so far. We are told at the beginning that the T-Virus has wiped out humanity almost completely, devastated the ecosystem, and reduced the Earth to a desolate wasteland. Milla Jovavich returns as Alice, whose blood contains the antivirus that can save what is left of mankind. She convinces a group of fellow refugees, who are aimlessly wandering in the Nevada desert, that they should all travel to a rumored disease-free refuge in Alaska. However, the evil Umbrella Corporation has been searching for her and has plans of it's own..
This is a genuinely scary, gut-wrenching horror film from beginning to end. The central characters are placed in one terrifying situation after another and at times the tension is almost unbearable. Likewise, the action sequences are incredibly intense, particularly an early encounter between Alice and a pack of undead attack dogs (a series trademark).The film generates an atmosphere of fearful anticipation of the sort that is only found in the best horror movies. There is a decent amount of gore and Alice's skill with knives anchors some fantastic set-piece battle scenes between the survivors and the undead. A special mention ought to also be given to the strikingly imaginative set designs, a case in point being the depiction of a ruined Las Vegas.
Where the film shows weakness is in it's liberal, perhaps far too liberal, referencing of earlier classics especially George Romero's "Day of the Dead", the "Road Warrior", and even Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". The film stays true to the mythology about the "Resident Evil" universe that was established in the preceding films and does not add too much that is really new.
That having been said, in terms of generating pure exhilaration and intense fear "Extinction" takes the franchise to new levels and is easily one of the very best zombie movies in years. The next chapter in the series has a lot to live up to.