Hardly great, but a step up from the first two nonetheless

Rating: 5/10 (30 October 2016)

You have to wonder when they'll ever stop making these films – not as long as the games are popular, I guess. Saying that, RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION is a step up on both previous entries in the computer games-turned-film franchise series, and a lot of the enjoyment comes from the involvement of Aussie director Russell Mulcahy, who brought us the likes of RAZORBACK and HIGHLANDER back in the 1980s. Mulcahy brings a certain level of finesse to the proceedings that wasn't present previously, and thankfully the rubbishy music has gone to be replaced by something resembling a normal score.
Otherwise, it's business as usual, with shady scientific interludes cut together with frenetic action scenes and zombie-fighting fun. Sadly the film-makers feel the need to reference the other films (and games), so back are the skinless dogs and a creature that resembles the monster running around at the end of APOCALYPSE. The sole effort to do something new involves some undead in a stand-out set-piece that is only let down by some lacklustre CGI effects work. Elsewhere it's business as usual, with a definite MAD MAX 2 vibe going on, as a convoy of vehicles ride through a ruined landscape on their way to oblivion.
Jovovich is back as the tough heroine, more taciturn and uninvolving than ever before. That may be because of a certain plot twist (the box gives it away) but I'm not convinced, and I'm sure it looks like her face has been digitally improved whenever it's on screen. Along with Jovovich, a couple of cast members return from the previous flick – Mike Epps and Bruce Campbell lookalike Oded Fehr – which adds some continuity to the proceedings. The desert locales look the part and there is at least ONE genuinely good action bit, a surprise zombie attack with a nice nihilistic edge to it which comes out of left field towards the film's climax. Sadly, the latter is utterly predictable – even bringing in those old lasers from the first film – to leave us with a completely loopy final scene which sets the way for a sequel that looks to be unfilmable. EXTINCTION is far from a good film, but I did find it to be an entertaining one, which is more than can be said for the last two offerings they brought us.