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Resident Evil: On A Path To Extinction

September 25, 2007

The third installment of Resident Evil premiers in theaters.

by Sinjin Jones

resident_evil.jpg     Milla Jovovich reprises her role as the genetically enhanced Alice in the third installment of the Resident Evil series which premiered Friday.
     Jovovich leads a star-studded cast including Mike Epps (Guess Who), Ashanti (Coach Carter), and Oded Fehr (Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigalow). The film takes place roughly five years after the events of the second film in a world where the T-Virus has scarred everything, including the climate. The undead now rule the world, minus those few who are able to survive only by continuing movement and, of course, those of the upper-level Umbrella Corporation who are busy still planning their world domination. The film follows both the plight of one convoy of survivors as they strive to stay alive and the struggle of Alice to come to terms with her new found power. 
     The shining monument of this film is undoubtedly the music, which is led by Charlie Clouser, a composer known for his work in the Saw movies. The soundtrack to this film does an excellent job of grabbing the viewer's attention and keeping it throughout the film, employing the seething guitar and dark techno for which the series is famous.
    The undead, which are pivotal in driving forward the film's plot, are utterly terrifying and look better than ever. The level of detail in their gray, moisture-less flesh is astonishing and it seems as if each zombie was given the perfect amount of attention. When one of them appears on-screen it's easy to forget that it is a film.
     However, the movie seems to lack some key elements. The script sounds amateurish and detracts from the overall impact of the film; too often when a character speaks it's a cheesy joke or a bad battle mantra. The action seems poorly executed, with Alice sometimes looking like a harnessed action figure, and the special effects seem almost an afterthought, with the villain looking almost cartoonish.
     Overall, this film is a run-of-the-mill zombie horror flick, separated only by the sci-fi infusion and metaphysical twinge that make Resident Evil unique. It struggles to meld horror, action, and comedy with character development and plot, but still manages to be somewhat entertaining. A fan of the genre will notice the flaws but will still likely find it amusing. The story flows nicely despite some scenes that were obviously not needed. For instance, a desert scene in which Alice must battle zombie dogs in order to get away from sadistic desert-folk seems out of place and completely useless to plot development. While this sequel most certainly isn't as fine-tuned as the previous two films, Resident Evil: Extinction provides a mildly entertaining continuation of the storyline. It gets 6.5 out of 10 smilies.

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Written by Sinjin Jones · Filed Under Headlines, Living & Arts, Movies