I have now made it to the midway point of this terrible, terrible franchise and i couldn't be more apathetic about it. 'Resident Evil' (2002) was a crap fest but it was so dumb that I could find enjoyment in it. 'Resident Evil: Apocalypse' (2004) turned up the dumb level to a point where it became almost unwatchable, not to mention the horrific technical side of the film. 'Resident Evil: Extinction' (2007) did the opposite and became really, really dull. It still has it's dumb moments, but I mostly found myself falling asleep. The film follows on from the events of 'Resident Evil: Apocalypse' with the T-virus having escaped the confines of Racoon City and spread across the world, infrecting almost all humans and leaving the planet a barren wasteland. Alice (Milla Jovovich) has split from the group formed in the last film in order to protect them as she is still being hunted by the Umbrella Corporation. She eventually bumps into her old friends who have joined a convoy of survivors led by Claire (Ali Larter). During her travels Alice has discovered a book suggesting that there may be survivors living in Alaska and convinces the convoy to go there. They are soon discovered by the Umbrella Corporation and finding themselves fighting against the evil group.
This film started promisingly. There is an action scene very early in the film where Alice is captured by a family of hicks who throw her in a cage with zombie dogs. The scene is the kind of crap, dumb fun that made me enjoy the original film. The acting is shocking and the editing makes it so I was lost on what was going on, but it was just perfectly ridiculous and the best kind of crap that I enjoyed it. The film from here plummeted straight into being very, very dull. Yes, the plot remains completely ridiculous and terribly written, but the issue is that the filmmakers seem to think I care about the characters in these when all I want is just really dumb action and there just isn't enough of it in this film. It also doesn't help that the world has become a barren wasteland covered in sand which means that the look of every scene in this film is the same dull beige colour and there is nothing visually interesting to hold your attention. The film is also still pretty shit on a technical level. It is a huge improvement in this regard on the second film, but there are still some really shoddy moments of editing and cinematography, especially during the few action scenes. It also has some absolutely appalling CGI effects throughout, although the practical effects are pretty decent. The film also suffers from one of the most anti-climatic finales I've ever seen. For a franchise that has some of the most ridiculous moments of action and fights I've ever seen, the finale of this film completely underwhelms. The action is almost understated and it is over almost before it begins. I was really hoping we would get a scene that would at least match the ridiculousness of the opening one but I guess I hoped for too much.
The acting in the film, very much like the actual filmmaking, has improved on the second film but it is still not very good. Well, this goes for all the main characters, all the secondary and throw away characters are horrifically acted. Oded Fehr returns as Carlos Olivera and is much better in this film. He is still a little emotionless but he is far less wooden then he was in the film prior. Iain Glen also returns as Dr. Isaacs and actually is pretty decent in the role of a super villain scientist. It's about as cliched as you'd expect, but in a film like this can you really ask for anything more. Mike Epps also returns as L.J., who was a character I couldn't stand in the last film but who is fully toned down in this and so I didn't want to gauge my eyes out every time he was on screen. A new character introduced in this film is Claire, played fine by Ali Larter. The character is really uninteresting and the rubbish script doesn't give Larter much to work with but she does an okay job with what she is given. As usual the best part of the film was Milla Jovovich as Alice. She has a good screen presence and you believe she is badass. Her character is still written as pretty wooden so she doesn't have too much emotional depth to work with, but she does well in the action scenes and that is all I want from her in these films.
Where 'Resident Evil: Apocalypse' became an overblown farce 'Resident Evil: Extinction' went far too much the other way and became a complete snooze fest. The technical side has improved quite a lot from the second film but the lack of stupid action really hinders it. The narrative and acting have remained pretty much at the same level of crap as the last film, and the world in which the film takes place is so dull to look at that there is nothing visually stimulating to keep your attention. The film is far too boring too recommend and so I would again recommend watching the first one instead for a stupid fun time.