The third installment in the massively popular film series based on Capcom's zombie horror/science fiction games, Resident Evil: Extinction brings the world to an end, not with a whimper but a bang, as Milla Jovovich's Alice pits her bio-organic superskills against armies of the undead in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas. Also on hand is a more grown-up version of the games' Claire Redfield (played by Heroes' Ali Larter), who leads a convoy of humans (among them Resident Evil vets Oded Fehr and Mike Epps, who reprise their roles as Carlos and LJ, as well as newcomers Ashanti and Spencer Locke) in search of sanctuary; meanwhile, sinister Umbrella Corporation scientist Dr. Sam Isaacs (Iain Glen) seeks a cure for the zombie virus outbreak via Alice's blood, which he taps via a lab full of clones.
Subtlety has never been the Resident Evil series' strong suit, but it's hard to argue against Extinction's breakneck pace and impressive CG special effects; director Russell Mulcahy (the Highlander series) lends a lot of verve to the proceedings, and the script by producer Paul W.S. Anderson pulls in agreeable touches from The Road Warrior and Day of the Dead. A hit during the summer of 2007, Extinction should please series devotees and action-horror fans alike.
--Paul Gaita