This fall all bets are off.

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Horror
Role: Alice
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Additional Cast: Ali Larter, Oded Fehr, Mike Epps, Iain Glen, Ashanti Douglas, Spencer Locke
Production Company: Sony Screen Gems
U.S. Release Date: September 21 2007

• Overview
• Memorable Alice Quotations
• Resident Evil: Extinction Movie Trivia
• Critical Reception
• Resident Evil: Extinction Online

Warning: Milla Fan movie overviews may contain spoilers. If you would like to remain 100% unspoiled as to the outcome of the film, we suggest you skip the overview.

Set five years after the Raccoon City T-virus contamination, the Umbrella Corporation has been unable to contain the spread of the virus, and within just years the world has been transformed into a barren, desolate wasteland. Meanwhile, former Umbrella special agent Alice (Milla Jovovich), having survived Umbrella’s genetic experimentation, has as a result developed superhuman strength and abilities. Equipped with her extraordinary skills, she yearns to avenge both herself and her friends. When she discovers the possibility of Alaska being a safe, uncontaminated haven, Alice teams up with a convoy of survivors lead by Claire Redfield (Ali Larter), who are trekking through the States in search for food and supplies. When the convoy decides to head for Alaska, supplies become an issue, and the few remaining survivors in America are forced to risk their way into the dangerous, forsaken Las Vegas.

Milla Jovovich portrays Alice, a former Umbrella special agent who has undergone extensive, involuntary Umbrella-controlled T-virus experimentation and thus developed special abilities and superhuman strength. Embittered by her past experiences with Umbrella, the loss of her friends and the Hive and Raccoon City memories, Alice seeks vengeance against the Umbrella Corporation, while at the same time trying to remain under their radar. Meanwhile, the Umbrella Corporation is searching for Alice to sample her blood, which is essential for the functionality of Umbrella’s newly developed clone army of Alices.

More photos at our Resident Evil: Extinction gallery!

[observing from a distance hoards of zombies surrounding an Umbrella facility] “Good thing we like a challenge.”

“We fought the infection. We survived the apocalypse. And now, we face extinction.”

“I know what you are. I met your sister. She was a homicidal bitch.”

["For so long, I thought you were the future. I was wrong. I am the future."]
“[laughs] No – you’re just another asshole.”

“She’s right. Vegas is our only bet.”

“I’m gonna put an end to this.”

[before shooting a zombie with the name tag Stevie at a gas station] “Sorry about this, Stevie.”

“Oh, you don’t have to wait that long, boys, coz I’m coming for you. And uh, I’m gonna be bringing a few of my friends.”

["Just promise me one thing. When you get down there..."]
“Consider it done.”

“Yeah – kill a few, save a lot.”

“I guess I’m just being paranoid.”

“They were tracking me. I couldn’t be around you, any of you. I could’ve gotten you all killed.”

[after accidentally destroying her motorcycle] “Shit.”

• In its U.S. opening weekend, Resident Evil: Extinction grossed a total $28 million, which is the most successful debut of the film franchise yet, topping the Resident Evil: Apocalypse debut weekend gross of 2004 by $1 million.

• The screenplay for Resident Evil: Extinction was screenwriter Paul W.S. Anderson’s first Hollywood production in three years. Although Anderson has penned all scripts in the Resident Evil film series, he has only directed the original, 2002 film. Anderson, however, is currently set to direct the fourth installment, Afterlife, out 2010.

• Milla Jovovich married screenwriter Anderson in August 2009, some two years after the release of Extinction.

• Milla designed the outfit worn by her character, Alice.

• The music featured in the film’s teaser trailer is reportedly The Crystal Method’s “I Know It’s You”, a song for which Milla provided the vocals three years earlier.

• It was originally planned that the film be shot in the Australian Outback, but the location was then changed to Mexicali, Mexico, where filming would often take place in nigh unbearable heat, with the outside temperature sometimes bordering 145 degrees Fahrenheit (roughly 62 degrees Celsius).

Upon its September 2007 release, the reception for Resident Evil: Extinction was largely, though not wholly, negative. The script was criticized by many for containting plot holes and mindless action sequences and for abusing classic horror movie tricks, with some arguing the film was neither as scary as intended nor advertised. Moreover, the film further fueled the criticism offered by video game puritanists over the character of Alice, whom many feel has been made too over-the-top and unrealistic. The film was, however, commended for its impressive visuals and scenery, which are a key element in the film.

• Rating > Internet Movie Database: 6.2/10 (42,000 user votes counted)
• Rating > MetaCritic: 41/100 metascore, “Mixed or average reviews” (professional)
• Rating > Rotten Tomatoes: 23% positive reviews, “Rotten” (professional)

Extracts from professional reviews:

“This time, the stakes are higher, the fights are faster and the vision is altogether more expansive. In its concern for environmental degradation, dwindling fuel stocks, intrusive surveillance systems, sinister multinational conspiracy and genetic experiments, Resident Evil: Extinction is a more political film than its predecessors. [...] All these different elements are recombined and mutated to produce a monstrous hybrid that ultimately, for good or ill, bears only a distant resemblance to its multiple sources. All the ingredients of Resident Evil: Extinction have been seen before, but nothing is quite like the film itself, occupying a no-man’s-land between loving homage and gleeful pastiche. ” – Anton Bitel, Channel 4

“At a certain point – maybe somewhere in the first act where there aren’t characters as much as feet-entering, low-angle frames – the desert-scape starts to reveal a 16th-wave Sergio Leone influence (but mostly from testosterone guitars). The males do their acting with beard stubble while the women grit their teeth to look all hardened. All the while, model and actress Milla Jovovich is the most confounding presence of all.” – Shane Hazen, Hollywood Chicago

“Wisely, everyone involved with the movie realizes that Milla’s Alice is indeed the reason why the franchise continues to thrive, and she’s given a chance to complete her transformation from kick-ass action star to full-on superhero, as she manifests telekinetic powers that makes it easier to defeat all odds. Alice really has been turned into a great movie heroine that’s easy to root for, but when someone is so adept at slicing and dicing through the infected, it never feels like there’s any danger. Having seen a lot of this stuff in the previous two movies–not to mention every other zombie movie that’s come out since–we’ve become so desensitized to the violence and gore that it’s not particularly exciting. Ali Larter’s Claire is a nice addition to the mix, but she’s not a particularly charismatic character compared to Alice and the rest of the cast are fairly expendable as they take a back seat to the ladies.” – Edward Douglas, Coming Soon

Personal Thoughts

You know, I’ve never really understood what’s so bad about mediocre film franchises, so long as they don’t disappoint fans of said franchise. By now, I’ve seen a good deal of film trilogies and series, many of which have been unsatisfactory, but not because the films have been bad per se, but rather because the filmmakers have since the original (or prequel) missed the mark completely. Not so here. Although Apocalypse was a regrettable disappointment, Extinction scores some big points with me with its fresh approach to the franchise and a less dumb story. The desert-aspect of the film was, if not that plausible, nevertheless an interesting new key element, and a crucial contributor to the “end-of-the-world” atmosphere. If you don’t overthink it, Extinction‘s a real good way to spend a boring Friday night every now and then.

That isn’t to say the film is without its flaws, the biggest of which lies in some of the casting; Ashanti in particular, should definitely consider keeping her day job. The dialogue is also rather wooden (more often than not), and even Milla Jovovich’s performance ends up suffering from it. But although Extinction isn’t Milla’s strongest turn as Alice, it’s worth noting that almost all of the movie’s memorable moments and lines belong to her. If that’s not a highlight, I don’t know what is.

Below are some Resident Evil: Extinction related links that may be of interest to you.

• Resident Evil: Extinction official site
• Resident Evil: Extinction TFL-approved fanlisting
• Resident Evil: Extinction TFL-approved Alice character fanlisting
• Resident Evil: Extinction at IMDb.com
• Resident Evil: Extinction at RottenTomatoes.com
• Resident Evil: Extinction at Wikipedia.org

• Russell Mulcahy at IMDb.com
• Russell Mulcahy at Wikipedia.org

• Ali Larter at Ali Larter Fan
• Ali Larter at Ali Larter Source
• Ashanti Douglas at Ashanti Daily