Rated R for strong horror violence throughout and some nudity.
Directed by Russell Mulcahy
Starring Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, Mike Epps, Ali Larter, Chris Egan, Ashanti, Spencer Locke and Iain Glen
Resident Evil: Extinction is the third installment of the Resident Evil franchise. This time we find the experimental T-Virus has been unleashed on the world by the Umbrella Corporation and has turned nearly the entire population into flesh-eating zombies. With nowhere to hide, Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr) and L.J. (Mike Epps), along with new survivors Claire (Ali Larter), K-Mart (Spencer Locke) and Nurse Betty (Ashanti), lead a group on a Road Warrior-ish mission to find other survivors. What they don’t know is that the North American branch of the Umbrella Corporation is hidden beneath an abandoned Nevada radio tower. And with Umbrella's satellite surveillance, Dr. Isaacs (Iain Glen) is able to keep an eye on the armored convoy as he searches for Alice (Milla Jovovich). But Alice is also looking for them… and she won't stop until Umbrella is shut down forever. With her help, the convoy decides to head north to Alaska, their last, best hope for refuge from the undead, but first they need to refuel in Las Vegas.
Todd’s Word: O.K. let’s start with expectations. I wasn’t expecting the smartest script, the most moving story or Oscar-worthy performances. Resident Evil lived up (or down) to those expectations. I was, however, expecting a fun, intense, zombie movie that is the third in a series and based on the video game. For that, Resident Evil: Extinction delivered.
Jonathan’s Word: I agree. Horror is a genre monopolized by wanna-be’s and sellouts. What’s that mean? It means that you either get cheesy movies with bad acting, women way too quick to take off their clothes, or both. Extinction wasn’t either of these. Pretty decent performances (Milla’s always done pretty good, ever since The 5th Element), and no blatant sexual content other than the Tomb Raider-esque outfit worn by Milla.
Todd’s Word: Milla Jovovich was great as Alice. Whether she is wearing the red dress or the Mad Max outfit, she kicks butt. Oded Fehr is his typical cool self and Mike Epps offers some pretty funny moments.
Jonathan’s Word: Yeah. This movie was definitely entertaining. But I’d leave it at that. It doesn’t touch the 28 Days and 28 Weeks films… but those were some of the best in the genre.
Todd’s Word: The special effects throughout are both unique and cool. The way they show the Umbrella Corporation…
Jonathan’s Word: (singing) Umbrella, eh, eh, eh….
Todd’s Word: Thanks Rihanna. Anyways… as I was saying, the way they show the Umbrella Corporation underground offices is just very cool. My favorite scene involves a few hundred crows that was scary, intense and visually cool at the same time.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Resident Evil: Extinction is Rated-R for strong horror violence throughout and some brief nudity. So I’d keep them away from this one.
Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
