Resident Evil: Extinction review: a stylized, action-packed good time

Resident Evil: Extinction turned out to be a fun time for both of us, and the reaction was, "I think I like this one more than the last one." For the third installment with a title that sounds this final, given how many more movies follow it, it kept surprising us while delivering what we enjoy about the series.

The look of Extinction is stylized and cool

The color palette is golden, yellowy brown, and it gives the film a western look. Alice's costume, with the boots, garters, jacket and hot pants, was a lot of fun. Her hair looked like she had cut it herself, messy with a micro bang and wispy pieces, which nicely set her apart from the more put-together clone Alices. Close-ups on Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter sometimes looked softened, almost like a beauty filter, though that could also be a Netflix quality quirk. It fits a movie going for a vibe of "zombie apocalypse world, but make it hot." Ali Larter's character also isn't blonde here, possibly to separate her from Alice.

Alice keeps getting more powerful

The action was fun and the jump scares were jumpier: we got decently jump scared at least five times. Alice is doing split kicks, flips and jumps, which made us wonder how the films can push her further. We guessed she has to gain control over her powers, and joked that this might be why she isn't a playable character in the games.

Carlos and LJ stayed true to character

Once you've been bitten, the decent thing to do is tell the people around you, so maybe LJ just isn't a decent person. Losing Carlos Oliveira was "frustrating and sad," but he got a good death, going out in an explosion that took zombies with him. He was a hero. Because LJ and Carlos behaved exactly as we expected, the characters felt well written.

The laser room makes a satisfying return

Dr. Isaacs's upgraded zombie form was unique and cool. Bringing back the laser room was a highlight: this time someone who deserved it got cubed, and Alice controlled it herself instead of the White Queen saving her.

The new characters remain strangers

The actors took it seriously and felt grounded, but we didn't know the new survivors well enough to feel much when they died. Ali Larter's character is a leader who can fly a helicopter, yet we know nothing of her backstory. K-Mart being found at a Kmart was called kind of genius, since there's no time for personal stories. With hope for a settlement in Alaska, Ali Larter probably comes back, though that's without having looked it up, and hopefully she's back so we get more of her backstory.

Do you prefer Extinction or the second Resident Evil film?