Resident Evil: Extinction
Encyclopedia
Resident Evil: Extinction is a Canadian-British 2007 science fiction action horror film also categorized as a doomsday
and zombie film, and is the third installment in the Resident Evil film series
, which is based on the Capcom
survival horror series Resident Evil. The film follows the heroine Alice
, along with a group of survivors from Raccoon City, as they attempt to travel across the Mojave desert
wilderness to Alaska and escape a zombie apocalypse
. The film was directed by Russell Mulcahy
and produced by Paul W.S. Anderson.
The film was released in the United States on September 21, 2007 and was commercially successful, grossing $
147,717,833 worldwide. The film received negative reviews from critics. It was released on DVD
and Blu-ray in North America on January 1, 2008.
) waking up at the hospital, just like the end of the first Resident Evil
. Alice defeats the usual obstacles, including the laser room, though she is eventually killed. Her body is taken outside and dumped into a pit. The pit is then shown to be filled with hundreds of Alice Clones. The camera zooms out from the facility's camouflaged entrance, made to look like a shack (the rest of the facility is underground). The shack is surrounded by a high fence and hundreds of zombies.
Five years after the T-virus escaped Raccoon City, it has spread around the world. As organisms are infected, the environment becomes destroyed. Alice
wanders the desert wastelands of the South-Western US. Dr. Sam Isaacs considers Alice's re-capture a top priority since she has the ability to bond with the T-Virus. He tries to persuade the Umbrella board that he can use her blood to develop a permanent cure, as well as tame the infected. The new Umbrella chairman Albert Wesker (Jason O'Mara
) orders Isaacs to instead use the clones to create a cure and he refuses to authorize Alice's recapture until they are sure of her location.
Meanwhile, Claire Redfield
's (Ali Larter
) convoy, which includes the Raccoon City survivors Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr
) and L.J. (Mike Epps
), along with new survivors K-Mart (Spencer Locke
), Mikey (Christopher Egan), Chase (Linden Ashby
) and Nurse Betty (Ashanti Douglas
), travel cross country. While searching a motel for supplies, L.J. is bitten. The next morning the convoy is attacked by infected crows. The crows almost overpower the convoy, killing Nurse Betty and taking out the flamethrower operator causing the weapon to careen out of control. Alice appears and saves Carlos and others from a fiery death. She uses her psionic powers to cover the sky with a blanket of fire, killing the crows. Alice is introduced to Claire, and gives her a diary she found. The book claims of a 'safe zone' in Alaska. Alice and Carlos convince Claire to take her convoy to Alaska. They agree to go to Las Vegas
to search for supplies for their trip to Alaska.
Dr. Isaacs' attempts to domesticate the infected have led to a new zombie breed. Wesker's security officer, Captain Slater (Matthew Marsden
), is adamant about Isaacs not disregarding Umbrella's regulations. Slater does admit that the "super zombies" (the Crimson Heads) would be useful, but reiterates that Isaacs is out of control.
Umbrella triangulates Alice's location based on her psionic abilities. Dr. Isaacs has a crate of his new zombies sent to ambush the convoy, against Wesker's specific orders. Carlos gets infected by L.J., and most of the convoy, including Chase and Mikey, are killed in the ambush. Umbrella tries to shut Alice down remotely, She breaks free from their programming and continues to fight. She finds Isaacs at the scene, and becomes infected as he tries to flee. Alice and K-Mart use Isaacs' computer to track the helicopter's flight path, leading to Umbrella's underground location.
The convoy goes to the site, which is surrounded by zombies. Carlos sacrifices himself by plowing his truck into the zombie mob and blowing them all up, giving Alice and Claire time to load survivors into the helicopter. Alice decides to stay behind. Ordered by Wesker to liquidate Isaacs, Slater finds the scientist locked in his lab, injecting himself with massive doses of Anti-Virus in an attempt to counter-act the infection. Slater shoots Dr. Isaacs, triggering his mutation into a Tyrant
. Isaacs kills all the facility employees, but is confined to the lab's lower levels.
Entering the facility, Alice meets a holograph of the Red Queen's sister AI, the White Queen (Madeline Carroll
). The White Queen informs Alice that her blood is the cure to the T-Virus. She then tells Alice about Dr. Isaacs. Alice agrees to deal with him. On her way to the lab's lower levels, Alice discovers one of her clones, still in development. The clone awakens, but seems to die from pre-mature exposure. During an intense battle between Isaacs and Alice they find themselves in a replica of the Hive's laser corridor. The grid activates and slices Isaacs into cubes. Just as Alice is about to meet the same fate, the system is deactivated by her clone, which has inexplicably revived.
Later, in Tokyo, Japan, Wesker informs the rest of the Umbrella board that the North American branch has been lost, and he will now control everything from Japan. Alice's hologram makes an appearance, declaring that she is coming for them now. Standing beside her clone, Alice looks out onto the hundreds of pods containing her developing clones.
in 2004, earning more than $
23.7 million dollars on its opening weekend. Anderson told SciFi Wire that he would like to oversee a third installment, under the original title of Resident Evil: Afterlife. Shortly after, the film and another planned sequel were officially announced by Sony
Screen Gems
on June 13, 2005.
On November 7, 2005, Davis Film, Constantin Film and Screen Gems announced their distribution rights
worldwide with the film's title being changed from Resident Evil: Afterlife to Resident Evil: Extinction. Impressed with Russell Mulcahy
's work on Highlander
, Highlander II: The Quickening
, The Shadow
and Ricochet
, Anderson signed Mulcahy on as director, stating, "Russell pioneered a very distinct visual style, a lot of moving camera and crane work, lots of very fast cutting. He’s got a very cool eye and sees great ways to shoot. His work certainly had a big influence on me as a filmmaker and that’s why I was very excited to work with him on this movie."
was announced to reprise her role as the heroine Alice
. In an interview with BlackFilm.com on September 9, 2005, Mike Epps confirmed that he would also be reprising his role as L.J., noting that "Black people die in these movies and [Anderson] was like, 'Well Mike, I kinda like you.' So then I asked him, 'Are you setting me up to die because if there's a fourth movie, I'm as good as dead." Sienna Guillory
was planned to reprise her role as Jill Valentine
; however, she passed on the role, citing commitments to Eragon
. On May 9, 2006 Oded Fehr
, Iain Glen
, Spencer Locke
and Ashanti Douglas were added to the cast. It was rumored that Debra Marshall
was originally cast as Cindy Lennox. However, it was proven to be only a rumor.
Chris Redfield
was rumor to appear in the film portrayed by Australian actor Charlie Clausen
and Leon S. Kennedy
was also rumor to be played by Jensen Ackles
.
in broad daylight. Drawing inspirations from western films
and post-apocalyptic movies
, including the Mad Max series
, Extinction manages to reference such predecessors, with plot elements revolving around the shortage of oil
, the shortage of supplies, a convoy traveling across a desert, and the desert taking over civilized land.
Anderson stated that the film's story is original and unfolds in a world that fans of the game recognize: "It’s all part of trying to deliver a movie-going experience that satisfies the fans of the game but also provides a fun cinematic experience for a broader audience that has never played a Resident Evil
game". The story takes place five years after the events of Resident Evil: Apocalypse
. While previous installments in the series had minor changes to plot and characters, Extinction branches completely away from the video game series as evidenced by the fact that Resident Evil 4
takes place six years after the events portrayed in Resident Evil: Apocalypse
and the world has not become overrun with zombies. References to Code Veronica
are made, such as the replica mansion and the viral outbreak itself. A common element used throughout each Resident Evil film is the climatic battle which occurs in the finale. Extinction marked the first appearance of herbs, a healing item in the video game series, as seen in Dr. Isaac's lab, and it also referenced the first film
with the inclusion of a replica Hive facility designed after the one in Raccoon City, the Raccoon City Hospital, a holographic computer database known as the White Queen, and the replica Spencer Mansion.
Numerous references to the video game series have been made including zombies being unleashed through a T-Virus mutation. While the concept of the undead remains the same, this film includes "Super Undead" (otherwise known as Crimson Heads). As Anderson explains, these are "a result of Umbrella experimenting with the Undead and attempting to give them back some of their reasoning power, some of their intelligence and a little of their humanity. Unfortunately, these experiments don’t quite work and the side effect is the Super Undead, which are Undead that are faster, stronger and [a] more cunning foe." Other creatures from the video game series have also made appearances in the film, including the Tyrant
, a swarm of crows, and a pack of Dobermans (although Belgian Shepherd Dog
s were used during production).
Two main characters were added to the film's cast: the main antagonist
Albert Wesker
(portrayed by Jason O'Mara
) and secondary protagonist
Claire Redfield
(portrayed by Ali Larter
) from Resident Evil 2
.
Horror magazine Fangoria
featured the film in the August 2007 issue and also the cover of the September 2007 issue, talking with director Russell Mulcahy. The following details reported were inaccurate, possibly indicating to a change in the storyline.
The character of Claire Redfield did not exist in the early draft scripts for the film and previously Jill Valentine (who appeared in Resident Evil: Apocalypse
played by Sienna Guillory
) would continue the role in Extinction. Later, producers Paul W.S. Anderson and Jeremy Bolt decided to have a separate game character appear alongside Alice, saying, "We thought, rather than bring Jill back, put her with another game heroine."
with a budget
of $
45,000,000 in Mexicali
, Baja California
, Mexico in May, 2006 after filming locations had to be changed from the Australian Outback
to Mexico causing production dates to be pushed back repeatedly from November 2005 to May 2006. Numerous sets were designed by production designer Eugenio Caballero
including Umbrella's underground laboratory, the Las Vegas Strip
, the New York-New York Hotel & Casino
, Paris Las Vegas
, Realto Ponte, Luxor Hotel
and the replica of the Spencer Mansion. The film entered post-production
in late July 2006 with details about production being kept secret and with the film's special effect
s being covered by Tatopoulos Studios
and Mr. X Inc., whom both worked on the 2006 film Silent Hill
.
In late June 2006, Sony released the films first two production stills which included Alice wearing a costume designed by her fashion company Jovovich-Hawk
and Claire Redfield.
was shown with Ghost Rider
on February 16, 2007, and was structured in the same manner of the "Regenerate" teaser trailer for Resident Evil: Apocalypse. The film's website was launched by Sony on February 17, 2007 with confirmation of the September 21, 2007 release date.
The film's teaser poster was leaked onto the internet via a fansite
in May 2007, before appearing on IGN
, whereas a German website leaked concept art
for Extinction including vehicle and numerous set designs. The film's theatrical trailer
premiered onto the Yahoo! Movies
in late July 2007, with NBC
releasing several scenes including the crow attack sequence. The social networking website, Myspace
also featured numerous clips of four of the main characters Claire Redfield, Carlos Olivera, Nurse Betty, and Alice
. The official website for Extinction launched an online game
titled Resident Evil Extinction: Online Convoy Game
in August 2007. On September 12, 2007 Sony released numerous promotional clips and television spots and on September 17, 2007 the film's soundtrack was released, whereas the film's score was released on December 18, 2007.
On July 31st, 2007, a full two months before the films release, a novelization by Keith R. A. DeCandido
was published. At 368 pages, it is the thickest of all of the Resident Evil novels. DeCandido also wrote the novelizations of the first
(subtitled as Genesis) and second
films
Resident Evil: Extinction was released on DVD, UMD
, and high-definition Blu-ray Disc
in North America on January 1, 2008. A Blu-ray release of the Resident Evil trilogy, featuring the three films in one package was also released on January 1. A 3-Disc DVD
set of the Resident Evil trilogy was also made available in 2008. Milla Jovovich and Oded Fehr filmed a commentary while Jovovich was pregnant, which Fehr expects to be shown "in a little square box in the corner" of the Blu-ray version. The DVD and Blu-ray versions of the film showed previews for Resident Evil: Degeneration
, a trailer of Devil May Cry 4
, and a video of Resident Evil 5
. Resident Evil: Extinction was released on DVD in Australia on February 13, 2008 and in the UK on the February 18, 2008.
giving it a 22% score based on 91 reviews.
Steven Hyden of The Onion
's A.V. Club
said that "the movie delivers some simple-minded thrills" and praised the "solidly effective killer-ravens sequence" but felt the film was too predictable, saying: "Anybody who has ever seen a zombie movie can figure out what happens next. Somebody will get bit without telling the others, which will inevitably backfire. Survivors will be forced to shoot suddenly undead friends in the head. One of them dastardly science folk will protect the monsters in order to study them, which will also inevitably backfire. And legions of undead will be re-killed in surprisingly easy fashion."
Kyle Smith
of the New York Post
gave Extinction half a star out of a possible four, saying that the film was "no more interesting than watching someone else play with his Playstation
".
Scott Brown of Entertainment Weekly
said that Extinction "plays like a flabby middle chapter, full of nerdy details but fraudulently short on the ruined Vegas-scape that ads have been promising." Jack Mathews of the New York Daily News
gave the film a score of one and a half stars out of five, calling the action scenes "monotonous" and urging audiences to "flee this yawn of the dead."
Helen O'Hara of Empire
gave Extinction a score of two stars out of five, saying that the film was "better than Resident Evil: Apocalypse
and had "an effectively creepy empty world setting" but felt that it's "nevertheless scuppered by a lack of coherence."
Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide
gave the film a score of two and a half stars out of four, saying: "Equal parts Mad Max
and Day of the Dead, [Extinction] is no less derivative than its predecessors but moves along at a brisk clip." Pete Vonder Haar of Film Threat
gave Extinction a score of three out of five, saying that the film had a "rather lazy pacing" but added that "the way Anderson keeps upping the ante with regard to Alice's ultimate fate continues to amuse."
A common complaint among critics was the noticeable digital airbrushing on numerous close-up shots of Jovovich's face, for which reviewers were confused at the use of, or found unnecessary.
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
and zombie film, and is the third installment in the Resident Evil film series
Resident Evil (film series)
Resident Evil is a film series loosely based upon the Capcom video games of the same name. Constantin Film bought rights to the first film in January 1997 with Alan B. McElroy and George A. Romero as potential writers. In 2001, Sony acquired distribution rights to the film and hired Paul W.S....
, which is based on the Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
survival horror series Resident Evil. The film follows the heroine Alice
Alice (Resident Evil)
Alice is a fictional character and the primary heroine of the Resident Evil film series, which is loosely based on the video game series of the same name. Though she is not a character in the game series, she does eventually interact with a number of characters from the games, including Jill...
, along with a group of survivors from Raccoon City, as they attempt to travel across the Mojave desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
wilderness to Alaska and escape a zombie apocalypse
Zombie apocalypse
A zombie apocalypse is a particular scenario of apocalyptic literature that customarily has a science fiction/horror rationale. In a zombie apocalypse, a widespread rise of zombies hostile to human life engages in a general assault on civilization....
. The film was directed by Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy is an Australian film director. His work is easily recognized by his use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights.- Music videos :...
and produced by Paul W.S. Anderson.
The film was released in the United States on September 21, 2007 and was commercially successful, grossing $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
147,717,833 worldwide. The film received negative reviews from critics. It was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray in North America on January 1, 2008.
Plot
The film begins with Alice (Milla JovovichMilla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
) waking up at the hospital, just like the end of the first Resident Evil
Resident Evil (film)
Resident Evil is a British-German 2002 horror film written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. The film stars Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, and James Purefoy...
. Alice defeats the usual obstacles, including the laser room, though she is eventually killed. Her body is taken outside and dumped into a pit. The pit is then shown to be filled with hundreds of Alice Clones. The camera zooms out from the facility's camouflaged entrance, made to look like a shack (the rest of the facility is underground). The shack is surrounded by a high fence and hundreds of zombies.
Five years after the T-virus escaped Raccoon City, it has spread around the world. As organisms are infected, the environment becomes destroyed. Alice
Alice (Resident Evil)
Alice is a fictional character and the primary heroine of the Resident Evil film series, which is loosely based on the video game series of the same name. Though she is not a character in the game series, she does eventually interact with a number of characters from the games, including Jill...
wanders the desert wastelands of the South-Western US. Dr. Sam Isaacs considers Alice's re-capture a top priority since she has the ability to bond with the T-Virus. He tries to persuade the Umbrella board that he can use her blood to develop a permanent cure, as well as tame the infected. The new Umbrella chairman Albert Wesker (Jason O'Mara
Jason O'Mara
Jason O'Mara is an Irish actor who starred in the American television network dramas In Justice and Life on Mars. He now appears in the Fox series Terra Nova.- Career :He performed with The Royal Shakespeare Company...
) orders Isaacs to instead use the clones to create a cure and he refuses to authorize Alice's recapture until they are sure of her location.
Meanwhile, Claire Redfield
Claire Redfield
is a player character appearing in the Resident Evil series of survival horror video games.Claire is the younger sister of Chris Redfield, the protagonist of the first Resident Evil game...
's (Ali Larter
Ali Larter
Alison Elizabeth "Ali" Larter is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the dual roles of Niki Sanders and Jessica Sanders on the NBC science fiction drama Heroes as well as her guest roles on several television shows in the 1990s.Larter's screen debut came in the 1999 film...
) convoy, which includes the Raccoon City survivors Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr
Oded Fehr
Oded Fehr is an Israeli film and television actor now based in the United States. He is known for his appearance as Ardeth Bay in the 1999 remake of The Mummy and its sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as Carlos Olivera in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Resident Evil: Extinction and Resident Evil:...
) and L.J. (Mike Epps
Mike Epps
Michael Elliot "Mike" Epps is an American stand-up comedian, actor, film producer, writer, singer, and rapper. He is best known for playing Day-Day Jones in Next Friday and the sequel-to-the-sequel, Friday After Next, and also starring alongside Ice Cube in All About the Benjamins...
), along with new survivors K-Mart (Spencer Locke
Spencer Locke
Spencer Locke is an American actress who has had various appearances as "Kylie" on ABC's Cougar Town.-Life and career:...
), Mikey (Christopher Egan), Chase (Linden Ashby
Linden Ashby
Clarence Linden Garnett Ashby III , best known as Linden Ashby, is an American actor and martial artist.-Early life:...
) and Nurse Betty (Ashanti Douglas
Ashanti (singer)
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and model. She rose to fame in the early 2000s. Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 503,000 copies in its first week of release...
), travel cross country. While searching a motel for supplies, L.J. is bitten. The next morning the convoy is attacked by infected crows. The crows almost overpower the convoy, killing Nurse Betty and taking out the flamethrower operator causing the weapon to careen out of control. Alice appears and saves Carlos and others from a fiery death. She uses her psionic powers to cover the sky with a blanket of fire, killing the crows. Alice is introduced to Claire, and gives her a diary she found. The book claims of a 'safe zone' in Alaska. Alice and Carlos convince Claire to take her convoy to Alaska. They agree to go to Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
to search for supplies for their trip to Alaska.
Dr. Isaacs' attempts to domesticate the infected have led to a new zombie breed. Wesker's security officer, Captain Slater (Matthew Marsden
Matthew Marsden
Matthew Marsden is an English actor and singer. In the United Kingdom he is widely remembered for playing the character Chris Collins in the popular soap opera, Coronation Street. However, he is best known in the USA as a film actor. He has played the roles of Paris in Helen of Troy, Dr...
), is adamant about Isaacs not disregarding Umbrella's regulations. Slater does admit that the "super zombies" (the Crimson Heads) would be useful, but reiterates that Isaacs is out of control.
Umbrella triangulates Alice's location based on her psionic abilities. Dr. Isaacs has a crate of his new zombies sent to ambush the convoy, against Wesker's specific orders. Carlos gets infected by L.J., and most of the convoy, including Chase and Mikey, are killed in the ambush. Umbrella tries to shut Alice down remotely, She breaks free from their programming and continues to fight. She finds Isaacs at the scene, and becomes infected as he tries to flee. Alice and K-Mart use Isaacs' computer to track the helicopter's flight path, leading to Umbrella's underground location.
The convoy goes to the site, which is surrounded by zombies. Carlos sacrifices himself by plowing his truck into the zombie mob and blowing them all up, giving Alice and Claire time to load survivors into the helicopter. Alice decides to stay behind. Ordered by Wesker to liquidate Isaacs, Slater finds the scientist locked in his lab, injecting himself with massive doses of Anti-Virus in an attempt to counter-act the infection. Slater shoots Dr. Isaacs, triggering his mutation into a Tyrant
Tyrant (Resident Evil)
The Tyrant is the code name of a series of boss characters in the Resident Evil video game series. Tyrants, biologically engineered supersoldiers created and used by the sinister Umbrella Corporation, make appearances as boss characters in most of Resident Evil games and the desire to create an...
. Isaacs kills all the facility employees, but is confined to the lab's lower levels.
Entering the facility, Alice meets a holograph of the Red Queen's sister AI, the White Queen (Madeline Carroll
Madeline Carroll
Madeline Carroll is an American actress who was first noticed for her role as Molly Johnson in 2008's Swing Vote. Carroll had many supporting roles in various films Comedy and Drama...
). The White Queen informs Alice that her blood is the cure to the T-Virus. She then tells Alice about Dr. Isaacs. Alice agrees to deal with him. On her way to the lab's lower levels, Alice discovers one of her clones, still in development. The clone awakens, but seems to die from pre-mature exposure. During an intense battle between Isaacs and Alice they find themselves in a replica of the Hive's laser corridor. The grid activates and slices Isaacs into cubes. Just as Alice is about to meet the same fate, the system is deactivated by her clone, which has inexplicably revived.
Later, in Tokyo, Japan, Wesker informs the rest of the Umbrella board that the North American branch has been lost, and he will now control everything from Japan. Alice's hologram makes an appearance, declaring that she is coming for them now. Standing beside her clone, Alice looks out onto the hundreds of pods containing her developing clones.
Cast
- Milla JovovichMilla JovovichMilla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
as AliceAlice (Resident Evil)Alice is a fictional character and the primary heroine of the Resident Evil film series, which is loosely based on the video game series of the same name. Though she is not a character in the game series, she does eventually interact with a number of characters from the games, including Jill...
and the clones: The primary protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
who is being tracked down by the Umbrella Corporation in order to develop a serum from her blood. Since being exposed to the T-Virus outbreak in Raccoon City, Alice has been captured and subjected to experiments. - Ali LarterAli LarterAlison Elizabeth "Ali" Larter is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the dual roles of Niki Sanders and Jessica Sanders on the NBC science fiction drama Heroes as well as her guest roles on several television shows in the 1990s.Larter's screen debut came in the 1999 film...
as Claire Redfield: Based on the video game character of the same nameClaire Redfieldis a player character appearing in the Resident Evil series of survival horror video games.Claire is the younger sister of Chris Redfield, the protagonist of the first Resident Evil game...
, she plays a prominent role in Resident Evil 2Resident Evil 2Resident Evil 2, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. Developed by Capcom as the second installment in the Resident Evil series, its story takes place two months after the events of the first game, Resident Evil...
, Resident Evil Code: VeronicaResident Evil Code: VeronicaResident Evil Code: Veronica, released in Japan as , is the fourth installment in Capcom's Resident Evil survival horror series, originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000...
and Resident Evil: The Darkside ChroniclesResident Evil: The Darkside ChroniclesResident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, known as in Japan, is an on-rails shooter video game for the Wii developed by Capcom and Cavia. The game was released on November 17, 2009 in North America. It was released in Europe on November 27, 2009 bundled with the Wii Zapper accessory.-Plot:The game's...
. In the film, she is a protagonist and leads a convoy of survivors alongside Carlos. - Oded FehrOded FehrOded Fehr is an Israeli film and television actor now based in the United States. He is known for his appearance as Ardeth Bay in the 1999 remake of The Mummy and its sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as Carlos Olivera in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Resident Evil: Extinction and Resident Evil:...
as Carlos Olivera: Ex-U.B.C.S. soldier, based on the video game character of the same name in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, protagonist and survivor of the Nemesis program as well as the "cleansing" of Raccoon City. Since the events of Apocalypse, he has helped lead Claire's convoy of survivors. - Iain GlenIain GlenIain Glen is a Scottish film and stage actor.Iain Glen was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained at RADA where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. He was married to Susannah Harker from 1993 to 2004; they have one son, Finlay...
as Dr. Sam Isaacs: The primary antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
, and head scientist of the North American facility. Dr. Isaacs had been involved in the creation of the Nemesis programNemesis (Resident Evil)Nemesis, also called the Pursuer or , is a fictional character in Capcom's Resident Evil franchise. It first appears in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, before later emerging in other titles and cameo roles. It is also featured on various merchandise and in the 2004 film Resident Evil: Apocalypse...
as well as the creation of Program Alice in ApocalypseResident Evil: ApocalypseResident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
. He is turned into the Tyrant monster as a result of a bite by a "super-zombie" and from then injecting himself with too much anti-virus. - Ashanti Douglas as Nurse Betty: A tough young woman who acts as the medical unit in Claire's convoy. She is a nurse, helping to aid members of the group to full recovery. Betty drives the paramedic vehicle and is a love interest of L.J. She sacrifices herself by locking herself inside the bus with the crows when they attacked.
- Christopher Egan as Mikey: A young mature computer junkie who drives the "computer station" portion of the convoy. Mikey is responsible for monitoring the radio in search of other survivors as well as monitoring the motion sensor perimeter cameras. He is killed by the super zombies.
- Spencer LockeSpencer LockeSpencer Locke is an American actress who has had various appearances as "Kylie" on ABC's Cougar Town.-Life and career:...
as K-Mart: A girl found by Claire's companions hiding out in a K-Mart store prior to the outbreak. - Matthew MarsdenMatthew MarsdenMatthew Marsden is an English actor and singer. In the United Kingdom he is widely remembered for playing the character Chris Collins in the popular soap opera, Coronation Street. However, he is best known in the USA as a film actor. He has played the roles of Paris in Helen of Troy, Dr...
as Captain Slater - Linden AshbyLinden AshbyClarence Linden Garnett Ashby III , best known as Linden Ashby, is an American actor and martial artist.-Early life:...
as Chase - Jason O'MaraJason O'MaraJason O'Mara is an Irish actor who starred in the American television network dramas In Justice and Life on Mars. He now appears in the Fox series Terra Nova.- Career :He performed with The Royal Shakespeare Company...
as Albert WeskerAlbert Weskeris a character in the Resident Evil franchise. Although portrayed as a supporting character in the first game, he was later established as the primary antagonist of the series; he usually manipulated story events behind-the-scenes and had a role in more games than the other main characters...
: Based on the video game character of the same nameAlbert Weskeris a character in the Resident Evil franchise. Although portrayed as a supporting character in the first game, he was later established as the primary antagonist of the series; he usually manipulated story events behind-the-scenes and had a role in more games than the other main characters...
, he is a prominent antagonist in many of the video games. In the film, he is the Chairman of Umbrella, and through holographic technology (him being in TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
), he has regular meetings with committee members including Dr. Isaacs who gave the order to find and capture Alice. - Mike EppsMike EppsMichael Elliot "Mike" Epps is an American stand-up comedian, actor, film producer, writer, singer, and rapper. He is best known for playing Day-Day Jones in Next Friday and the sequel-to-the-sequel, Friday After Next, and also starring alongside Ice Cube in All About the Benjamins...
as L.J. Wayne: Former citizen of Raccoon City, who survived the Nemesis program and Raccoon City's destruction in the previous film. He also travels with Claire's convoy. He is Betty's love interest. He is bitten by a zombie in the motel near the beginning of the film and later turns into a zombie himself when super-zombies attack. - Madeline CarrollMadeline CarrollMadeline Carroll is an American actress who was first noticed for her role as Molly Johnson in 2008's Swing Vote. Carroll had many supporting roles in various films Comedy and Drama...
as White Queen: The sister Artificial IntelligenceArtificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
of the original Red Queen. She is designed to protect and preserve human life and monitor the Umbrella facility, like her sister computer. However, the White Queen has more advanced holographic technology.
Pre-production
Resident Evil: Extinction was first discussed by Resident Evil franchise writer Paul W.S. Anderson after Resident Evil: Apocalypse opened Number 1 on the US box officeBox office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
in 2004, earning more than $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
23.7 million dollars on its opening weekend. Anderson told SciFi Wire that he would like to oversee a third installment, under the original title of Resident Evil: Afterlife. Shortly after, the film and another planned sequel were officially announced by Sony
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
on June 13, 2005.
On November 7, 2005, Davis Film, Constantin Film and Screen Gems announced their distribution rights
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
worldwide with the film's title being changed from Resident Evil: Afterlife to Resident Evil: Extinction. Impressed with Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy is an Australian film director. His work is easily recognized by his use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights.- Music videos :...
's work on Highlander
Highlander (film)
Highlander is a 1986 fantasy action film directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen. It stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and Roxanne Hart. The film depicts the climax of an ages-old battle between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and...
, Highlander II: The Quickening
Highlander II: The Quickening
Highlander II: The Quickening is the second installment to the Highlander film series, released on January 31, 1991.-Plot:In August 1994, news broadcasts announce that the ozone layer is fading, and will be completely gone in a matter of months. In Africa, millions have perished from the effects of...
, The Shadow
The Shadow (1994 film)
The Shadow is a 1994 American superhero film, directed by Russell Mulcahy, and based on the character of the same name created by Walter B. Gibson in 1931. Alec Baldwin starred in the title role...
and Ricochet
Ricochet (film)
Ricochet is a 1991 crime-thriller film, directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Denzel Washington, John Lithgow, Ice-T, Kevin Pollak, and Lindsay Wagner...
, Anderson signed Mulcahy on as director, stating, "Russell pioneered a very distinct visual style, a lot of moving camera and crane work, lots of very fast cutting. He’s got a very cool eye and sees great ways to shoot. His work certainly had a big influence on me as a filmmaker and that’s why I was very excited to work with him on this movie."
Casting
On June 12, 2005, Milla JovovichMilla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
was announced to reprise her role as the heroine Alice
Alice (Resident Evil)
Alice is a fictional character and the primary heroine of the Resident Evil film series, which is loosely based on the video game series of the same name. Though she is not a character in the game series, she does eventually interact with a number of characters from the games, including Jill...
. In an interview with BlackFilm.com on September 9, 2005, Mike Epps confirmed that he would also be reprising his role as L.J., noting that "Black people die in these movies and [Anderson] was like, 'Well Mike, I kinda like you.' So then I asked him, 'Are you setting me up to die because if there's a fourth movie, I'm as good as dead." Sienna Guillory
Sienna Guillory
Sienna Tiggy Guillory is an English actress, and former model. She is known for playing the title role in the TV miniseries, Helen of Troy, her portrayal of Jill Valentine in the science fiction action horror film Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and as elf princess Arya Dröttningu in fantasy-adventure...
was planned to reprise her role as Jill Valentine
Jill Valentine
is a fictional character in the Resident Evil survival horror series by Capcom.Jill is one of the two protagonists of the original Resident Evil game, where she was introduced as a member of the Raccoon Police Department's Special Tactics And Rescue Service , trapped in a secret research complex of...
; however, she passed on the role, citing commitments to Eragon
Eragon (film)
Eragon is a 2006 fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The cast includes Edward Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Alun Armstrong, Joss Stone, and the voice...
. On May 9, 2006 Oded Fehr
Oded Fehr
Oded Fehr is an Israeli film and television actor now based in the United States. He is known for his appearance as Ardeth Bay in the 1999 remake of The Mummy and its sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as Carlos Olivera in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Resident Evil: Extinction and Resident Evil:...
, Iain Glen
Iain Glen
Iain Glen is a Scottish film and stage actor.Iain Glen was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained at RADA where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. He was married to Susannah Harker from 1993 to 2004; they have one son, Finlay...
, Spencer Locke
Spencer Locke
Spencer Locke is an American actress who has had various appearances as "Kylie" on ABC's Cougar Town.-Life and career:...
and Ashanti Douglas were added to the cast. It was rumored that Debra Marshall
Debra Marshall
Debra Gale Marshall is an American actress and former professional wrestling manager and WWE Diva. Arguably best known by her ring name, Debra, she gained recognition for her appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1998 and 2002.She began her career in professional wrestling in...
was originally cast as Cindy Lennox. However, it was proven to be only a rumor.
Chris Redfield
Chris Redfield
is a fictional character from Capcom's Resident Evil series.Chris is one of the two main protagonists in the first Resident Evil game, the other being Jill Valentine. Redfield returned as a playable character in Resident Evil Code: Veronica, where he must search for, and ultimately rescue, his...
was rumor to appear in the film portrayed by Australian actor Charlie Clausen
Charlie Clausen
Charlie Clausen is an Australian actor most known for his role as Jake Harrison on McLeod's Daughters in 2003 and as Acting Sergeant Alex Kirby on the police drama series Blue Heelers, which he starred in for the majority of Season 12 and Season 13...
and Leon S. Kennedy
Leon S. Kennedy
is a player character appearing in the Resident Evil series of survival horror video games. Leon is a protagonist in Resident Evil 2 and the main protagonist of Resident Evil 4. During the events of RE2, Leon is a new police officer who arrives in Raccoon City late for his first day on the job,...
was also rumor to be played by Jensen Ackles
Jensen Ackles
Jensen Ross Ackles is an American actor. He is known for his roles in television as Eric Brady in Days of our Lives, which earned him several Daytime Emmy Award nominations, as well as Alec/X5-494 in Dark Angel and Jason Teague in Smallville...
.
Story development
The film's story takes place in Death Valley, where the large scale action sequences take place amid post-apocalyptic landscapes of Las VegasLas Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
in broad daylight. Drawing inspirations from western films
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
and post-apocalyptic movies
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
, including the Mad Max series
Mad Max (franchise)
The Mad Max franchise refers to a series of futuristic films, taking place in the "Mad Max Universe", that tell a story of breakdown of society, murder, and vengeance. The first Mad Max was an Australian action film directed by George Miller and written by Miller and Byron Kennedy, released in 1979...
, Extinction manages to reference such predecessors, with plot elements revolving around the shortage of oil
Peak oil
Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
, the shortage of supplies, a convoy traveling across a desert, and the desert taking over civilized land.
Anderson stated that the film's story is original and unfolds in a world that fans of the game recognize: "It’s all part of trying to deliver a movie-going experience that satisfies the fans of the game but also provides a fun cinematic experience for a broader audience that has never played a Resident Evil
Resident Evil (video game)
Resident Evil, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game by Capcom. The first installment in the Resident Evil series, it was originally released in 1996 for the PlayStation and was subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn and PC. In 2002, a remake of the game was released for the Nintendo...
game". The story takes place five years after the events of Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
. While previous installments in the series had minor changes to plot and characters, Extinction branches completely away from the video game series as evidenced by the fact that Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
takes place six years after the events portrayed in Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
and the world has not become overrun with zombies. References to Code Veronica
Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Resident Evil Code: Veronica, released in Japan as , is the fourth installment in Capcom's Resident Evil survival horror series, originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000...
are made, such as the replica mansion and the viral outbreak itself. A common element used throughout each Resident Evil film is the climatic battle which occurs in the finale. Extinction marked the first appearance of herbs, a healing item in the video game series, as seen in Dr. Isaac's lab, and it also referenced the first film
Resident Evil (film)
Resident Evil is a British-German 2002 horror film written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. The film stars Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, and James Purefoy...
with the inclusion of a replica Hive facility designed after the one in Raccoon City, the Raccoon City Hospital, a holographic computer database known as the White Queen, and the replica Spencer Mansion.
Numerous references to the video game series have been made including zombies being unleashed through a T-Virus mutation. While the concept of the undead remains the same, this film includes "Super Undead" (otherwise known as Crimson Heads). As Anderson explains, these are "a result of Umbrella experimenting with the Undead and attempting to give them back some of their reasoning power, some of their intelligence and a little of their humanity. Unfortunately, these experiments don’t quite work and the side effect is the Super Undead, which are Undead that are faster, stronger and [a] more cunning foe." Other creatures from the video game series have also made appearances in the film, including the Tyrant
Tyrant (Resident Evil)
The Tyrant is the code name of a series of boss characters in the Resident Evil video game series. Tyrants, biologically engineered supersoldiers created and used by the sinister Umbrella Corporation, make appearances as boss characters in most of Resident Evil games and the desire to create an...
, a swarm of crows, and a pack of Dobermans (although Belgian Shepherd Dog
Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois)
The Belgian Shepherd Dog is a breed of dog, sometimes classified as a variety of the Belgian Shepherd Dog rather than as a separate breed. The Malinois is recognized in the United States under the name Belgian Malinois...
s were used during production).
Two main characters were added to the film's cast: the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
Albert Wesker
Albert Wesker
is a character in the Resident Evil franchise. Although portrayed as a supporting character in the first game, he was later established as the primary antagonist of the series; he usually manipulated story events behind-the-scenes and had a role in more games than the other main characters...
(portrayed by Jason O'Mara
Jason O'Mara
Jason O'Mara is an Irish actor who starred in the American television network dramas In Justice and Life on Mars. He now appears in the Fox series Terra Nova.- Career :He performed with The Royal Shakespeare Company...
) and secondary protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
Claire Redfield
Claire Redfield
is a player character appearing in the Resident Evil series of survival horror video games.Claire is the younger sister of Chris Redfield, the protagonist of the first Resident Evil game...
(portrayed by Ali Larter
Ali Larter
Alison Elizabeth "Ali" Larter is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the dual roles of Niki Sanders and Jessica Sanders on the NBC science fiction drama Heroes as well as her guest roles on several television shows in the 1990s.Larter's screen debut came in the 1999 film...
) from Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. Developed by Capcom as the second installment in the Resident Evil series, its story takes place two months after the events of the first game, Resident Evil...
.
Horror magazine Fangoria
Fangoria (magazine)
Fangoria is an internationally-distributed US film fan magazine specializing in the genres of horror, slasher, splatter and exploitation films, in regular publication since 1979.-Planning:...
featured the film in the August 2007 issue and also the cover of the September 2007 issue, talking with director Russell Mulcahy. The following details reported were inaccurate, possibly indicating to a change in the storyline.
- Alice's convoy are traveling across the Nevada desert trying to reach sanctuary in AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to meet Chris RedfieldChris Redfieldis a fictional character from Capcom's Resident Evil series.Chris is one of the two main protagonists in the first Resident Evil game, the other being Jill Valentine. Redfield returned as a playable character in Resident Evil Code: Veronica, where he must search for, and ultimately rescue, his...
and other survivors. In the film, however, there is no mention of Chris. - The film would feature new "super zombies" that had been "pumped up on some sort of alter-essence steroids. The "super zombies" are created using blood taken from clones of Alice.
- Mulcahy stated concerning the ending of the film trilogy, "As far as I'm aware, this is indeed supposed to close the book."
- Extinction takes place 8 years after Apocalypse. In the film, this was contradicted when characters stated that it had been 5 years since the outbreak.
The character of Claire Redfield did not exist in the early draft scripts for the film and previously Jill Valentine (who appeared in Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
played by Sienna Guillory
Sienna Guillory
Sienna Tiggy Guillory is an English actress, and former model. She is known for playing the title role in the TV miniseries, Helen of Troy, her portrayal of Jill Valentine in the science fiction action horror film Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and as elf princess Arya Dröttningu in fantasy-adventure...
) would continue the role in Extinction. Later, producers Paul W.S. Anderson and Jeremy Bolt decided to have a separate game character appear alongside Alice, saying, "We thought, rather than bring Jill back, put her with another game heroine."
Filming and post-production
Resident Evil: Extinction began principal photographyPrincipal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
with a budget
Film budgeting
Film budgeting refers to the process by which a line producer, unit production manager or filmmaker prepares a budget for a film production. This document, which could be over 150 pages long, is used to secure financing for the film and lead to pre-production and production of the film. Multiple...
of $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
45,000,000 in Mexicali
Mexicali
Mexicali is the capital of the State of Baja California, seat of the Municipality of Mexicali, and 2nd largest city in Baja California. The City of Mexicali has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the population of the entire metropolitan area reaches 936,826.The city...
, Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, Mexico in May, 2006 after filming locations had to be changed from the Australian Outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
to Mexico causing production dates to be pushed back repeatedly from November 2005 to May 2006. Numerous sets were designed by production designer Eugenio Caballero
Eugenio Caballero
Eugenio Caballero is a Mexican production designer who won an Oscar for Best Achievement in Art Direction with Pilar Revuelta in 2007 for the film Pans Labyrinth ....
including Umbrella's underground laboratory, the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, the New York-New York Hotel & Casino
New York-New York Hotel & Casino
New York-New York Hotel & Casino is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip at 3790 Las Vegas Boulevard South, in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International.-Description:...
, Paris Las Vegas
Paris Las Vegas
Paris Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, USA, that is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp....
, Realto Ponte, Luxor Hotel
Luxor Hotel
Luxor Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The 30-story hotel, which is operated by MGM Resorts International, features a casino floor that includes over 2,000 slot machines and 87 table games....
and the replica of the Spencer Mansion. The film entered post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
in late July 2006 with details about production being kept secret and with the film's special effect
Special effect
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
s being covered by Tatopoulos Studios
Patrick Tatopoulos
Patrick Tatopoulos is a French-Greek production designer, who lives and works in the United States. His designs have appeared in numerous motion pictures, including Pitch Black, Underworld, I, Robot, The Chronicles of Riddick, Independence Day, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Stargate, Spawn, Godzilla,...
and Mr. X Inc., whom both worked on the 2006 film Silent Hill
Silent Hill (film)
Silent Hill is a 2006 horror film directed by Christophe Gans and written by Roger Avary. The story is an adaptation of the Silent Hill series of survival horror video games created by Konami. The film, particularly its emotional, religious and aesthetic content as well as its creature design,...
.
In late June 2006, Sony released the films first two production stills which included Alice wearing a costume designed by her fashion company Jovovich-Hawk
Jovovich-Hawk
Jovovich-Hawk was a clothing line created by models Milla Jovovich and Carmen Hawk in 2003. The atelier was based in Los Angeles, with pieces sold at Fred Segal in Los Angeles, Harvey Nichols, and over 50 stores around the world...
and Claire Redfield.
Marketing and release
The film's teaser trailerTeaser trailer
A teaser campaign is an advertising campaign which typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements that anticipate a larger, full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event. These advertisements are called "teasers" or "teaser ads"...
was shown with Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (film)
Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
on February 16, 2007, and was structured in the same manner of the "Regenerate" teaser trailer for Resident Evil: Apocalypse. The film's website was launched by Sony on February 17, 2007 with confirmation of the September 21, 2007 release date.
The film's teaser poster was leaked onto the internet via a fansite
Fansite
A fansite, fan site, or fanpage is a website created and maintained by a fan or devotee interested in a celebrity, thing, or a particular cultural phenomenon...
in May 2007, before appearing on IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, whereas a German website leaked concept art
Concept art
Concept art is a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. Concept art is also referred to as visual development and/or concept design...
for Extinction including vehicle and numerous set designs. The film's theatrical trailer
Trailer (film)
A trailer or preview is an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the...
premiered onto the Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies , provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yahoo! Movies also includes red carpet photos, actor galleries, and production...
in late July 2007, with NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
releasing several scenes including the crow attack sequence. The social networking website, Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
also featured numerous clips of four of the main characters Claire Redfield, Carlos Olivera, Nurse Betty, and Alice
Alice (Resident Evil)
Alice is a fictional character and the primary heroine of the Resident Evil film series, which is loosely based on the video game series of the same name. Though she is not a character in the game series, she does eventually interact with a number of characters from the games, including Jill...
. The official website for Extinction launched an online game
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
titled Resident Evil Extinction: Online Convoy Game
Resident Evil Extinction: Online Convoy Game
The Resident Evil Extinction website has an online game available called the Resident Evil Extinction: Convoy Game.-About:The game allows players to sign in and select a name of a driver for one of vehicles available. You drive your convoy where the mission objectives item is in the desert e.g...
in August 2007. On September 12, 2007 Sony released numerous promotional clips and television spots and on September 17, 2007 the film's soundtrack was released, whereas the film's score was released on December 18, 2007.
On July 31st, 2007, a full two months before the films release, a novelization by Keith R. A. DeCandido
Keith R. A. DeCandido
Keith Robert Andreassi DeCandido is an American science fiction and fantasy writer and musician, who works on comic books, novels, role-playing games and video games, including numerous media tie-in books for properties such as Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, Supernatural,...
was published. At 368 pages, it is the thickest of all of the Resident Evil novels. DeCandido also wrote the novelizations of the first
Resident Evil (film)
Resident Evil is a British-German 2002 horror film written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. The film stars Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, and James Purefoy...
(subtitled as Genesis) and second
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
films
Resident Evil: Extinction was released on DVD, UMD
Universal Media Disc
The Universal Media Disc is an optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on their PlayStation Portable handheld gaming and multimedia platform...
, and high-definition Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
in North America on January 1, 2008. A Blu-ray release of the Resident Evil trilogy, featuring the three films in one package was also released on January 1. A 3-Disc DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set of the Resident Evil trilogy was also made available in 2008. Milla Jovovich and Oded Fehr filmed a commentary while Jovovich was pregnant, which Fehr expects to be shown "in a little square box in the corner" of the Blu-ray version. The DVD and Blu-ray versions of the film showed previews for Resident Evil: Degeneration
Resident Evil: Degeneration
Resident Evil: Degeneration, known in Japan as , is the first full-length CG animation feature based upon Capcom's Resident Evil video game series. The film was made by Capcom Studios in cooperation with Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Entertainment...
, a trailer of Devil May Cry 4
Devil May Cry 4
Devil May Cry 4 is an action game that was published and developed by Capcom in 2008 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows platforms. The game is the fourth installment to the Devil May Cry series....
, and a video of Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the seventh installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series, and was released on March 5, 2009 in Japan and on March 13, 2009 in North America and Europe...
. Resident Evil: Extinction was released on DVD in Australia on February 13, 2008 and in the UK on the February 18, 2008.
Box office
The film was the number one movie at the North American box office in its opening weekend, grossing $23 million in 2,828 theaters, averaging $8,372 per theater. It opened more strongly than the two previous films in the series, and as of January 1, 2008, the film had grossed $50,648,679 domestically and $97 million overseas for a worldwide total of $147 million.Critical response
Extinction received negative reviews, with Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
giving it a 22% score based on 91 reviews.
Steven Hyden of The Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
's A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
said that "the movie delivers some simple-minded thrills" and praised the "solidly effective killer-ravens sequence" but felt the film was too predictable, saying: "Anybody who has ever seen a zombie movie can figure out what happens next. Somebody will get bit without telling the others, which will inevitably backfire. Survivors will be forced to shoot suddenly undead friends in the head. One of them dastardly science folk will protect the monsters in order to study them, which will also inevitably backfire. And legions of undead will be re-killed in surprisingly easy fashion."
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith is an American critic, novelist and essayist. He is a staff film critic for the New York Post. His film reviewing style has been called "an exercise in hilarious hostility" by Entertainment Weekly....
of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
gave Extinction half a star out of a possible four, saying that the film was "no more interesting than watching someone else play with his Playstation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
".
Scott Brown of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
said that Extinction "plays like a flabby middle chapter, full of nerdy details but fraudulently short on the ruined Vegas-scape that ads have been promising." Jack Mathews of the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
gave the film a score of one and a half stars out of five, calling the action scenes "monotonous" and urging audiences to "flee this yawn of the dead."
Helen O'Hara of Empire
Empire (magazine)
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
gave Extinction a score of two stars out of five, saying that the film was "better than Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
and had "an effectively creepy empty world setting" but felt that it's "nevertheless scuppered by a lack of coherence."
Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
gave the film a score of two and a half stars out of four, saying: "Equal parts Mad Max
Mad Max
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
and Day of the Dead, [Extinction] is no less derivative than its predecessors but moves along at a brisk clip." Pete Vonder Haar of Film Threat
Film Threat
Film Threat is a former print magazine and, now, webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVDs of mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André...
gave Extinction a score of three out of five, saying that the film had a "rather lazy pacing" but added that "the way Anderson keeps upping the ante with regard to Alice's ultimate fate continues to amuse."
A common complaint among critics was the noticeable digital airbrushing on numerous close-up shots of Jovovich's face, for which reviewers were confused at the use of, or found unnecessary.