Resident Evil: Extinction (SEPTiC x264 720p Blu-ray rip)

I just watched Resident Evil: Extinction on Blu-ray, well, actually that's a lie, I watched the SEPTiC rip. Great video quality even at just over 4GB - some of the shots in the desert were spectacular. The audio did leave a bit to be desired, but I'm uncertain if that's due to the re-encode or if it's actually a 'bad' soundmix. Don't get me wrong, it was fine - just I expected a bit coming from my woofer from time to time.

Oh, and to all you law abiding citizens out there, I'll buy a copy of this as soon as it hits the shops in HD-DVD. Which, strangely enough I haven't been able to find a date for. Apparently it is being released on HD (as well as BD) here in Europe, but everywhere I've looked so far only have the SD DVD or BD editions listed (released early 2008).

So anyway. I've seen so many reviews of this film now, all saying the same thing (more or less), which is "Why does it suck?". Well, to be honest, I thought it was great. Yeah, ok, so I'm a sucker for Milla Jovovich (as well as Oded Fehr actually - he did a great job in Sleeper Cell, both seasons), but I actually think the movie delivered what I was expecting - which was more action, more zombies and yet another see-thru plot . Ali Larter (Final Destination, Heroes) and Spencer Locke (Without a Trace S02E15, Monster House) are also quite pleasing on the eye (hmm, perhaps I'm too old to think that about Ms. Locke ).

Sure, once you had watched the first five or six minutes (quite a good 'twist' there actually, without spoiling it for anyone) you could tell pretty much what was going to happen throughout the rest of the flick, but who cares? If I wanted to spend my evening analyzing something I'd watch Pan's Labyrinth or Reign Over Me (both of which are sitting nicely on my shelfs just waiting to be popped).

RE:Extinction contained a few horror/zombie film clichés, but that was to be expected. The one that 'bugged' me was the guy from Claire's Convoy who got infected, but decided to 'hide' it - obviously he was going to turn on his peers at some point. Other than that, great 90 minutes of entertainment (if it was up to me, it would have been 20 minutes longer actually - perhaps there will be a director's cut in the future. There are apparently 11 deleted scenes on the disc.

Unfortunately for fans of the series, it looks like this is the last installment, as Jeremy Bolt (the producer) said "It's not our intention. But we've been very pleased that the third part of the franchise has done so well." when asked about sequels to Extinction. Despite this however, Rory Bruer (Sony's head of distribution) says "It absolutely would not surprise me considering the success of the franchise that they find a way to come up with another. It's a real possibility.". The ending of it [Extinction] definitely leaves it open - and the producers have previously said they would do a fourth RE, set in Tokyo, where Alice (Milla Jovovich) would return alongside Leon Kennedy.

So there you have it, if you enjoyed the first two in the series, this is IMNSHO right up your alley, and even if you didn't this one is still worth a watch.