VOD Review: Extinction (2015)

I hesitate to call Extinction a zombie flick, because it really isn't. A lot of reviewers out there are calling this movie a Zombie Survival movie, but at best, it probably belongs to the Infected sub-genre.

There's just nothing really zombie-like about the creatures in this movie. If anything, they resemble the vampires from 30 Days of Night more than they do any zombie that you'd find in the typical undead offering. 

We're going to go out on a crazy limb here, and just call this one a Post-Apocalyptic movie that involves creatures.

Bold of us, I know.

Nine years after Zombie Apocalypse left most of humanity dead or trying to survive, Jack and his sweet daughter Lu have made themselves a nice life in the snowy town of Harmony; they stay inside, they don't interact with anyone, their food supply could be better... alright, so maybe it's not a nice life, but it's life, and that in and of itself is nice.

"TODAY, WE'RE JUST GOING TO STAY UNDER THE BED. ALRIGHT, HONEY?"

Jack and Lu have a creepy neighbor named Patrick, who we know used to be friends with Jack, but has since been shunned by he and his daughter. Why won't Jack talk to him, or let Lu get to know him? Well that's they mystery, isn't it? At least Patrick has a faithful dog (named Dog) to keep him company in the cold Post-Apocalyptic world.

HE LOOKS HALF A BUBBLE OFF PLUMB IF YOU ASK ME.

It's been a while since either of them has seen the creatures that destroyed their lives (and the world), and so they think them dead and gone, probably because it's so cold and snowy out there, and nothing could survive being exposed in such a climate for too long... but they're wrong! The creatures are back, and despite the bad blood between them, Jack and Patrick have to work together if they have any hope of surviving their return.

Dysfunctional family dynamics & survival ensue.

DON'T... MAKE... A... SOUND.

Extinction is a pretty solid flick that would have benefited from a little less melodrama, and a whole lot more Horror. The creatures in this movie looked amazing, and the fact that they were blind and hunted by sound made the scenes that they were in all the more terrifying, but we just didn't get to see enough of them.

We're big fans of Jeffrey Donovan and Matthew Fox, and over they years they have proven that they can do both drama and action equally well, but too much of the movie was spent with them either avoiding each other, fighting with each other, or just being uncomfortable with each other's presence. Now, all of that had purpose, and it served the story by existing, but it simply went on for far too long. The movie spends too much time on flashbacks, and unraveling a mystery (which was no mystery at all), throughout. We got the gist of the how, why, and what with the lengthy opening sequence, and the plot would have been far better served by focusing less on the backstory, and more on the present day situations of the characters.

SEE, NOW THIS RIGHT HERE IS THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF BACKSTORY.

Worse still, Jeffrey Donovan's character seemed to go from HATING Matthew Fox's character from the depths of his soul (he basically stood by and let him nearly get killed), to having him over for a nice, neighborly dinner. Literally. The transition between hatred and acceptance just felt clunky and unnatural, not to mention a bit rushed.

All of that being said, the rest of the movie was pretty solid. The cold, isolated, snowy setting was perfect for a Post-Apocalyptic story of survival, and it made the already intense plot feel even more so. This one was atmospheric as hell. It may have taken a while for it to get going, but once it did, the movie was a pretty creepy, and boasted some great action scenes. Again, the fact that the creatures were blind and could only hunt by sound added a fun dynamic to the proceedings. We also really liked how the creatures evolved over time. That was kind of a fun twist too.

THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR GOING DOLL SHOPPING IN MONSTER TOWN, USA.

Jeffrey Donovan and Matthew Fox make for a pretty good on-screen duo, and they should probably star in a Buddy Cop movie together, or something. Also, it's pronounced Mah-Shing-Gah, not May-Zing-Er! Dammit!

DON'T SCREAM.

The balance between angsty melodrama and Horror-based action might be a bit off in this one, but Extinction is still an above-average effort that we really enjoyed. A lot, even. The creatures in this one looked so cool that we'd probably even watch it again... although there would be a few parts that we might be tempted to fast forward through.

If you're a fan of Post-Apocalyptic movies that involve a multitude of hungry, savage creatures trying to eat everyone they come across, or if you're a fan of any of the actors involved, then you should definitely give Extinction a rent. It really was a solid effort for the most part.

C+

Extinction is available now on VOD.

The sexy Clara Lago is in this, as is Valeria Vereau (albeit is a much smaller role.)