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Extinction is another Netflix sci-fi movie I recently watched, and while it is not perfect, it is certainly an improvement over Titan or Anon. The overused alien invasion is replaced with a refreshing twist, and though the central premise is intriguing, the movie rests too heavily on its ending twist. Because of this, I would rank the movie as a one-time watch as it does not warrant a second look visually, narratively, or even in terms of acting. In general, the movie is certainly more entertaining than Titan or Anon.
It is good to see that Netflix has been purchasing movies left, right, and center. While such work is criticized, I think it is unfair to label them as failures just because they are not being released on the big screen. In the past, it used to be a lot easier for film studios to release straight-to-video movies, but now that selling rights to movies is more profitable than investing in a streaming service, the quality of movies has dipped severely. Annihilation is an example of such a good movie, while Titan, Anon, Cloverfield Paradox, and even the rather flat Extinction show how deeply video is looked down upon. At least Extinction is set in a vibrant world full of characters, making it better than the rest.
The film is about a married couple Peter and Alice, and their two children. Peter, who is portrayed by Michael Pena, experiences dreams of bizarre alien attacks. As these dreams turn into reality, people are slaughtered day by day. With his visions in mind, Peter tries to make sense of the world around him. It doesn’t help that Peter has been making several mistakes at the office, causing his work behavior to spiral out of control. As chores pile up, so does the mess within his home and relationship with Alice. As strange crafts emerge, notorious bloodshed starts and violence reigns supreme, turning the world upside down. Peter frantically navigates the wreckage of his beloved city while avoiding suicidal street gangs. Gradually, the only ones left standing are the soldiers. One of them, however, makes it his mission to hunt down Peter, Alice, and their children.
The first two-thirds of the film follows the standard sci-fi alien invasion template. Still, the sheer scope of the invasion, in terms of the number of locations as well as actors involved, elevates this film from the ordinary low-budget Sci-Fi Channel TV movies to theatrical films, certainly on par with Skyline. The mood is, however, different. We have no clue as to who the aliens are, and we cannot even begin to fathom what their intentions are. In other films, aliens capture humans (Signs, Skyline), and in others, they use impersonal, indiscriminate super weapons like in Independence Day. Here, however, the killing is extremely personal. Alien soldiers execute individuals with guns, knives, and other weapons. The only similar movie I could think of is Battle Los Angeles, which also starred Michael Pena, albeit in a much smaller role (and which, Extinction, was, for all intents and purposes, a category or two more monumental than Extinction).
The senseless murder of the frenzied Caplan ensemble was reminiscent of Cloverfield but without the found footage lens. Similar to Caprian escape, she is injured along the way, which brings the attempt at fleeing to a halt. I did find Caplan’s performance to be really commendable. At the onset, she is married to a borderline lunatic and her quiet suffering is unbearable, however, her strength over the course of the escape is astounding. I did feel that Pena attempted to act a bit over the top. The older daughter is a joy and needs nothing more than to be beheld, while the younger is restricted to horror-inducing shrieking at the most inappropriate times. The other cast members were just minor performers with no flesh added to their bones by the scripts.
The script is one of the most controversial points of Extinction. A common complaint was the script, but in my opinion that is not a valid complaint so many people have high hopes because the very person responsible for Arrival was behind the screenplay automation. For this reason, many people seem to have lacked sophistication when it comes to reviewing the movie. Personally, I thought the story was quite straightforward, with lots of turns toward the end. So, when the twist comes towards the end of the movie, I could finally justify all the seeming inconsistencies from earlier. Such stories had the potential of character development, but instead, the script seemed to focus on other things, leaving the characters transactional at best. They were flat, unattractive and even the best actors couldn’t help them.
The action is also unevenly mixed. The suspenseful parts worked the best, but it looks like the director put his attention mainly on subpar combat encounters mostly consisting of rails gun shoot-outs, and some very unrealistic grappling. At least we get some comfort from the fact that the movie bears the dubious accolade of being dark during this terrible combat so the standard of fighting is unimportant.
Overall, I liked the movie. Some people seem to be saying how the twist at the end was obvious, but I didn’t see that coming at all. Without it, Extinction would have been a little above average for an alien invasion survival movie, but because of that twist, I now consider it to be one of the most excellent sci-fi movies Netflix has come out with this year. I think it is good enough to watch at least once.
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