Energy, special effects not enough to save new ‘Resident Evil’ movie

In theaters

RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION, directed by Russell Mulcahy, written by Paul W.S. Anderson, based on the Capcom video game “Resident Evil,” 95 minutes, rated R.

In the new Russell Mulcahy movie, “Resident Evil: Extinction,” one scene is effective. You were looking for more than one? Wrong movie.

The scene involves crows – tens of thousands of undead, squawking zombie crows – and when it starts to dig in for the grisly long haul, just watch the members of the audience sit up to take note.

The scene is a rip-off of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” and while it has none of Hitchcock’s dark humor or wit, it does have energy, not to mention some well-done special effects. Since everything leading up to this moment is strictly standard fare, the intensity the scene offers is refreshing even if the scene itself isn’t exactly fresh.

The film, which Mulcahy based on Paul W.S. Anderson’s script, follows the previous two movies in the series, “Resident Evil” and “Resident Evil: Apocalypse,” in that its a convoluted scattershot of hyper editing best served for fans of the franchise or for junkies of the video game on which the movies are based. Or both.

Given the sheer number of zombies “Extinction” unleashes, most of whom are here only to be gutted, it obviously also will appeal to fans of the splatter gore genre. But for those who enjoy their horror movies with a trace of a story and maybe even a measure of dialogue to round out the chills and boost character development, well, they might seriously be left wanting.

Once again, Milla Jovovich takes the lead as Alice, who returns with her poreless skin and vicious death moves to take on the Umbrella Corp. in yet another effort to shut them down.

Some will remember that the Umbrella Corp. is responsible for creating the virus that now has taken over the world, laying waste to most of its inhabitants (save for the few stragglers Alice meets in her journey across the Nevada desert) who now roam the Earth in various stages of death and decay. What Umbrella’s evil kingpin, Dr. Isaacs (Iain Glen), wants from Alice is her blood and her DNA to do all sorts of bad things, none of which is worth exploring here.

What matters in “Extinction” are the zombies, their hunger for flesh, and Alice’s attempts to bring them and the Umbrella Corp. down with the help of old friend Carlos (Oded Fehr), whose stubble alone could rub out the zombies, and those he has befriended since the last time he saw Alice in “Apocalypse.”

Chief among them are convoy-leader Claire (Ali Larter of “Heroes”), Betty (pop singer Ashanti), L.J. (Mike Epps), Mikey (Christopher Egan) and a young lass named K-Mart (Spencer Locke), whose name redefines the way Hollywood markets corporate America (fight the real evil, Alice!) – and which is where you’ll likely see this movie soon enough.

Grade: C-

On DVD and HD DVD

KNOCKED UP, written and directed by Judd Apatow, 129 minutes, rated R

Some might scoff at the idea that a picture as good-naturedly raunchy as Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up” also could be smart, warm and funny, but that’s nevertheless the case. Mirroring Apatow’s last film, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” the director’s latest is a deceptive sleight of hand.

Its title makes it sound purely low-brow, which it is in parts, but not in whole. No comedy this consistently laugh-out-loud funny could only be the result of sex jokes – after 10 minutes, they’d lose their punch. The energy would evaporate. Boredom would settle in. Nobody would bother to light up.

But light up they do. It isn’t often that you come upon a comedy that succeeds in generating laughs from each joke it goes after, but that’s true for “Knocked Up.” The movie was one of summer’s brighter high points. Its appearance on DVD – especially on HD DVD, where the picture shines along with the wealth of interactive elements – will carry its success well into the fall.

Katherine Heigl is Alison Scott, a producer for the E! cable network who is celebrating her promotion to entertainment reporter when she meets Ben Stone (Seth Rogen), a 23-year-old, bong-smoking slacker who literally charms the pants off Alison – and who leaves her pregnant after a heated one-night stand.

What ensues is a movie that has no agenda other than to observe – there is no finger wagging here. As such, instead of creating an uneasy comedy that finds Alison and Ben wrestling over whether to abort their child and each other, Apatow instead follows the awkward courtship that springs from their unlikely relationship.

It’s in this way that “Knocked Up” recalls the genesis of its title – it’s something of a throwback. Ben is an immature wreck, for sure, but he means well and he wants to do right by Alison, who recognizes in Ben (at least until her hormones kick in) someone who might be able to go the distance.

Many of the laughs come from the superb supporting cast. There’s Alison’s calculating sister, Debbie (Leslie Mann, Apatow’s wife), and Debbie’s husband, Pete (Paul Rudd), who have been married for years – and it shows. Also onboard are Ben’s stoner friends, a scattershot bunch who are as endearing as they are emotionally stunted, with Apatow seamlessly weaving their idiosyncrasies into the plot.

Grade: A

Visit www.weekinrewind.com, the archive of Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s reviews, which appear Mondays, Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle, as well as on bangordailynews.com. He may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.