Series extinct

Blood-spattered zombies, eating flesh and slashin' a few throats -- sounds like a pretty exciting Friday night. The third installment of the "Resident Evil" series, "Resident Evil: Extinction" offers all of this in about two hours. That's not a horribly spent two hours if you're into blood and violence. But if you're into plot and acting prowess, not so much.\nThe world has become a desolate wasteland after the Umbrella Corporation's T-virus has destroyed the earth and turned its inhabitants into wandering, blood-thirsty zombies. The few survivors travel across the desert terrain, never stopping for long and always searching desperately for food and supplies. As for Alice (Milla Jovovich), one of Umbrella's earliest projects and deadliest weapons, she works alone. But she eventually attempts to lead a convoy to the darkest parts of Alaska and ends up in a secret underground facility where Umbrella is still conducting research.\nThe explosions and fight scenes between zombies and humans make this film. Without them, it would be boring drivel with performances on par with the cast of a high school play rather than a troupe of experienced actors. Ali Larter's portrayal of Claire Redfield is weak at best, proving she should stick to pretty-girl roles such as the one she played in "Legally Blonde." \nThat said, "Resident Evil: Extinction" is entertaining. Despite its abhorrent plot and acting, its concept of a clairvoyant killing machine with a temper and a knack for decapitating zombies has been awesome since the release of the original "Resident Evil" video game in 1996 (on which the movie series is based). Who doesn't want to see a powerful woman protagonist trying to save the world through the use of intuition and sheer brute force? I know I do.\nUnfortunately, the film appears to set itself up for a fourth installment. While fans of the genre eagerly awaited the release of this newest episode, it should have followed its title and made the worn out series extinct. But at least Alice will be back for more zombie killin' in the near future. Everyone can look forward to that.