Extinction

Sporadically decent yet mostly underwhelming, Extinction follows Michael Peña’s Peter as his visions of a brutal alien invasion eventually come true – with the narrative detailing Peter and his wife’s (Lizzy Caplan’s Alice) efforts at keeping their two small children safe. Filmmaker Ben Young delivers an opening stretch that certainly seems to hold plenty of promise, as the initial emphasis on the affable protagonist’s aforementioned visions effectively cultivates an intriguingly mysterious atmosphere – although it’s not long before the subtlety of that opening stretch is replaced by a somewhat generic and tedious alien-invasion midsection (ie there’s plenty of skulking around in the dark and avoiding the invaders during this dimly-lit portion of the proceedings). It’s clear, as well, that the proliferation of unconvincing, chintzy special effects hinders Young’s attempts at creating suspense and excitement, while the less-than-developed nature of the central characters’ ensures that one has virtually no rooting interest in their continued survival (ie Peña and Caplan deliver subdued, almost robotic work that perpetuates the hands-off vibe). There’s little doubt, however, that Extinction benefits quite substantially from an admittedly surprising twist at around the halfway mark, with the strength of this game-changing development paving the way for a second half that fares slightly better than one might’ve anticipated – and yet, as is ultimately clear, it’s just not enough to compensate for what’s mostly an erratic and ineffective sci-fi picture.

** out of ****