Extinction (2018): A little diamond in the rough

The critics did not enjoy this film. After finishing Extinction, I went ahead and looked it up — as I do with all films I enjoy — and discovered that the reception was decidedly not what I expected. For my part, the hour and a half spent watching Extinction was a thrill, one which reminded me of the very best of the 90s-style action sci-fi, but which managed to go farther than a lot of those classics in terms of emotional intimacy and narrative depth.

However, upon reading some of the critical responses to this film, I found myself increasingly annoyed. Mind, I’ve written some unfavorable reviews myself in the past, but something about the way critics treated this film bothered me. Was it simply their usual acerbic tone? Film critics can often be some of the most annoying people when they set their mind to it. But, no, that was not the problem.

The problem, to my mind, is that the film was actually good. At the very least, I would classify it as a genuinely enjoyable lower-budget film, one which rewards sci-fi fans with a dose of thoughtfulness in the screenplay that simply isn’t the norm in most major science fiction films these days.

As with most of my reviews, there are spoilers ahead, so I suggest watching the film for yourself before you read on.

Note that I do try to minimize the spoilers, but you’ll probably find it all much more enjoyable if you finish reading this…