Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Extinction’

Written by Scott Edwards

There is plenty to be said about being alone. While sometimes it seems like the best way to stay out of the way of life, it can also help to drive you mad. Minimal contact with other people seems to be something that keeps many of us from making the leap to madness, but some people are able to make it without any contact at all. There may not be a correct way to live your life when it comes to talking to and being around other people, but having the choice is something that nobody would ever like to have taken away.
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Nine years after an outbreak that turned the world inside out, survivors Patrick, Jack and Lu have made a little home for themselves in Harmony. While the winter that never ends ravages on in the town, Jack and Lu have a cozy home, but never seem to have enough to eat, while Patrick goes out on daily runs and has more than enough food to sustain a bad hunting trip many times over. While the men do not talk, much less acknowledge each other, young Lu is happy to have made a friend with Patrick’s dog and makes sure to give him daily treats whenever she can. Nine years has taken its toll on the older men and while Jack seems to have his wits about him, Patrick is slowly diving into the hole of madness.

With the nights in the town being dangerous, young Lu wakes up from a nightmare and hears something lurking outside. Seeing a monster outside the window, Lu tries to hide from what she has seen, but her dad will make sure to get the story out of her one way or another. Hearing the description of the monster Lu had seen, Jack dismisses it as a nightmare as well, but little does he know that the monsters that everyone feared many years ago have evolved to the elements and continue to be on the hunt. While heading out to the local shop for supplies, Patrick gets a quick peek of a monster as well and this one is ready to attack the living man. Being able to escape the shop and make it within earshot of Harmony, he lets his neighbors know that they are not safe and to hide from the threat.

Seeing the monster attacking his neighbor, Jack is not able to pull the trigger to keep him from being bitten. Waiting for his neighbor to become infected from the bite, Jack has all the more reason to keep him further away from Lu than he previously did. But something has changed, and Patrick has not changed into a monster like everyone else did nine years ago. Patching himself up and burying his dog, he is as healthy as ever, but his mind is starting to play tricks on him. When Lu sees that her friendly dog has been killed, she tries to pay it some respect, but the monster that killed it is waiting in the darkness. Seeing that she is going to be attacked, Jack tries to keep the monster from hurting his young one and gets torn up in the process. When Patrick sees what is happening outside of his door, he shoots the monster and tends to his neighbor's wounds as best he can. With new information about the infection that killed the world and a helping hand, Patrick is ready to try and rekindle the relationship he had with Jack and get to know Lu a little bit better before all of their time runs out.

Truly more of a character piece than I would have expected, but it was pretty good, especially when dealing with the end of the world. The hatred between Jack and Patrick is a one-way street and as the years have gone by, Jack has never forgiven his former friend for letting Lu’s mother die. Patrick really wants to connect with his neighbors, and he runs a radio show at night because he is yearning for someone to talk to, he only wants contact with another human, if only for a couple minutes. Both of the men are having issues in dealing with the end of the world, while Patrick is starting to hear voices telling him to do evil things, Jack is too afraid to leave the safety of his home and see if there is anything else out there. All the while young Lu wants to see the world and learning plenty from Jack, she is ready to take the next step and be a grown up. Each character has their own demons to face and while they can go at it alone, they have a better chance of survival if they face them together. Stay Scared.

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