Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) & Death Race (2008)

When I watched "Resident Evil: Extinction," I had no idea it was the third film in a series about a world overcome by zombies. I hadn't seen the first two films, nor did I know it was a video game. I'm 35, and apparently out of the loop.

The film follows Alice (Milla Jovovich of "The Fifth Element"), a genetically altered super warrior roaming the American West. Zombies are everywhere, hatched by some viral weapon developed by an evil corporation. With the first few minutes, Alice has a run-in with a redneck family of humans that are a nastier, rape-minded re-creation of the villains in "The Goonies." Alice dispatches them in minutes. Not too far way, a mad scientist (there's always one of those around, and here he's played by Iain Glen of "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider") seems hell bent on curing the zombie virus, but certainly eyeing world domination. Or obtaining free cable or some such joy.

All this plot roundup is pointless, really. Direct Russell Mulcahy and writer Paul W.S. Anderson are action directors, having made various bad films called "Solider," "Mortal Kombat," "Highlander" and "Event Horizon," among others. A good script isn't to be found among them. It's all explosions. And the action here is cool and bloody as hell. Heads go boom, brains hit the screen many times over, and the makeup crew deserves a huge vacation. There are huge gaps in logic here. One good guy bitten by a zombie takes days to turn, while another turns within hours. But one can't expect logic here. I'm not rushing to see Parts 1 and 3, and the inevitable 4. C+

Anderson also helmed the recent "Death Race" remake. It is equally silly and missing chunks of logic, but it also is huge fun. The fun is Jason Statham, who's fast becoming my favorite action film star. The guy makes Steve McQueen seem quaint and he could rip the Yippee Ki-yay Mother Funka out of Bruce Willis any day. He made "In the Name of the King" watchable on his charisma alone.

Here, he plays Jensen Ames, an ex-racer car driver sent to prison in 2012 for murdering his wife. It's a scam, of course. The warden of the prison (Joan Allen) airs a "Death Race" reality show on TV and the Internet, and makes millions of dollars off it. That's the plot: Jensen must race against other prisoners in hugely violent matches where the bloody death is certain.

The racing and stunts are fantastic. Cars crash, explode and are ripped apart. As are bodies. And it's all twisted, nasty fun of the highest order. An 18-wheeler from hell pays a prominent role and kicks up the action. This is a true guilty pleasure and I'm now wiling to see Statham in anything. Allen too is a huge delight as the meanest, coldest woman I've ever seen on screen. She must have had a blast doing the role.

The film's holes are big: The warden and her lackey are required to suddenly turn dumb for the heroes to win, and the inclusion of scantily clad woman as race car navigators (!) certainly didn't come from the portion of the writers' collective ... brains. Another nit pick: There's a good deal of homophobia in the early part of the film, and the writers don't ever correctly deal with the issue. But making complaints about this film is like whining that the French fries at McDonald's are too salty. The salt is what makes 'em yummy. Like the original, this will be a cult hit. B