June 14, 2025

🎬 Extinction (2015) – Review
⭐ Starring Matthew Fox, Jeffrey Donovan, Clara Lago
🎬 Directed by Miguel Ángel Vivas
💬 When the world ended, the monsters were just the beginning.

Review:
Extinction (2015) is a slow-burning, atmospheric survival thriller that trades loud zombie clichés for something more haunting: isolation, regret, and the terrifying weight of memory. Set in the snow-covered ruins of a post-apocalyptic America, the film follows two estranged men and a young girl as they try to survive—not only from mutated infected creatures but from the ghosts of their own past.

Matthew Fox delivers a standout performance as Patrick, a hardened lone wolf with sharp instincts and a buried emotional core. Opposite him is Jeffrey Donovan as Jack, a father desperately trying to shield his daughter Lu (Clara Lago) from the horrors of the outside world—and from the trauma he helped cause. The tension between Patrick and Jack simmers throughout the film, building toward an inevitable reckoning.

The infected creatures, while used sparingly, are frightening and primal—more monstrous than human, yet intelligent enough to hunt in packs. But what sets Extinction apart isn’t the monsters—it’s the mood. The snowy, frozen landscapes are both beautiful and claustrophobic, a reflection of the characters’ internal isolation. The silence becomes as dangerous as the sound of approaching footsteps.

Director Miguel Ángel Vivas paces the story with restraint, focusing more on emotional survival than jump scares. And it pays off. There are moments of genuine heartbreak—particularly when Patrick and Jack are forced to face the tragedy that split them years ago.

The film’s tagline, “Some things should stay buried,” proves prophetic. Because in this world, the real extinction isn’t of mankind—it’s of forgiveness.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.2/5)
Bleak, gripping, and surprisingly tender—Extinction is a post-apocalyptic tale with heart, where the scariest things aren’t the monsters outside, but the demons within.