77 reviews
Not Bad
I watched the episodes of Extinct available on BYU-TV on my Roku. The pilot was a bit weak, and had one moment in particular that was cringe inducing but the rest of it has been very good.
Matthew Bellows as Jax has definitely made the series better by being a believable villain.
Better than most of the garbage on the Sci-Fi network.
Matthew Bellows as Jax has definitely made the series better by being a believable villain.
Better than most of the garbage on the Sci-Fi network.
BYU TV joins the ranks of audience haters
BYUTV cancelled this excellent show on a cliff hanger, telling us that they would explain why, but didn't bother. Another shabby treatment of viewers by a network. I would expect this from SyFy, but not a tiny network like BYUTV which needs all the viewers it can get. Shame on you!
Watchable
This is a decent low budget series, it's very mediocre. Nothing stands out as very good or very bad, I've managed to finish it just fine, though I didn't enjoy the attempt of an ending cliff hanger.
The script is open to plot holes but tries to cover them pretty good. Some actors are not up to par, but the editing is what makes this low budget, and maybe the lack of background music. Scenery is scarce, same with special effects.
Might be a bit too long, because the deeper it gets inside the main plot the more boring it becomes and some things seem forced.
I say give it a try, some of you might enjoy it.
The script is open to plot holes but tries to cover them pretty good. Some actors are not up to par, but the editing is what makes this low budget, and maybe the lack of background music. Scenery is scarce, same with special effects.
Might be a bit too long, because the deeper it gets inside the main plot the more boring it becomes and some things seem forced.
I say give it a try, some of you might enjoy it.
A decent little Sci-Fi Show
Despite what some reviews are saying, this serial is not a bad one, and since there is no big hype about it, if watching it without high expectations (of gore, violence drama...you name it), one may be satisfied. I have binge-watched eight episodes, and I was.
It is one of those serials which don't want to be masterworks, but are a bit above mediocrity for their budget, consistent in their storytelling, not sloppy, not childish, not overacted, not boring, simply entertainment at a pleasant level.
Plotwise, 'Extinct' starts with stealing from 'Stargate','Falling Skies' and some 'Wayward Pines', but all with much less people around, and less production budget. Also, with much less turmoil, violence and shooting. Though adventurous, it's also somehow relaxed (at least the first 6 episodes).
The first episode seems a bit unpolished, that may be due to the production finding together, but also due to my own perception, reconciling myself to this kind of plot and environment. The premise of unknown beings, reviving humanity after her extinction done by an alien race, was not easy to swallow. And, of course, out of pure water revived humans with some spandex clothes on them, but that seems to be owed to the target audience, which is an American family.
But the show evolves, to my surprise, when the main characters are developed, when connections between them are revealed, when some of their backstories come to light, and when some questions are answered, of course leading to new questions.
Acting is solid, sometimes surprisingly good, despite you may read differently somewhere. All characters are convincing, though the actors aren't big names. But they do good work, supported by solid directing, and a subtle, mostly ambient soundtrack.
Visual effects are not so rare, of course not spectacular, but well done and believable. The flying drones do feel naturally, as if they were really there. The tad of spacecraft CGI seems OK to me. Scenery (mostly the settlement) are totally adequate.
A word about the author and the content. Orson Scott Card may be a controversial figure, because of his theories about sexual orientation, with which I deeply disagree, or because of his faith group. But it would be self-righteous to prejudice this show, because there is nothing in it that reflects the slightest indication about sexual morale or religious mission, except one short scene, where a child suggests a prayer that is then performed by his parents. I wasn't offended by that, as it was the only one related to belief, yet I felt it simply a bit out of context. There are several dialogues later, where the concept of faith in higher powered beings is questioned, faith that relies on the delivery of a service in return by that being(s).
It seems that the two remaining episodes will air together in November.
It is one of those serials which don't want to be masterworks, but are a bit above mediocrity for their budget, consistent in their storytelling, not sloppy, not childish, not overacted, not boring, simply entertainment at a pleasant level.
Plotwise, 'Extinct' starts with stealing from 'Stargate','Falling Skies' and some 'Wayward Pines', but all with much less people around, and less production budget. Also, with much less turmoil, violence and shooting. Though adventurous, it's also somehow relaxed (at least the first 6 episodes).
The first episode seems a bit unpolished, that may be due to the production finding together, but also due to my own perception, reconciling myself to this kind of plot and environment. The premise of unknown beings, reviving humanity after her extinction done by an alien race, was not easy to swallow. And, of course, out of pure water revived humans with some spandex clothes on them, but that seems to be owed to the target audience, which is an American family.
But the show evolves, to my surprise, when the main characters are developed, when connections between them are revealed, when some of their backstories come to light, and when some questions are answered, of course leading to new questions.
Acting is solid, sometimes surprisingly good, despite you may read differently somewhere. All characters are convincing, though the actors aren't big names. But they do good work, supported by solid directing, and a subtle, mostly ambient soundtrack.
Visual effects are not so rare, of course not spectacular, but well done and believable. The flying drones do feel naturally, as if they were really there. The tad of spacecraft CGI seems OK to me. Scenery (mostly the settlement) are totally adequate.
A word about the author and the content. Orson Scott Card may be a controversial figure, because of his theories about sexual orientation, with which I deeply disagree, or because of his faith group. But it would be self-righteous to prejudice this show, because there is nothing in it that reflects the slightest indication about sexual morale or religious mission, except one short scene, where a child suggests a prayer that is then performed by his parents. I wasn't offended by that, as it was the only one related to belief, yet I felt it simply a bit out of context. There are several dialogues later, where the concept of faith in higher powered beings is questioned, faith that relies on the delivery of a service in return by that being(s).
It seems that the two remaining episodes will air together in November.
Deja vu-already seen
I was 18 years old when I red the book -Riverworld from Philip José Farmer. I suggest to read this book. I expected to see "based on" but... Today is everything possible. Except to indicate the source. Maybe somebody could improve this. I don't know how. Maybe somebody could say "Sorry Jose,RIP".
Looks Promising
I have watched the first two episodes of this show and it is off to a pretty strong start. It has a great premise and solid performances by the lead actors. Being that it's a BYUtv program the production values are not the highest but that's not a problem. Big budgets can only do so much for a show and will never save a badly made one. This show is well made. I look forward to seeing how the show continues.
- RyanTheStoryteller
- Oct 4, 2017
- Permalink
Pretty Cool little guilty pleasure!
I just happen to come across this show. It's pretty cool! I like this Series very much. Good job to Everyone on this show. Keep it coming! I recommend giving this Series a shot. 2 Thumbs up! I find the acting is cool too. The special effects are awesome and I think this Series has superb potential. Again, Great job to All!! Please keep this show coming!
- uncleashtray
- Oct 10, 2017
- Permalink
A great example of how to turn a great idea into a really stupid show.
- john-25483
- Oct 28, 2017
- Permalink
It's not a high tech, but acting and story line compensate.
I like Sy-FY so much. And not all of them are on the huge budget. As some reviews said too many negative things about this show and don't mention any good ones.
Personally, I am high-quality person, and I want high-end stuff from every TV series. when I started watching Extinct after the first episode I was a little bit skeptical. But then later on as I watched some more I liked it quite a lot most of the effects look very good and are believable and it's not too much of them. The best thing for me is the story line because u never know which way it will turn that's the biggest win for these series.
Personally, I am high-quality person, and I want high-end stuff from every TV series. when I started watching Extinct after the first episode I was a little bit skeptical. But then later on as I watched some more I liked it quite a lot most of the effects look very good and are believable and it's not too much of them. The best thing for me is the story line because u never know which way it will turn that's the biggest win for these series.
Interesting and well made
This show is written by Orson Scott Card - if that puts you off because of the near-constant howling of outrage mobs - well shame on you.
It's made by Brigham Young University - The Mormons.
But don't let that distract you... as I did at first. This is a well made and interesting show. There's no religious lecturing in it... but it's quite unlike a lot of modern TV/movies. No gratuitous sex or violence... no crass woke... no LGBT inserts... but a lot of interesting SCIFI ideas.
The show really deserved a better fate. It's perfectly enjoyable.
It's made by Brigham Young University - The Mormons.
But don't let that distract you... as I did at first. This is a well made and interesting show. There's no religious lecturing in it... but it's quite unlike a lot of modern TV/movies. No gratuitous sex or violence... no crass woke... no LGBT inserts... but a lot of interesting SCIFI ideas.
The show really deserved a better fate. It's perfectly enjoyable.
- oscosc-78586
- Oct 2, 2021
- Permalink
Bad acting !
Very bad acting, boring, cliché story. Watched two episodes, that was more than enough. Low budget productions. Special effects poorly made. This could be a show from the eighties, and not one of the good ones... The idea of the show is interesting, bur poorly executed.Three people brought back to life after the human race was erased 400 hundred years ago. Their reaction ? Nothing special, they are like : Oops we are alive again, everyone is dead, lets get something to eat...
Enjoyable series
- donschmiddy-78-50040
- Oct 3, 2017
- Permalink
Disappointing, barely watchable
Another series that is mostly talking heads and does not go anywhere. The theme was somewhat different, which seemed refreshing. But it never developed and becomes boring watching similar scenes over and over again.
I tried to binge watch to get through the 8 episodes, but did not succeed, other than falling asleep. So it took a while to see all 8 episodes and then only realized that this sci-fi story is barely watchable. I came out of it with nothing good to remember.
Update: After 10 episodes seen it remains disappointing. Oh well, I'll probably not watch season 2 if that ever comes around!
I tried to binge watch to get through the 8 episodes, but did not succeed, other than falling asleep. So it took a while to see all 8 episodes and then only realized that this sci-fi story is barely watchable. I came out of it with nothing good to remember.
Update: After 10 episodes seen it remains disappointing. Oh well, I'll probably not watch season 2 if that ever comes around!
- pietclausen
- Oct 28, 2017
- Permalink
Marginally Better than watching with the TV turned off. But only marginally.
I begin by noting that I have been a fan of the writing of Orson Scott Card for more than thirty years. His mind is wonderfully creative; his stories complex and thoughtful; and he writes with a deep dedication to a moral code and a spiritual concern. (Yes, and I know all about his loudly-stated position on homosexuality.) I waited thirty years for an attempt to bring Ender's Game to the screen, and if it was a disappointment--and it was--it had more to do with the fact that the studio could not make available the three films and assemblage of seven-year-old actors that the novel needed to transfer honestly to the screen. But if Ender's Game was disappointing, Extinct is a failure almost too difficult to comprehend. I would never have believed that anything Orson Scott Card had been involved in could be capable of such clunky, dare-I-say inept dialogue. I don't know if it's the actors or the director or perhaps an unimaginable intermingling of the two forces, but there is more wooden, stolid presentation on the screen than in a convention of tree stumps trying to do stand up. And Card is not only listed as co-creator but as one of three Executive Producers. I am sure there is plot somewhere in all this because Card could not NOT write plot, but plot isn't enough. There isn't a character that appears on screen who is vaguely interesting or in any way believable. I think we must conclude that this whole project was an act of sectarian loyalty for Card who made this film for BYUTV - Brigham Young University Television. The best that could be said here is the series (in truth, I could only get through the first one and half episodes before giving up) looks like a sincere Final Class Project in a sophomore TV production class.
- gary-426-161272
- Oct 2, 2017
- Permalink
Ponderous! Painful!
Unique
Really good!
I'm on episode 3 and I'm already hooked. It's really, really fascinating! Does it have the highest production quality EVER? No. But that doesn't matter when the subject and story are both really intriguing. Not only does it pose some interesting science fiction ideas, it also symbolically expresses eternal truths about our own existence here on Earth. This is Orson Scott Card at his finest!
Bit of a weak start but good premise for a story!
It's refreshing to see a SciFi story that includes God and science and Aliens! It's a bit of a weak start but that's probably to pull in mainstream viewers as well as hard core SciFi fans.Being a hard core SciFi fan I see good promise for this story.It keeps with in the same rating as the Trek stories though so as good Family fun. Good romp in the Hay!
Worst
A really bad show, the idea is not bad maybe whit better direction, the bad are the unrealistic dialogues and bad interpretations .... very bad direction I suppose no one reacts so silly to such circumstances, it seems more like a elementary school play than a Si-Fi show. all aspects are bad but the worst thing from my point of view is the unbelievable of the reactions, the acting or direction are terrible
- george_cuarenton
- Oct 19, 2017
- Permalink
Good job BYUTV and OSC
Almost all the actors are young. I suppose this is an attempt to draw younger audience to BYUTV. However, most of them do a pretty good job. A couple are a little stiff. Overall, what it lacks in production value it makes up for in clever storytelling. Great job of incorporating principles such as force, free will, and liberty and that freedom is worth fighting for! I can't wait for season two!
6 seems to be pretty fair.
I love the ideas and the premise behind this story. As some have mentioned, it has a bit of Falling Skies, Wayward Pines, Stargate, and even a bit of The Walking Dead. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the latter's acting abilities. In fact, most of the actors - except for the British girl who plays Feena - seem to be fourth-rate ''plastic'' actors that never actually took acting lessons. The worst offender being Silus, who has no credibility whatsoever. To make matters worse, the dialogue seems to be written for uneducated kids, except that there are no children around - or rarely.
I gave this a 6 because through it all, I felt there there was a genuine effort to make something honest. The pacing was good, the action was not overhyped, and there was no blatant use of foul language in order to make it ''seem'' cool.
- atmobilemail
- Feb 26, 2018
- Permalink
Typical Angry Male Jock and Stupid Emotional Female - Really Juvenile
Its like the writer took a typical testosterone driven 90s sci-fi sexist, stupid show and made it worse. Surely we are past the overly angry stupid male lead accompanied by a ridiculously attractive dumb blond bimbo stereotype. Its just so childish and an insult to your intelligence. The basic plot line is really good and could have been made into a great series but the characters portrayed are just so dumb that if they were really the final hope for humanity we deserve to die out and save the universe the embarrassment. I don't know what it is with low budget US Sci-fi but this seems to be a typical example of the disappointing trend to totally dumb down the dialogue so its more a story aimed at 5 to 12 year olds but with adult themes. Oh well, we can all live in hope of something better because it couldn't get much worse.
- rodw-77-924268
- Nov 1, 2017
- Permalink
Not perfect, but still excellent as a family focused Sci-Fi
When I saw the ads for this, I was thinking... oh this is going to be dumb. Luckily for me they proved me wrong, I am hooked on this show and can't stop watching. Now listen, I am not a die hard sci-fi fan nor do I know every sci-fi show's story plot. Why you might say? I love sci-fi! It is great, but a lot of the shows have not been very family friendly because they had more swearing than I was comfortable with and were far too violent or gory. This show is the perfect fit for me and my family. It is entertaining, has a good hook and is fun to watch for the whole family. The production is not perfect, but I still love it because the story is so engaging and I am not distracted by swearing, gore or horrific scenes. I can understand why some people don't like it because other sci-fi shows may have done some of the same things, but for someone like me who does't get to watch all those shows I really enjoy this one :) Two thumbs way up from me!!! I have watched 5 episodes so far and have to restrain myself from watching more.
- elizabethwray
- Oct 5, 2017
- Permalink
Not good, not bad, just fine
Bad things first.
Acting is not great and it makes the show hard the watch sometimes. Couple of times I felt like pushing the show down the stairs and yelling "You want me to cut to 3 weeks earlier, when you were alive?" over its dead body like a certain well known cartoon character did. I wish they find a better way to tell the story other than the cut back scenes. Some of faith, love and relationship stuff felt like kinda forced sometimes. But to be fair some other sci-fi shows similar to this also did that so we cannot really say they uniquely terrible at this. Maybe they might have a church relationship and an agenda based on it like some others claim here but I cannot really tell. To me it wasn't so different from other shows. (they all do it)
Now, the good things.
Unlike many other shows on air, science was quite accurate on many occasions and that was a surprise for me. It incorporated well into story and they also didn't make science a miracle solution to everything in the show. Yes science is awesome and can do a lot of stuff, but still cannot tell you everything whenever you need it. In other sci-fi they use it whenever they need a miracle solution. Usage of improbable science to make the plot go is a cheap trick in my opinion. Science is trial and error, not magic. Other than that story is also good. It has some clichés which you can easily find in any alien invasion story but they are not too disturbing.
So in conclusion It is OK to watch if you are a bored sci-fi fan.
Acting is not great and it makes the show hard the watch sometimes. Couple of times I felt like pushing the show down the stairs and yelling "You want me to cut to 3 weeks earlier, when you were alive?" over its dead body like a certain well known cartoon character did. I wish they find a better way to tell the story other than the cut back scenes. Some of faith, love and relationship stuff felt like kinda forced sometimes. But to be fair some other sci-fi shows similar to this also did that so we cannot really say they uniquely terrible at this. Maybe they might have a church relationship and an agenda based on it like some others claim here but I cannot really tell. To me it wasn't so different from other shows. (they all do it)
Now, the good things.
Unlike many other shows on air, science was quite accurate on many occasions and that was a surprise for me. It incorporated well into story and they also didn't make science a miracle solution to everything in the show. Yes science is awesome and can do a lot of stuff, but still cannot tell you everything whenever you need it. In other sci-fi they use it whenever they need a miracle solution. Usage of improbable science to make the plot go is a cheap trick in my opinion. Science is trial and error, not magic. Other than that story is also good. It has some clichés which you can easily find in any alien invasion story but they are not too disturbing.
So in conclusion It is OK to watch if you are a bored sci-fi fan.
- phoenix-caner
- Nov 26, 2017
- Permalink
Totally borrowed sci-fi-light material
- connorundrumme
- Oct 5, 2017
- Permalink