Alien vs. Predator

The 'Aliens versus Predator' storyline has been with us ever since the 'Predator 2' when Danny Glover huffed and puffed his way across what looked like an alien's skull in the Predator's trophy cabinet. This brief image sparked a storm among fans, whose dreams and wishes were subsequently realised by volumes of comics and graphic novels regarding the subject matter. And they were actually pretty good! Having read a fair few of them, it seemed no end to the possibilities of pitting two of the big screen's most famous monsters against each other. With so many ideas as to what could be done, how could they possibly lose?

The answer: they gave it to Paul W S Anderson. Now, Paul W S Anderson is a very competent director who can stylishly bring action scenes to life. However, his films' major flaws all are that they're 'almost great.' They're not bad. They're watchable. And that is their major crime. They leave you thinking that if you were given $60 million to make a film (in this case one starring the aliens and the Predator) then you could do better than him. And there's a reason for this - you could. And so could I.

Aliens vs Predator sports the tagline 'Whoever wins - we lose.' Isn't that the truth? The film gets its rating taken down from an 18 to a watery 12A, removing all gore and much of the suspense with it. Instead of brutal tough Predators we have a trio of young, inexperienced ones who are - quite frankly - a bit rubbish at killing aliens. Instead of the gun-totting Colonial Marines from Aliens, we have a team of bland, disposable scientists who are there simply to increase the body count. At least the aliens perform on camera, but the battles you may expect between the two races are few and far between. Also, if you saw the trailer and witnessed a million aliens tearing towards some Predators on top of an weird and wonderful pyramid, that's only a flashback. That's about the best bit of the film.

It sort of tries to tie into both the 'Aliens' and 'Predator' mythology, but fans really don't want it to. Like I say, it's not bad. I know I'm making it sound terrible, but it really isn't. It has action, special effects and, um, that's about it. It's perfect for your average sci-fi monster-munching movie. However, when you have either an Aliens film or a Predator film, people expect a little more than something that's 'just okay.'

At least it was more understandable than Prometheus I suppose.

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Alien Vs Predator can probably best be described as pure entertainment, in one of its most honest forms.

The titular contenders have never looked better, with the variety of three fully armed Predators shaking up the usual 'single hunter' formula, paired with the intense ferocity of the Xenomorphs posing as a threat not felt since 'Aliens'. The practical effects; costumes, miniatures, and set design are all really well-constructed and detailed. And the blend of occasional uses of CGI feels effectively complementary. The action and tension are decently directed. Sanaa Lathan as Alexa Woods was a strong lead, able to sell the quipy dialogue and the terror near-seemlessly. Lance Henriksen as Charles Bishop Weyland was a great casting choice, showing a concern for legacy and creating empathy from that. The rest of the cast did enough to not feel too generic, even if they were ultimately just quipy body bags. And the story, although almost bordering on blatantly campy, offers fun new lore that can best be i interpreted as good fan-fiction.

However, the Aliens and Predators, two creatures arguably most known for their abilities to remain hidden in the shadowy darkness, are very noticeably at each other's throats in very blunt manners, detracting from one of the factors that makes them very unique and at times m making them look like wrestlers in cosplay. The PG-13 rating causes a lot of cutaways and underwhelming kills, and the Unrated Cut is worse, with the addition of an almost pointless cold open, and distractingly useless stains of very obvious CGI blood.

Overall, AVP is a pretty good crossover film that, although misses the gore, manages to make up for it in great visuals and endlessly entertaining action.

AVP is one of my favourites from both the Alien and Predator franchise. It does not attain the golden standard that the first two movies in both franchises have set, but no other movie has done that. And it's now 20 years and several sequels/prequels later. I have to say AVP aged really well.

But I always liked it from the start. It's very entertaining. There's all kinds of interactions between humans, predators and aliens. There's a lot going on at once, it's not simply linear when it comes to the action scenes. The same doesn't really go for the story itself (yes the plot could be a bit thicker here or there). However, while it may not be perfect, I had absolutely no problem running along with the story. I also like the setting and how it gives off this part sci fi, part thriller, part action movie vibe.

It's still good after all this time, possibly even better when you compare it to many of the so called blockbusters that are poured out over us nowadays, a lot of which ar so lacking in quality and originality.

Maybe it's not iconic enough for the general public, like Alien and Aliens. Those were groundbreaking, I admit that. I guess I happen to be a fan of the genre and this movie fits right in.

Just watched it again yesterday - it's striking how good the action is compared to the ridiculous dialogue. I completely understand why this movie got such terrible reviews; after all, it marked the first "let's make a quick buck" entry in the two beloved Alien and Predator franchises and was done by a director who many felt didn't treat the material with the respect it deserved. When I watched it yesterday I got angry at times because some of the dialogue - well, most of it, actually - is truly awful. It's hard to take characters or a story seriously when nearly every sentence spoken resembles lines from a parody of cheap science-fiction and horror movies from the fifties and sixties. But despite all those flaws I have to admit I enjoyed the movie from start to finish - because of the amazing set- and creature-design and the more than decent action sequences and special effects. Whoever designed those really scored and seems to have a great love for the art of Giger and the previous films. So if you can get past the silly characters and you're able to ignore the more obvious shortcomings (like the idiotic decision to make the film PG-13) you're in for a fun ride. My vote: 6.5 out of 10.

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

A team assembled by a billionaire investigate a heat signal that reveals a pyramid below the surface of a whaling station in Antarctic. However, the pyramid is a hunting ground for Predators who kill Aliens as a rite of passage and the team find themselves caught in the middle of their hunt.

It shouldn't have been mixed, Paul W.S. Anderson's AVP: Alien vs. Predator was more so unjustly panned by critics and fans due to the hype and anticipation. It has the feeling of an Alien film, a great premise, good cinematography, some amazing effects and a fine score.

Paul W.S. Anderson is successful in bringing the franchises together, respecting ideas from both Alien and Predator movies. I haven't seen a bad film that he's made and I'm not sure why there is such a geek gang hatred against the mans work. The ever-improving Uwe Boll he is not! The strong leads include Sanaa Lathan as the heroine and Raoul Bova. However, unfortunately actors Carsten Norgaard as Rusten Quinn and Tommy Flanagan as Mark Verheiden disappear far too early. Overall the acting is good, Lance Henrikson shows up as the 'real' Bishop but some of the characters lack development and the editing feels choppy in places.

The Predators and Aliens look great apart from some badly executed CGI. It not Ridley Scott or John McTiernan, but Paul Anderson pulls off the almost impossible task of putting these to aliens together on screen.

If there was not an Alien or Predator film prior to this it may have been haled as a science fiction adventure classic, but alas that's not the case.