Alien vs. Predator Review by Cameron McCasland

Alien Vs. Predator
a Review by Cameron McCasland

Whoever wins...we lose. They nailed that one. I am defiantly lost on how
this movie ever saw the light of day. I went in not expecting much out of
Paul W.S. Anderson&Mac226;s toned down PG-13 version of these two franchises. I
consider the original Alien one of the scariest of the modern day monster
movies. James Cameron also proved that doing a good sequel is possible,
though the past two installments left something to be desired. The Predator
series are a wonderful set of movies on their own merits, though not exactly
scary films. The one thing those films had from the start was the hard R
rating. I am not a believer that the higher the rating the better the
movie, but It seemed AVP was prepared for an R and someone decided the
teenage pocketbook was more important than the telling of one of Hollywood's
most anticipated match-ups.

The premise of the film start off well. Billionaire Charles Bishop Wayland
(Lance Henriksen) sets off to research a hidden temple in Antarctica. He
buys the best team he can find to lead him on his research/adventure. Alexa
Woods (Sanna Lathan) seems to be the movies answer to Ellen
Ripley...Sigourney Weaver she is not. When the team arrives at the temple
through a abandoned mining town, they awaken the Alien Queen who begins
laying her eggs. Little do they know the Predator&Mac226;s have also arrived.

This is where the movie should have turned into an all out turf war between
two of the most enduring creatures of the last twenty years. Instead this
is where the movie starts to fall apart. The humans are in the way, and are
being killed off. They split into small groups and are picked off little by
little. We then begin to see the cliche AVP battles. We see through the
Predators eyes, we get a profile of both characters face to face with the
acid pouring from the mouth of the Alien. Wash, rinse, repeat. The same
thing again and again. No major battles ensue, just short bouts that leave
you wanting a more gruesome end for either monster.

This film is more a Predator film than Alien. It lacks the comedy of the
originals, and the H.R. Giger inspired sets of the previous four films lose
the luster in the temple halls. The Predator seems more compassionate than
ever before. When Alexa Woods meets the Predator it seems to cutesy. I
can't imagine it being any cuter if they re-created the bicycle scene from
Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, with raindrops keep falling on my head
playing in the background.

At 100 minutes the film feels cut to shreds. I am not sure that any
additional footage could save this movie, but I wish they would have made it
readily available on the DVD.

This film had been in the works for almost ten years when it finally hit
screens. Paul W.S. Anderson failed to capture the feel of the classic Alien
films. He instead has strung action sequences together and added a human
element to give some sort of dialogue. The acting is lackluster, to say the
least. The only good thing about the movie is what we already knew when it
began, Aliens and Predator look scary. The movie however, is not.

Fox presents AVP in its Original Aspect Ratio of 2.35:1 anamorphic
widescreen. It also boast both a Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS soundtracks.
The only additional footage incorporated into the film is a two minute
alternate opening sequence. Two commentaries are contained. One by
director Paul W.S. Anderson and cast members Lance Henriksen, and Sanna
Lathan. It plays to fanboys, and pats on the back...it should have just
been a hour forty minute apology. The second is worth a listen with
creature F/X artist Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff. Visual F/X supervisor Tom
Bruno joins the team to discuss the only part of the movie that is worth a
look. The three deleted scenes are just extensions and you can tell that
Fox is holding out for a Special Edition at a later date. A twenty three
minute making of documentary, and DVD-ROM features round out the extras.

I don't want to say stay away from this movie at all cost. If you are a
fan of either franchise it is worthwhile of a viewing. At the same time,
don't expect to be impressed. The surprise at the end could make for the
best..or the worst sequel ever made. This film should be viewed as a stand
alone, as not to taint the originals. The horror appeal is gone, and with
this DVD, "No one will hear you scream."