AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem

First I'd like to say I saw this particular movie opening day (Dec 25th) while in Richmond, VA spending Christmas with my in-laws. Me, the hubby, and my bestest (like a sister to me) friend saw it together.

The fact that I saw this movie on Dec 25th and didn't mention it until now should be telling in and of itself.

Before I list my complaints, I will say that I'll buy the movie once it comes out on DVD. However, I will be waiting for Netflix to offer it as a used DVD so I won't have to pay that much.

Here's a short synopsis of the movie in case you haven't seen a preview (no spoilers, I promise):
The movie starts directly where the first one left off with the new alien-predator (or predator-alien) busting out of the guys chest. The ship crash lands BACK on Earth and all hell breaks loose.

So, here are my complaints:

- It was too damn dark. The movie, not the movie theater. It was hard to see anything, namely the main attraction -- the predator-alien. They finally get around to combining two of the most bad ass movie monsters ever and you can barely see the thing. I mean it. Even when the camera was focused on it, you could barely see it.

- There was only one predator. Somehow the HUGE emergency (alarms were going off and everything) of that ship crash landing back on Earth wasn't big enough to warrant more than ONE predator.

- All the predators that were on the ship at the end of the first movie suddenly disappear (except for one) at the beginning of Requiem. No explanation, they just aren't there. WTF!?

- The movie script writers assume you have read the Aliens-Predators comics and books that were spawned before the movie came out and reference crap that confuses the hell out of people who haven't (namely me, the hubby, and my friend. My brother had to explain it to me).

- Almost every single human in the whole movie was TSTL (too stupid to live). I kid you not. Even the main character (whoever the hell that was 'cause I'm still not sure), was TSTL.

- The chick from the first movie (who we all pretty much assumed was the new Ellen Ripley) is NO WHERE TO BE SEEN. And the chick they kind of sort of intro to be the badass female of this movie is a side character at best.

Best line out of the whole movie: "The government wouldn't lie to us." Everyone in the movie theater fell out laughing, especially since the lady delivering that line was dead serious when she said it.

My verdict - save your money and rent it when it comes out on DVD.

The best part of this movie experience was seeing the newHell Boy trailer. OMG! That elf-looking dude is HOT HOT HOT! I don't care if he's evil. I want him. YUM!

D. Renee Bagby<br />
Building New Realms of Passion<br />
http://dreneebagby.com

BOTTOM LINE: A superior attempt to recreate what was so good about the original "Alien" and "Predator" films, but it's so mean and nasty to the point of ruin, making the film completely distasteful and unenjoyable.

THE GOOD: One of the main problems with the first AVP film was that it didn't fit well with the the standalone 'Alien' and 'Predator' films. Many of the rules established in the respective universes of each franchise were broken when inconvenient to the plot, the characters were just crap, the sub-plot pertaining to the Predators creating ancient civilisations on Earth with pyramids etc was contrived, but worst of all, there was only one five minute sequence in the entire film that lived up to the title; a sequence which actually brought you a giddy joy when you finally saw these two titanic monsters battling it out. For this sequel, we have new directors, and they have brought with them an evident enthusiasm for the original franchises. AVPR is much closer in tone and style to the first two Alien films and the first Predator film. They've cleverly recreated environments on Earth which eerily match the jungle environment from the first Predator film and the tunnel/mechanical designs of the first two Alien films to the point where in the first half of the film you actually believe they finally got it right. The tone isn't silly like the first AVP film and the characters are dealt with just well enough for you not to laugh at them (as in AVP1). There are a lot of references to the original films as well which in the first half of the film are not misplaced. The action sequences are far more numerous than the first AVP so the film finally lives up to its title. And the film throws in a few interesting continuity plot points; the first AVP laid half the foundation for the Weyland-Utanyi Corporation and this film lays the second half of that foundation at the end. Overall, the filmmakers have worked very hard to establish a tone that represents a cross between the first two Alien films and the first Predator film, a feat the first AVP film couldn't do, and the other sequels to the respective franchises couldn't do.

THE BAD: This film is mean, and not in a good way. One of the major problems with the humans in this film is that they're civilians, and as such, it's just not nice too see good people get disposed of so violently. But it's not just that they get disposed of, it's the way it's done that's very distasteful. A kid has to endure the horror of seeing an alien embryo burst out of his father's chest before it happens to him as well. A young seven year old girl (after seeing an Alien) sees her father get ripped to shreds in front of her by the Alien after she tried to convince him there was a monster outside. Pregnant women get assaulted by the Alien Queen (who is this time half Predator and has somehow managed to avoid the egg laying entirely and just implants the embryos herself through people's mouths). We don't need to see alien babies bursting out of the stomachs of pregnant women, nor see them have those embryos implanted in them in such detail. There's even a suggestion that the Queen wants to get in to the baby nursery and implant all the babies as well. It's sick. Wasn't this Alien Vs Predator? Where did all this other rubbish come from? It's distasteful, unenjoyable, and ultimately kills the film to the point where you'll actually find that the first AVP film on the whole was more entertaining despite its many deep faults. On another note, although the continual references to the original films is welcome in the first half of the film, they continue to mount throughout and they become silly, to the point where a line quoted direct from "Aliens" at the end of the film is not only perfunctory but just plain silly and laughable. At the end of the day, it's a shame that this film is destroyed by these issues because in every other respect, the film arguably lives up to the history of both the "Alien" and "Predator" franchises.

RATING: 5.5/10

Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net