AVP: Alien vs. Predator

BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Two legendary alien species bring their lethal rivalry to earth in a spectacular battle destined to be the ultimate confrontation. In the early 21st century, the discovery of an ancient pyramid buried beneath the ice of Antarctica draws a team of scientists and adventurers to the site. But unknown to the explorers is the presence of Alien eggs ready to hatch, deep within the pyramid. Back on the surface, Predators arrive to perform a coming-of-age ritual. With time running out, the humans find themselves trapped in a battle-to-the-death between two alien races bred to kill.

FILM REVIEW: The bringing together of two of Hollywood’s most iconic franchises is a monumental task that had to be done just right in order to do justice to both franchises. “Alien Vs. Predator” shows glimpses of greatness, images of amazing potential and nods toward the original films that could have made this film as great as the original films from both franchises. Sadly, the overall generic execution, lack of characterisation, and genuine lack of atmosphere makes this film an unfortunate footnote in both franchises that may do some damage to the reputation of both the Alien and Predator franchise. Director Paul Anderson seems to have a love for the original films, but does not have the directorial nuances required to make his film as great as those by Ridley Scott, James Cameron and John McTiernan (but then, they’re better directors!). With the exception of an incredibly entertaining five minute sequence in the middle of the film where an alien and predator have a massive brawl, “Aliens Vs. Predator” is two-dimensional, dull and rather tepid that contains none of the ingredients that made the original Alien and Predator films the classics they were.
The film starts out by introducing the human characters of the story. Led by Lance Henriksen, the only cast member with a connection to either franchise, playing rich entrepeneur Mr Weyland, discovers a pyramid in the Antarctic through his vast array of satellites. He assembles a crack team of professionals to go in to the site and discover the mysteries surrounding the pyramid. The weaknesses in the film become apparent almost immediately through these characters thanks to their bland and two-dimensional nature. Sigourney Weaver’s “Ellen Ripley” was a strong, three-dimensional character. Arnold Schwarzenneger’s tough army-man “Dutch” carried a lot of charisma and sheer fire power that made him easy and fun to watch. In this film, our lead character is an expert climber played by Sanaa Lathan who is totally forgettable and who does not even come close to following in the footsteps of her illustrious predecessors. In fact, she does not even seem to believe what she is seeing half the time, having a somewhat blank expression on her face even when stared down by an alien or predator. This characterisation problem is inherent in the entire cast of unknowns who are likewise not worth remembering, even during the watching of the film.
When the Aliens and Predators finally do show up, there is a little more excitement, particularly when they battle it out between each other. There is one scene in the middle of the film which starts with the Alien and Predator facing each other off in an iconic moment that is literally worth the price of admission alone. This is followed by a thundering brawl between the two iconic aliens that is highly entertaining if only from a novelty perspective. Outside of this scene, all of the remaining scenes have been executed with no suspense, scares, atmosphere or thrills, leaving a film devoid of no terrifying scenes, even when the human characters become alien fodder or predator kills. Much of this has to be laid at the feet of director Anderson who just does not have the ability to create the sense of subtle building atmosphere that Ridley Scott, James Cameron and John McTiernan were able to conjure so spectacularly in their respective films.
The inclusion of alien theories pertaining to pyramid construction and ancient civilisations is an unnecessary distraction in this film, particularly as it postulates that Predators created human civilisation to worship them and offer sacrifices to their hunts. Although this sub-plot leads to one of the film’s most impressive CGI sequences where millions of aliens are seen running up the steps of the pyramid to kill the predators, it is ultimately clumsy in its execution and complicating the story unnecessarily.
“Aliens Vs. Predator” is a massively missed opportunity to bring two icons of science fiction together on the canvas of film. The film has none of the great attributes of its predecessors in the Alien and Predator franchises and as such is a major disappointment for fans of either of these sci-fi titans.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The video transfer of this film is by and large flawless, with the exception of some of the darker sequences where there is noticeable film grain. The audio transfer is very impressive, making full use of the surrounds and at times pounding through the system with incredible intensity, particularly in the sequences where the aliens and predators fight each other. Overall, a great transfer.

EXTRAS REVIEW: The film may have been mediocre but the extras package complementing the film is quite first rate and very extensive. The first disc contains two audio commentaries. The first commentary is from director Paul Anderson and stars Lance Henriksen and Sanaa Lathan which is quite fun to listen to as their enthusiasm for the film is very obvious, as is Anderson’s very scene specific commentary. The second commentary is from the visual and practical effects team which is somewhat drier and more dull but nonetheless informative. The first disc also contains what proports to be an extended edition of the film but the only difference between this version and the theatrical version is the addition of a prologue sequence at the beginning of the film which does not really add much to the story. The second disc has around three hours of high quality behind the scenes documentaries and featurettes which cover just about everything you could imagine about the film, including the film’s origins in the comic book world and the difficulties of bringing the Alien and Predator franchises together. This DVD has a great extras package overall which ironically serves as better entertainment than the film itself.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it.

FILM RATING: 5/10 -- EXTRAS RATING: 8/10 -- OVERALL DVD RATING: 6/10 

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