Like so many other folks my age, I was rocked by Ridley Scott's Alien. The movie scared the absolute bejeezus out of me at the theater and it was one of the earliest videos I purchased for repeated home enjoyment. It's a fantastic high concept and wonderfully realized. Then there came Aliens which is a dandy action flick, but doesn't have the emotional power of the original. The next two sequels were less impressive and more nihilistic though still entertaining on certain levels.
Along comes another movie a few years later named Predator which I've talked about here before. That was followed by Predator II and so the stage was set.
Dark Horse had licenses for both films, adapting them to comics. And then it seemed logical enough that the Predator, the ultimate hunter should seek out the Aliens, the ultimate adversary. Aliens Vs. Predator became a concept and then a series of comics. I never read a single one.
The only Predator comics I've ever read are the crossovers with Magnus Robot Fighter, the JLA, and a pretty good one with Tarzan. So my understanding of the Predator and Alien universes is limited to the movies pretty much.
Then comes AVP. Alien Versus Predator is a movie I wanted to see immediately, but at the time I was not prone to hit the theaters much. So I waited for dvd and then I waited some more. I just never seemed to get around to it. And before you knew it, time passed and a sequel was upon us. Finally I saw AVP on television and liked it pretty well. So the other day I find both flicks together for small money and I pop for them, the commentaries being a big draw. I love good commentaries.
Well AVP is a dang good movie. It keeps the atmosphere of the original Alien as well as any of the sequels ever has. As for the Predators, they come across quite nicely in this action romp. But the key to the success to this movie is the slow build up. So many of these sequels can't wait to start the slaughter and that misguided desire makes for dull movies. AVP keeps its cool a long long time before the mayhem unlocks. I like the movie a lot. The commentary was pretty strained though as Lance Henriksen's cellphone goes off during the taping and he actually has to answer it. Sheesh! I've never heard that before. Nonetheless, this is clearly a smart movie made by smart people who know the form.
But all that brings us to AVP Requiem. Now as good as AVP is, that's how bad AVPR is. This movie is truly terrible. The movie is so dark I can hardly tell what's going on much of time, not that I'm terribly moved. The characters are presented as so much fodder, with virtually no real moments of development so that we give a hoot what happens to them. The clash between the Predator and a Predator-Alien hybrid is a neat idea but doesn't much go anywhere.
This movie screams knockoff and makes me wince at what a lost opportunity it is. The commentary featuring the directors, special effects guys and brothers who clearly had more interest in blowing up heads than showing us what went on inside them, made it evident why the film bombed. Movies like this aren't about gore, movies like this are about fear. And fear requires identification and anticipation and restraint. This movie has none of it.
Alien is a great horror film. Predator is an excellent action flick. AVP does a good job of blending the genres. AVPR is a waste of time.
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