Harry Situation Reviews: Alien vs Predator

Last weekend, I gave you are review featuring a crossover of beloved characters. And in this review, I’m continuing that trend by reviewing a crossover of two beloved monster aliens... that were featured in a movie most folks found mediocre. At least it’s considerably better than Batman v Superman.

Continuing on with my Predator Movie Countdown Reviews, I feel it is time to finally talk about the AVP films, as I promised last year during my Alien Movie Countdown Reviews.

Alien vs Predator (or AVP) is the science fiction horror crossover movie fans having been wanting to see for a while. Released back in 2004, the story takes place in Antarctica where people have discovered an ancient pyramid hidden underneath the icy surfaces. Upon exploring the unknown pyramid they come across the two iconic monsters: the Alien (Xenomorph) and the Predator, and the human survivors find themselves caught in the crossfire of these two deadly, intergalactic species. Can they escape alive?

I remember seeing this film as a kid all the way back in 2004, and I remember enjoying it for the most part. Alien and Predator were on the big screen together. It was the best crossover idea since Freddy vs Jason. And since then, I’ve been a fan of the AVP franchise. I read some comics and I played a couple of the games. Now that I’m older and have started viewing movies more critically, I find that the movie is okay for the most part.

I’m gonna talk about one huge negative first, then go back to talking about the other positives and negatives. Both Alien and Predator come from hard R-rated franchises, yet for some unexplained reason, this movie is rated PG-13. Why? That takes most of the kills out of the movie. I shouldn’t be too surprised since this film was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, the guy who turned Mortal Kombat into a PG-13 movie. Luckily, there’s an unrated version on DVD that has more blood and gore, and serves as a much better improvement than the theatrical cut.

Also, one of the most laughable reasons why AVP is PG-13 is because it contains slime. Oh no! Not slime! But in all seriousness, slime? Really, MPAA?

Another issue I had was that the film was set in 2004. You might not think that is a big deal, but it made more sense when the franchise was set in the future. You know, some time after the events of Aliens (while wiping Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection out of existence). I want to see an AVP film where the Aliens and the Predators combat the Colonial Marines. That’s what we all want. It’s been a big staple for the AVP series since the 1990s. Not to mention, there’s a huge hole in the timeline. The first Alien film took place in the year 2122, and they’ve stated that they’ve never encountered the xenomorphs in Aliens. But later, I found that the AVP films take place in their own universe, so they’re not canon to either the Alien or Predator series, which only creates more problems and timeline holes.

Now jumping to the positives, I will say that seeing the Alien and the Predator onscreen, fighting it out, was a treat. It will take some time to get there, but once it happens, it looks cool. While there are moments of that irritating shaky-cam action, but seeing all the practical effects done for both alien species, and how they were utilized fairly well in the fights was a treat. And some of the CGI used also looked good, and it was only used when the scene requires it.

I also liked that they cast Lance Henriksen in this movie as Charles Bishop Weyland, founder and CEO of Weyland Industries. Basically, he serves as the precursor to the android Bishop, and his company will give rise to Weyland-Yutani, the bad guy company of both series. I also found it interesting that his character was killed off by the main Predator character named Scar. This makes Lance Henriksen the second actor to have been attacked by the Alien, the Predator, and the Terminator in three seperate franchises, other than Bill Paxton. The rest of the cast is fine. I just didn’t really care about their characters enough to hope that they live in the end.

Yet the praise this film does deserve is that it’s got a good setting. The setting is Antarctica, which creates that sense of isolation in the film. These people are alone with these intergalactic monsters, and help is nowhere to be found. Also, I like the idea of a pyramid that was built by the Predators being hidden underneath the ice. And the look of its interior is really amazing. It adds to the sense of claustrophobia that the first Alien film had. Nice touches like those are greatly appreciated.

The concept is good too. I really like this idea. It is later revealed that these Predators are actually young adults undergoing a manhood ritual, and the pyramid was built to test their skills as well as house the xenomorphs they are hunting. It is established throughout the AVP franchise that the Predators consider the xenomorphs as the ultimate and most dangerous prey. It wasn’t a coincidence that the human characters found the pyramid. They’re being used as cattle for slaughter, or in this case hosts for the Aliens. What a great idea for a film. And, it also builds more lore on the Predator culture with their relation with the Aliens.

However, there is one other negative I need to address. When the fight between the Alien and the Predator does happen, it looks cool, but for the most part it’s okay. I mean if you’re someone who is on the outside of both these series, you’re going to find the film to be a little underwhelming. And rewatching this, that was kind of the feeling I got.

Don’t get me wrong, I do like this movie. I rewatch it now and then just for fun because I like seeing both the Alien and Predator clash. But all in all, it’s just a decent film. It’s not going to be something as groundbreaking as The Avengers. If you’re looking for a weekend movie, this film is for you. Yet I recommend that you check out the unrated cut because that’s a much better version of the film than the theatrical one.

Positives:

-Alien & Predator together and fighting

-Setting & atmosphere

-Good special effects

-Concept

-Unrated cut

Negatives:

-PG-13 rating

-Slow first half/pacing

-Can be underwhelming

Final Grade: C+

So there’s my review of Alien vs Predator. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts? Which species would you root for? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose!

Also tune in next time as I cover its sequel. Oh boy... that one is gonna be a treat.

Best Quote:

Adele: “What did you say this room was called?”

Thomas: “Sacrificial chamber.”

#harrysituationreviews #countdownreviews #alien #predator #crossover #film #opinion #horror #scifi