AVP - Alien Vs. Predator (Widescreen Edition)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Colin Salmon, Ewen Bremner, Lance Henriksen, Raoul Bova, Sanaa LathanBrand: LATHAN,SANAA
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Italian (Original Language); English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-01-25
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of AVP - Alien Vs. Predator (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: A Decent Addition to Both the Alien and Predator Franchises
Summary: 5 Stars
There are some movies these days that just don't stand a chance when people notice something or someone about them that they don't like. Given today's angst-filled audience's hypercritical viewpoints on EVERYTHING, there are shows that could literally shine as works of Hollywood art, yet will probably be villified into obscurity. AVP (Aliens versus Predator) may just be one such movie.
STORY-5 Stars
For any of you who are reading this review and haven't yet seen AVP, I give you fair warning that the next few paragraphs give away several spoilers and might hamper your enjoyment, so you might consider skipping over it to the next section.
The year is 2004. Low Earth Orbit. There's an object nearby, silhouetted in sunlight and coming closer. Memories of another story come floating to the fore. That shape... so familiar... is it... a queen? It passes under your field of view and you discover that, no, it's actually a satellite and the logo on the side identifies it as belonging to the Weyland corporation. Floating high above the Antarctic, it notices something and decides to relay that information to the satellite tracking station. The attendants check the data and find a heat bloom approximately 2000 feet underneath the ice. Nothing at all should be there. Curious...
Over the course of the next few days, a team is assembled from all over the world, including a guide, a drilling team, security and archeologists, to begin an expedition, led by CEO Weyland himself (played by Lance Henriksen), whose company is a pioneer in the field of robotics, to discover what exactly this potential prize is. The only thing known about it is that it's a pyramid of gigantic size and the markings on it suggest it may have been constructed by the world's first civilized culture. The job is rushed, against the advice of the guide, on the assumption that other companies are on their way as well, in an effort to be the first to stake a claim.
When they get there, they discover a path already made to the site that wasn't there the day before, set at a perfect 30 degree angle. No one on the team understands how this can be, because there is no technology found on Earth that could possibly have dug to such a depth in that short a time. The mystery deepens.
On site, they enter the pyramid and discover a sacrificial chamber, which heightens the brooding sense of uneasiness among the crew. Something dark happened here in the past. Further in, they uncover a sarcophagus bearing a lock based on the Long Count, the ancient Aztec calendar. Inside, there are three objects that nobody can identify. They look completely out of place, in that they appear much more advanced technologically than the surrounding architecture indicates they should be. Removal of these objects initiates a periodic shifting of the pyramid's interior, cutting off the team members from each other, turning the search into a hunt for a way out to safety. In addition, the team finds that they are now being hunted by two other species of creatures, neither of which are from this world. And both of them are definitely hostile.
Over the course of the movie, it's discovered that the first species of extra-terrestrial, colloquially known as Predators, found Earth many thousands of years ago and taught humanity the rudiments of civilization. In return, they demanded subjects to submit themselves to become hosts for the second species of creature. These creatures were used as quarry for a hunt, which purpose was to usher in the Predator adolescents to adulthood; a rite of passage in order to be accepted as full members of their specific clan. This pyramid was their ritual training ground, used for just that purpose. In the event that the Aliens got out of control (a likely scenario given their instinctive aggressiveness; indeed sometimes it was hard to tell who was hunting who), the entire site was obliterated.
The Aliens end up getting out of control.
The guide (the last surviving human) ends up teaming up with the last surviving Predator and narrowly escape the destruction of the site just ahead of the blast wave. Once outside, the human is marked with the symbol of the Predator's clan, thereby being accepted into it, and they cooperate to bring down the Queen Alien. During the battle, the Predator is killed. His corpse is brought onboard his clan's ship for his return to the homeworld and the human ends up going her own way, now ready for whatever the future will bring.
The last scene aboard the Predator's starship is that of the dead adolescent, lying on a slab next to a porthole looking out over the Earth.
He's at peace...
...and then his chest suddenly ruptures outward, exposing the head of a newborn Alien. Segway into 'AVP: Requiem'.
End of Spoiler
This movie and its sequel came about because of a short scene in Predator 2, where Danny Glover's character, Los Angeles police detective Lt. Hardiman, entered a hidden Predator clan ship in search of a member of the clan which had butchered his entire squad. On one wall, there hung several skulls; trophies of kills that clan had made. One of the skulls was that of a warrior Alien.
I remember all of the hushed whispering that erupted when that scene showed in the theater and myself thinking "Oh yeah!". Soon after, Dark Horse Comics starting running a series involving confrontations between the Predators and Aliens set in the future, when humanity had branched out to the local stars. I knew then that something was going to come of that and wasn't at all surprised when AVP trailers started broadcasting during prime time tv.
And yes, when I saw this movie in theaters, I enjoyed it immensely. Now that the extended cut has come out on DVD, I enjoy it even more.
This movie got a bad rap because 1.)Paul Anderson directed it and 2.) there weren't a lot of big-name actors starring in it.
I remind everyone that none of either the Alien or Predator movies starred first-tier actors when they originally aired (except for the very first Predator, and that one was touted as being a 'Schwarzenegger movie' typical of the style of 1980s shoot 'em up action films), yet all of those actors did first-rate jobs with the tasks they were given. 'Alien' was Ridley Scott's second directorial effort and 'Aliens' was also Jim Cameron's second time as a first-unit director. 'Alien 3' was David Fincher's first feature film after a bout of directing music videos. The purpose for this was so that viewers would focus on the stories rather than who was in it. They succeeded. Despite the various negative reviews, each of the movies (depending on which one it was) has collected a cult following that's stood the test of time for the past thirty years. This movie and its sequel allow both franchises to survive on their own, without having the fame factor of either Sigourney Weaver or Arnold Schwarzenegger propping them up, because the story behind each is bigger than either of the characters those two actors portray.
VISUALS-5 Stars
There may be some scenes in this movie that seem somewhat cliched, but these scenes are in there to remind folks exactly which background universe the story takes place in. AVP also took the characters in the show and made them more than just faceless, nameless victims of the slaughter and I applaud the director for doing so. Some people also decry the use of CGI in today's movies. I hate to say it (well... no, not really), but CGI is here to stay. Might as well get used to it. I personally have no problems with it. I remember the old way they used to do special effects, and the photorealistic CGI visuals look a LOT more natural in the scene. The ones in this movie look awesome. Ian Whyte, the actor portaying the main Predator, has gotten the movements of the creature down exactly. I watch this and it reminds me of Kevin Peter Hall's movements in the original 1987 show starring Arnold.
SOUND-5 Stars
Sound in movies these days has only gotten better with digital clarity and the score and ambient effects in this show fit both franchises to the letter.
SPECIAL FEATURES-5 Stars
This DVD includes both the theatrical version and the unrated extended cut on disc 1. The special features included on disc 2 are pretty meaty and detail the production of this movie from start to finish. It also shows the comic series AVP is based on from Dark Horse, the 'Monsters in Miniature by Todd McFarlane' featurette and the AVP HBO special.
OVERALL-5 Stars
Despite what many might say, I feel that this IS a worthy addition to both the Alien and the Predator backdrops. It shows us that we may not actually be alone in this universe and what we come across out there might not be that friendly. Prepare yourselves for what you may find.
Two Thumbs Up.
Summary of AVP - Alien Vs. Predator (Widescreen Edition)
"It may be our planet, but it?s their war!" The deadliest creatures from the scariest sci-fi movies ever made face off for the first time on film. The incredible adventure begins when the discovery of an ancient pyramid buried in Antarctica sends a team of scientists and adventurers to the frozen continent. There, they make an even more terrifying discovery: two alien races engaged in the ultimate battle. Whoever wins...we lose.In delivering PG-13-rated excitement, Alien vs. Predator is an acceptably average science-fiction action thriller with some noteworthy highlights, even if it squanders its opportunity to intelligently combine two popular and R-rated franchises. Rabid fans can justifiably ask "Is that all there is?" after a decade of development hell and eager anticipation, but we're compensated by reasonably logical connections to the Alien legacy and the still-kicking Predator franchise (which hinted at AVP rivalry at the end of Predator 2); some cleverly claustrophobic sets, tense atmosphere and impressive digital effects; and a climactic AVP smackdown that's not half bad. This disposable junk should've been better, but nobody who's seen Mortal Kombat or Resident Evil should be surprised by writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson's lack of imagination. As a brisk, 90-minute exercise in generic thrills, however, Anderson's work is occasionally impressive... right up to his shameless opening for yet another sequel. --Jeff Shannon
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