Let's begin by making sure everybody knows who's who, mmmmkay?
The principle species represented in this movie are... (I used the best images I could find-- most movie screenshots were too grainy, so I made do with what I could find)
-->Predators-- interplanetary big-game hunters on safari. Click link for picture
(http://www.starbase8.de/Horror/MM/Box/detail_alienpredator_predator.jpg)
-->Aliens, which are more or less a really bad dream about teeth, mucus and, strangely enough, extremely nimble little octopus-like face-hugger critters. Click link for picture
(http://assall.de/movie-prop/alien_add/images/alien_minature_modell_alien3.jpg)
And of course…
-->Humanity-- the embodiment of universal intelligence, cunning and cultural sophistication. Click link for picture
(http://www.albertandgage.com/images/HeeHawCast.JPG )
As I was sitting in the theatre, sipping on my soda, I heard a young lady (approx 20 yrs. old) behind me turn to her boyfriend (?) and ask "So, what is this movie supposed to be about, anyhow?"
I nearly crapped myself. So, too, did her boyfriend, who asked her if she'd ever seen any of the Alien or Predator movies. "No..." she replied. "They looked pretty boring, so I never bothered. Are they good?" The guy was cool about it. He told her that, if it wasn’t for the fact that he knows they couldn’t get their money back, they’d leave at that very moment and go rent some movies so she’ll know what the hell she’s about to see. I could only laugh as the movie started and he told her to just be quiet and pay very, very close attention to the movie.
So—that being said, let me tell `ya about Alien Vs. Predator.
It was pretty much what I’d hoped and expected it to be, only a lot more so. This movie is very damned good! Not only does it have the feel of an ALIEN and PREDATOR movie, but it also contains subtle touches of Jurassic Park, Batman and Raiders Of The Lost Ark, to name only a few. This movie really has not gotten the attention it deserves due largely in part to the amount of pre-release hype it received. I think that the reviewers who print things like “The title says it all” are a bunch of punks who probably didn’t even bother to go see it, or are just too lazy to write a review, figuring that people are going to go see it anyhow.
The best parts of AVP: Let’s begin with the special effects.
The “pyramid” in which the players are “trapped” should get a nomination for best supporting actor. It is very cool and actually does more than just provide a neat-o location. It actually… does things. It’s like a great big puzzle maze that will really challenge whomever (or whatever) is inside.
The Predators themselves get a lot more action time on-screen than before, and that is a major plus as far as I’m concerned. They are presented as being cunning, sophisticated creatures with a definite agenda and a clearly defined strategy instead of some random, wandering alien thrill-killer. They are also nicely tied to the Aliens through plot development, giving this movie more than just the old “Hey, what if…” feel to it. I don’t know who the guys in the Predator suits are, but I can tell that they are continuing in the footsteps of the original bad-ass Predator—the late Kevin Peter Hall (all 7 feet, two inches of him). The guys in the current Predator suits are obviously big guys (when you watch them run, they move like Lou Ferrigno) [ http://rds.yahoo.com/S=2766679/K=lou+ferigno/v=2/SID=w/l=WS1/R=1/SS=38110379/H=0/SHE=0/*-http://www.louferrigno.com/ ], and are also very, very good at what they do in that the way they move is very fluid and very natural. They MOVE like predatory hunters instead of guys in costumes. Their performances are quite believable and after a very short while you completely forget that you’re watching some dude in a costume (except for close-ups of their hands-- they still haven't mastered the prosthetic claws yet).
The Aliens are also—as usual, terrifying in that mindless, super-focused, ok-maybe-not-so-mindless-after-all, shark-attack kind of way. They come out of nowhere, kill the crap out of the mouthy-guy-in-front-of-you or the guy-who-just-got-done-showing-you-pictures-of-his-kids-and-telling-you-about-how-great-life-has-turned-out-for-him-and-hey-what-was-that-noise? guy behind you, and then they disappear back into the ductwork before you’ve even finished crapping your pants and wondering what the hell just happened.
And let me tell you about Sanaa Lathan (http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/mgm/out_of_time/sanaa_lathan/time.jpg ) who plays ice-climbing expert/guide Alexa Woods.
Yummmmmmmyyyy!!!!
The first thing that comes to mind, when describing Sanaa Lathan is to ask one simple question: “Sigourney who?” Sanaa Lathan absolutely rules the screen with her dynamic performance and, true to the tradition of the ALIEN franchise, is NOT some wilting, ankle-turning damsel in distress. Much like the Ellen Ripley character from the previous ALIEN movies (“Sigourney who?” ), Alexa Woods is a survivor—a smart, get-the-job-done person who doesn’t pose, doesn’t whine, doesn’t bluff and does not take any crap off of anybody, but does it all with a natural warmth and humanity that doesn’t require her to act like she’s got a chip on her shoulder the whole time like her co-star Agathe De La Boulaye, whose character is less than missed once “eliminated”. It doesn’t hurt anything that Sanaa Lathan is also a marvelously beautiful woman (“Sigourney who?” ) and seems to be very much at home in a state of unearthly peril. This actress does stress quite well and looks sexy even in a snowsuit.
And I know I’ve said this sort of thing a number of times, but I’ll say it even louder now—If they ever, EVER decide to make a Wonder-Woman movie, I now want Sanaa Lathan to play Wonder-Woman. Wonder-Woman doesn’t need to be Caucasian. Sanaa Lathan would be marvelous.
AVP--The
Basic Premise: Satellite finds “heat bloom” under the ice in
And speaking of completely in the dark…
The One Real Drawback Of This Movie: This movie suffers from something that I tend to call John Carpenter Syndrome. This means that half of the thing is filmed in almost complete darkness. But the dark doesn’t get in the way of the really good scenes.
Otherwise, this is a pretty damned good movie. It’s better than Alien Resurrection, and a damn sight better than Predator 2. I would say that it is easily as good as ALIEN and possibly as good as ALIENS.
Maybe I’m wrong. But there’s something about seeing the Alien uncoil itself from its hidey-hole, and watching the Predator PHYSICALLY CHARGE the Alien like a linebacker and proceed to give that long-headed bug the ass-whuppin’ of a lifetime. Something about that made me smile.
But that’s just the beginning of the brawl. They raise one hell of a ruckus, and they do it several times. And they make quite a mess in the process. The ALIENS may be nasty, but the Predators make Boba Fett seem like Barney Fife. And, of course, due to the natural intelligence and adaptive sophistication of humanity in general, we humans continue to persevere in our usual advanced, civilized manner-- (http://www.icehouseinn.com/images/Photos/7.29.03/weenie_bite_rachael_gary.jpg) --which makes us such a respected speciess throughout the cosmos.
Good movie! Don’t wait for DVD to see this movie. Pay the full ticket price. You won’t feel ripped off. If you don’t go see on big screen with the full surround sound, you’re a jerk.
