Aliens vs Predator results in unsatisfactory draw
Aliens vs Predator: Requiem
WE'VE waited nearly three decades to finally see Aliens hunting on Earth within a proper human civilisation – now the wait is over in AVPR.
But with two of horror's most recognisable extra-terrestrials at their disposal, the duo known collectively as The Brothers Strause (Greg and Colin) really haven't done this second movie in the spin-off AVP franchise proper justice.
They've upped the gore (it jumped from a PG-13 to an R-rated movie Stateside), monster-count and thrown a hybrid Pred-Alien into the mix, but ultimately – despite the fancy "Mass of the Dead" sub-title - this isn't anything more than middling action fare.
Despite the best efforts of the completely C-list cast (most with TV roles covering The OC, 24 and Rescue Me) – who just about stay on the right side of wooden – everything in AVPR is disappointingly unoriginal despite some noteworthy pockets of entertainment.
This sequel continues where the passable first Antarctica-based AVP movie finishes – with an Alien bursting out of the chest of a fallen Predator on an intergalactic battleship.
This new dread-locked monster causes enough chaos to bring the ship – with around a dozen facehuggers on board - crashing down in a forest on the outskirts of the sleepy Colorado mountain town of Gunnison.
A solitary Predator warrior (which also gives the first real glimpse of their homeworld) is then dispatched to sort out the mess – and extinguish the very existence of the Alien race.
As the Aliens incubate and start to breed, it's up to the stereotypical and heavily movie-cliched townsfolk, sheriff Morales (John Ortiz, American Gangster), ex-con Dallas (Steven Pasquale), his delinquent brother Ricky (Johnny Lewis), eye-candy Jesse (Kristen Hager), and ex war-vet Kelly (Reiko Aylesworth) accompanied by her daughter Molly (Ariel Gade), to survive this infestation before the army arrives.
But for every predictable plot device, clunky dialogue and suspect accuracy likely to annoy hard-core fans (why do the Aliens burst out of the chest of humans minutes, instead of hours after the facehuggers latch-on?) – there's a good acid-splattering death around the corner.
The Alien Vs Predator battles – with lots of tail-swinging and wild-shooting – also aren't utilised to their potential within the dark, murky, rain-soaked look The Brothers Strause have opted for – and the much-hyped Pred-Alien (seemingly with a fetish for inflicting lots of pain on female characters) doesn't really amount to more than a 'bigger' Alien.
Whether this was exactly the right playground the introduce the franchise to Earth will be open to some debate – but at the end of the day watching facehuggers scampering through a forest towards their human targets will always be good value for money.
The movie also hints at plots that interconnect with the separate worlds we’ve already witnessed in the previous Alien and Predator movies, which means this franchise has got legs if it’s put in the hands of a director with a little more experience and finesse – along with an A-lister or two.
As an action film alone this wouldn’t ultimately amount to anything more than a two-star movie, but throw in two of sci-fi’s most iconic monsters you can undoubtedly add on extra mark – as it’s their ugly mugs that make this watchable.
3/5 Gavin Miller
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Tuesday 07 February 2012
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