Alien vs. Predator (AVP) (2004) Movie Review, Trailer and Poster

USA, Germany, Czech Republic, UK 2004
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Lance Henriksen, Colin Salmon, Raoul Bova, Ewen Bremner, Tommy Flanagan
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: 13 August 2004 (USA)
Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

The Movie Review

Hollywood has this hate-it-or-love-it habit of making a movie which presents a duel between two prominent figures or characters in the movie world. Just like this science fiction movie here, Alien Vs. Predator. Before it's released in August 13th 2004, there were already some movies like that. You name it, in 1966 we had Billy the Kid versus Dracula, in 1971 Dracula Vs. Frankenstein, and in 2003 Freddy (Nightmare on Elm Street) vs. Jason (Friday the 13th).

For this case actually, the filmmakers have made the right choice to produce a movie depicting a battle between two dreaded figures that already have their own fan bases throughout the decades. Let me refresh your memory a bit. The first Alien movie was released back in 1979, and it's definitely one of the


ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (AVP)
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most memorable movies during the dusk of the 70s, and it's also a pretty twisted awesome movie! After that, Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), and finally Alien Resurrection (1997) followed.

Next speaking of Predator which its first movie featured the burly Arnold Schwarzenegger, was also a fantastic movie that depicts the inferiority of humankind compare to the hunter from the outer space. That same movie also featured brutality against the soldiers led by Arnold, but Predator was only followed by Predator 2 in 1990.

AVP set the time back several thousand years before century, where the predators first arrive in earth. Several most prestigious scientists are invited and recruited by Charles Weyland from Weyland Industries to investigate what appears to be a pyramid of three civilizations which is located 2000 feet below the ice surface on an island somewhere north of Antarctica. The team is led by Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan) and comprises of both scientists and mercenaries. What Alexa, Weyland and the others find in this pyramid all findings refer to a scary looking figure with a very long head. Moreover they would not ever expect is that a Predator is being sent from outer space to go back to the pyramid.

Me? I love them both! Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) against the alien that is getting clever by the seconds. And How Mayor Dutch (Arnold) tries to fight the predator with much more advance equipment that could outmatch and outrun Mayor Dutch's soldiers so easily, those two are iconic.

But earning money from collecting and gathering fans to buy the ticket to see AVP, doesn't automatically justify that AVP is an excellent movie. Nope! In fact, it's not that good of a movie and kinda flat-out stupid. Besides it's just like playing video game whoever wins, human loses. So two exotic looking creatures fight each other? Not a novelty and won't be a yardstick either. However...

If you're looking for a mere fun, AVP gives you that. There is room for tension, and AVP occupies the room well. And the fighting scenes are okay, and the pyramid is eerie and claustrophobic (makes you fear of small places). Only, sigh....where the heck is the light?! It's so freakin’ dark in there, that I sometimes didn't know what to be afraid of! Light please....

I'm sure the filmmakers have thought hard to create the plot, and I respect that. But it's obvious that the only real reason to put humans in the movie is so they could be the reasoning or the bridge between the predators and the aliens, and of course they are served only to be killed by either alien or predator.

© iwan pranowo of Movielogy.com