Alien vs. Predator (2004) 20th Century Fox/Sci-Fi-Action-Adventure RT: 102 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, sci-fi creature violence, scary images and slimy alien effects) Director: Paul W.S. Anderson Screenplay: Paul W.S. Anderson Music: Harald Kloser Cinematography: David Johnson Release date: August 13, 2004 (US) Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Ewen Bremner, Colin Salmon, Tommy Flanagan, Joseph Rye, Agathe de La Boulaye, Carsten Norgaard, Sam Troughton, Petr Jakl, Pavel Bezdek, Kieran Bew, Carsten Voight, Jan Filipensky, Adrian Bouchet, Andy Lucas. Box Office: $80.2M (US)/$177.4M (World)
Rating: **
It should have been the fight of the century, but it isn’t. It isn’t even close. Alien vs. Predator is a major disappointment. Ever since the initial comic book crossover in 1989, sci-fi and horror fans have been waiting with great anticipation for it to get the big screen treatment. Sadly, it doesn’t get the treatment it deserves.
It’s a great idea pitting these two malevolent alien species against each other. In one corner, you have the alien queen who wastes no time reproducing. In the other corner, you have a trio of Predators. They’re out to destroy each other. By all accounts, it should have been epic. So why isn’t it? I think I know one reason.
All of the Alien movies and Predator movies were rated R for graphic violence and gore. Alien vs. Predator carries a tamer PG-13 rating which means the makers toned down the violence and gore so the kiddies can see it too. I say, who gives a damn about the kids? This movie isn’t supposed to be for kids. It’s for adult fans of the franchises. I’m a purist when it comes to movies. I don’t want to see a PG-13 crossover of two R franchises. Bring on the blood and violence please!
The plot centers on a team of experts recruited for an expedition deep beneath Antarctica’s icy surface. Billionaire industrialist Charles Weyland (Henriksen, Aliens) has discovered an ancient pyramid buried thousands of feet below the ice. He’s assembled a team of archaeologists, paleontologists, and experts in other fields to explore the pyramid and determine what it might be. Once inside, they make a horrifying discovery.
The team, led by mountaineering guide Lex (Lathan, Love & Basketball), soon realizes they’re in over their heads. The multi-chambered underground structure is actually a hunting ground for the two alien species. Every 100 years, the Predators return to participate in an alien hunt. It’s part of a rite of passage. In order for it to happen, the alien queen needs human hosts. Guess who this millennium’s hosts will be? It’s a fight for survival as they try to avoid becoming alien chow while looking for a way out of the pyramid.
The Alien and Predator films consistently delivered the goods in many areas. They always had interesting characters. Look at the crew of the Nostromo in the first Alien (1979) or the rescue team in Predator (1987). They had awesome characters played by awesome actors. The same goes for the sequels, but not for Alien vs. Predator. It has the lamest set of characters in either franchise. They’re boring and one-dimensional. The cast, which includes Italian actor Raoul Bova (Under the Tuscan Sun), Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting) and Colin Salmon (Resident Evil), lacks the star power that helped fuel the previous films. The biggest name is Lance Henriksen who plays the human that the android Bishop in Aliens (1986) was modeled after. The star of the show, however, is Lathan. She’s a good actress, but she leaves little in the way of a lasting impression as the eventual heroine of the group. She’s no Sigourney Weaver. Hell, Ripley would make mince meat out of this girl.
The creature effects by Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis, the guys who did the FX for Alien 3 (1992) and Alien: Resurrection (1997), are pretty good. Formerly assistants to the late Stan Winston (Predator), they took home an Oscar for their work in Death Becomes Her (1992). I’m pleased to see CGI is kept to a minimum. That’s one thing the movie got right. Some of the fight sequences are pretty cool or they probably would be if we could see what the hell is going on. A lot of it is too dark. It’s difficult to make out what’s going on half the time.
I’ve never been a big fan of writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson. He’s not that good of a filmmaker. He has some real duds on his resume- Soldier, Event Horizon and the abysmal Mortal Kombat. He can add Alien vs. Predator to his list of cinematic liabilities. It’s a lifeless bore that absolutely craps all over a great match-up, one right up there with 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla, a true guilty pleasure that outshines the 2021 rematch.
Alien vs. Predator is the type of movie that makes me want to smack the living hell out of those responsible. How could they possibly have bungled such a winning idea? They took a property beloved by legions of fanboys and sci-fi geeks and turned it into an underwhelming and unimpressive movie that will leave its target audience greatly disappointed. It’s not exactly horrible, but it could have been better, much better. It should have been better, much better.
