A very well executed movie with the most interesting plot and setting since Alien.

Rating: 8/10 (10 February 2012)

Note: This is a review of the extended Bluray version:
As you grow older you learn to appreciate every aspect of a movie and not just the amount of action and gore. I first saw it in a theater in 2004 and didn't like it that much. I'm 23 now and watched the extended version on Bluray on a 46' Samsung LED with a good sound system. I was pleasantly surprised.
Up until the action starts, the director imitates the pacing and camera movement of the two first Alien movies and does it really well. The mood which is set by great lighting, shadows and music, stays top notch throughout the experience. All the set pieces on and beneath the surface of Antarctica are very well done and suck you into the story.
It should be said that the story that is told and the explanation of the origins of the pyramid is very interesting and really ads to the experience. However, in a movie it is important to have characters you care about and root for. The supporting actors give a passable performance but it's Sanaa Lathan, Lance Henriksen and Ewen Bremner that bring the quality of the picture.
In the extended version, there are more scenes to give a sense of who all the characters are and to create an emotional bond to them. This really helped the movie and it's sad that they weren't in the theatrical release. Additionally there are some scenes in the extended version that help setting the mood and hints on what is about to come. I didn't see any changes or additions to the action scenes though except for a prolonged chest burster scene.
When the action starts the pace picks up significantly. The actual battles between the species are are well executed, chaotic and entertaining to watch but this is also where the movie was criticized. The general opinion is that people were going to the cinemas expecting huge and many battles between Predators and Aliens. What they got was 3 Predators a few Aliens that only face off a couple of times in the movie. This is what I like, the movie tells a more personal story about 3 young Predators there to prove themselves. The movie wants you to root for both the humans and Predators as it is portraying the Aliens as the ultimate enemy of the two other species. The Predators are not there to fight the humans.
The special effects of the movie are really well executed. They are excellent when it comes to the environmental effects. When it comes to the creatures the movie mixes cgi and real actors in suits almost seamlessly. The Predators seemed at a few times a little bit too hindered in their movement, creating the feeling of actors in suits. The Aliens were executed almost perfectly. They are probably the most well done of all the movies the Aliens have starred in thanks to the wonder of CGI and more sophisticated suits compared to the last decades. The dark and shadowy setting of the movie probably also helps hiding any flaws in the effects.
Spoiler! The movie is almost ruined when a Predator teams up with the lead character towards the end. It felt very ridiculous and not believable as I see the Predator as an unsympathetic lone hunter.