Mood Indiglo

Rating: Null/10 (16 August 2004)

Every once in a while we tumble to the notion that a hot new movie, usually of the action genre, might be entertaining. And invariably something like 'Alien Vs. Predator' is the subject, making us wish we had washed the car, returned a few calls or read a magazine.
Certainly fans of the original 'Alien' and even more so 'Predator' hold hope there might be even better yet to come. That has not been the case, and the experience of viewing AVP will not impel anyone to check on subsequent releases, the ending notwithstanding.
The movie opens well, hooking us early with a few techno-moves, some potentially interesting characters and even a touch of curiosity about where this might lead. But within ten minutes, maybe fifteen minutes (no watch to check, but more about that later) we are hopelessly mired in the darkest, murkiest series of flashes and noises since 'Hellboy'.
The best effects are actually shown early in the film. After the expedition has begun the adventure we see a flyover by the alien ship, a great bolt of energy discharged from space (with a purpose we discover within a few minutes) and a nice twist in a mountain-climbing scene. The flash and crash of the remaining hour or so is a patent bore.
An interview with director Paul W. S. Anderson about this latest film reveals the following unintelligible exchange:
Question: The first Alien was really horror oriented and the subsequent ones were more in the action/adventure area. What are you trying to do with this one?
Paul: It's really a combination and it's not because of ALIEN, it's because of PREDATOR, which is more action-oriented. This movie has a slow build, which is more akin to ALIEN, but then the last 45 minutes is a pretty relentless action ride which has much more to do with ALIENS or PREDATOR.
Sanaa Lathan as guide Alexa Woods is the most watchable of the cast, although veteran Lance Henriksen as expedition financier is a steady (not over the top at all: how he expresses his appreciation to the exploration team is nicely phrased). Lathan, at 33 and with a number of films behind her (the recent Denzel Washington actioner 'Out Of Time' (2003), in the successful 'Brown Sugar' (2002), a small role in the very popular 'Love and Basketball' in 2000) certainly deserved the lead.
There are a number of questionable moments to amuse us and solidify AVP as a potential MST3000 candidate. We may note Ms. Lathan standing in mall-cruising grade clothing in the Antarctic, the use of flares as light sources (Why not candles or oil-soaked torches? Because they don't pop and frighten anyone.) and the simple fact there is never a good scare in the entire film. A 14% rating on the Tomatometer, by the way, gives us some appreciation for the overall quality of AVP.
More than ever we regretted the recent loss of our big ticket high-tech Timex Indiglo watch. The glow would not have been noticed; cell phones and pagers were checked frequently by the backup Space Shuttle pilots, on-call neurosurgeons and Fortune 500 CEOs that populated the audience.
Rating: 2 Stars.