A wasted opportunity

Rating: Null/10 (20 April 2005)

AVP could have been one of the best films ever made...however it must be considered one of the worst. Fans expecting plenty of action and violence will be very disappointed by this stale offering. It has obviously been heavily watered down to get a lower rating, thus allowing younger people to see it. This was a mistake. The film should have been an 18, no question. The Alien and Predator monsters are still fantastic creatures, but in AVP you get the feeling that they are barely exerting themselves. There is a distinct lack of blood and gore, and nowhere near enough firepower. The original Alien and Predator movies had all that in bucketfulls, AVP has a few lame action sequences, too many of them ending quickly and cutting away before the real violence can be seen. As for the cast, only the great Lance Henrikson adds anything to the movie, but he is underused. The rest are all Z-listers who can't act their way out of a paper bag. The wordplay is dire and you soon find yourself wishing they would all be eaten by the aliens! The plot is also poor. AVP suffers because Sigourney, Arnie and Danny Glover are all absent. One of them should have been included. AVP is a wasted opportunity that will leave true action fans cold. Don't bother with it, it only tarnishes the franchise.