Not what I expected...BUT

Rating: 3/10 (13 August 2004)

Paul Anderson's vision of a movie does not go hand-in-hand with originality of an idea. Mortal Kombat was pretty good (hated the PG-13 rating though). Resident Evil was just okay (rated R but just didn't have the feel). Now, we get Aliens Vs. Predator. Ever since watching the Alien and Predator films from the 80s and 90s, I was expecting something like this. Also reading the Dark Horse comics of these two rival foes was exciting. But, this movie did not live up to the standards of the previous films or the comics. I admit though, some elements did take place, but couldn't make up for the movie as a whole. So, what do we get? A simmered down version of our two favorites slapped with a PG-13?!! Fox should be ashamed. The movie had a cheap, rushed feel to it. Both franchises weren't done justice. Where are the marines? What happened to the fight on the other planet? This movie needed more time and possibly another director (James Cameron or Ridley Scott perhaps).
I'm not going to comment on the acting that much because this isn't a movie where dialog is superior to anything else in the movie. The two that really stood out were Sanaa Lathan and Big Boss Hogg Lance Henriksen (still going!!). Sanaa has strong standings to become a great actress. I wish her success in the future. Some of the dialog in the movie was laughably cheesy and unnecessary. Raoul Bova did alright too, but the rest of the cast was just there for the Alien and Predator killing satisfaction.
The CG effects in the movie were good and didn't throw the movie off at all. As a matter of fact, CG and some of the fight sequences saved the movie from being a big disgrace to the fans. The predator cloaking was great, and their weapons look more updated from the previous two predator movies. The editing was horrible though. Every time an Alien or one of the predators kill the scene was cut, and I mean CUT!! For those who haven't seen the movie, you will understand why a R rating needed to take place. A fight scene that took place in a chamber, between a predator and an alien, was badly edited. The camera was too shaky, and the lighting was displaced. Also, the slow motion BS is annoying. Besides the flaws, some satisfaction came out of the sequences.
Important: The predator should have been portrayed as being more agile and versatile in combat. The aliens should never get the upper hand unless the predator is outnumbered or wounded (READ THE DARK HORSE COMICS OR WATCH THE PREVIOUS MOVIES!!).
Overall, this is soaked down to just a decent popcorn flick. I hope that the dvd will acquire a R rating and add more valuable scenes to the movie. The theatrical version just doesn't cut. I wanted to see this more than Spider-Man!! Paul Anderson and company (FOX!! AARGH!!) let me down and also losing respect from me. Hope the sequel takes another turn (also possibly another director) and gives the fans a movie that we deserve.
Final Judgement: **/****