Far better than its reputation.

Rating: 9/10 (18 April 2005)

AVP: Far better than its reputation.
Alien Vs. Predator is often looked at as a poor try to multiply the action and suspense of the two movie-series Alien and Predator. Still, I cannot understand why so many users give it a 1, 4, 5 or 6.
AVP takes you on a thrilling ride, it is popcorn cinema at its best. You don't go in there for social criticism or romantic elements, and that should be clear to anybody in advance. See it with a couple of friends of yours, enjoy the ride, and don't argue too much about the plot afterwards. Sure thing, the plot doesn't stand out. But that's the case also for Collateral, for example, and that one was quite good, too. I watched it with two friends, and we very much enjoyed the film. We got what we wanted: Suspense, cool action and an open end. The shifting pyramid is just a great scenario for a battle between three fractions, and the movie does a good job at portraying the different battle methods each race uses.
What's not to like about it? Hardcore fans of both universes may be annoyed by little inconsistencies to its predecessors, like the heavily shortened maturing time of the aliens. That's about all I can think of.
Go see it, if (O) you're generally into this genre (O) you want to be thrilled and entertained (O) you played the video game (O) you're a fan of both universes.
Don't watch it, if (O) You rather like other genres (comedy, drama, romance) (O) You want to go with your kids (O) You have problems with nasty scenes.
All told I give it a 10, subtracting the one point for minor nits makes it a 9.