AVP IS A BATTLE WORTH THE WAIT!

Rating: 8/10 (12 August 2004)

People have been waiting a very long time to see these two foes in the same frame of a big budget Hollywood blockbuster and the day has finally arrived. Paul Anderson of the totally underrated Event Horizon and Resident Evil fame directs the latest installment of both franchises with a separate pizazz. It's quite obvious that Anderson is a fan of the source material and holds both franchises in high regard. Not only does the film stand well on it's own it feels like an entirely different type of film. The movie promises with trying success to mash storyline, emotional development and kick ass fight scenes together and it partially succeeds. No matter who you are or what your expecting if your paying to see a film entitled alien vs. predator you will get your money's worth. However, the film doesn't prevail without any faults. Audiences have been waiting a very longtime for this and for the film to be utterly perfect would be a miracle and it's not. There for, ultimately a slight disappointment the people involved do the best job to keep the originality afloat. The story centers around a group of people whom stumble upon the ets during the battle while investigating an ancient pyramid. Seemingly built with the predators help. It seems that every hundred years there is an all out avp war so that the surving predators may graduate and become true warriors. Sanaa Lathan of Love and Basketball, Lance Henriksen (bishop of the Alien films) and gorgeous Raoul Bova head up the human fodder. The acting in some scenes is very good however in others it's never bad but somewhat unbelievable. Lathan makes a formidable female but a Ripley she isn't. And sorry Lathan but the comparison is going to be inevitable. It's no doubt that people will be happy and people will be ignorant and people will be appreciative of this film. But no matter what complaints are presented the film succeeds as a workable picture even though the second half seems a little rushed it delivers more entertainment and scares than it has any right too. AVP stands as the beginning of hopefully many promising sequels. And as a late summer scarefest worth the price of admission. 8/10