What could be"The Definitive "Vs." Movie"

Rating: 5/10 (3 October 2004)

An incredible and horrific adventure begins when billionaire industrialist Charles Bishop Weyland gathers an international team of archaeologists, scientists and security experts, led by environmentalist and adventurer Alexa "Lex" Woods , to investigate a mysterious "heat bloom" emanating from deep under Antarctica.
What they witness 2000 feet below the frozen surface at first excites, and then terrifies them. They discover a pyramid bearing a mixture of Aztec, Egyptian and Cambodian cultures. Inside the pyramid they find a matrix of chambers so technologically advanced that it becomes obvious that an extraterrestrial influence has been at work there for thousands of years. The chamber walls reconfigure unexpectedly, trapping members of the team and cutting them off from their colleagues.
Moving from chamber to chamber, the horrific truth finally reveals itself: Predators have been keeping alive a captive Alien Queen who lays eggs at 100 year intervals. Young Predators warriors are tested by fighting the Alien offspring. The team stumbles into the middle of an incredible rite of passage -- and a war between Aliens and Predators.
The iconic monsters from two of the scariest film franchises ever, battle each other on Earth for the first time on film. 14 years in the making, "Alien Vs. Predator" (The movie) has been rumored to have been in production ever since the skull of the Alien Queen appeared in the sequel to "Predator", "Predator 2". The AvP phenomenon has found it's way into the media, in every shape or form. From Trading Cards, to comics, to video games, and finally, the big screen! But was it worth the wait?
Well first of all, having the "Alien Legacy" being my favorite film series, I am a HUGE fan of these movies. I was very happy to learn that this movie was actually happening. I could care less what it was rated. Although gore is a high priority in these films. I was scared that I would be disappointed with this film considering I'm not a huge fan of Paul Anderson.
I would have loved to see Micheal Mann or Brain DePalma take on the franchise. I knew it wouldn't happen.When the news came that it was indeed "PG-13", I was disappointed, but honestly, I expected it. I first saw AvP the Sunday after it was released. I loved it! In the very few moments where the two bad-ass sci-fi titans are allowed to do their thing, the films shines.
BIG TIME! The acting is much better than I expected from no-names. The story is simple, yet smart. The film was heavily cut according to... well anyone involved in the filming. The R-Rated and proper version will be released on DVD, so take a breath, it's gonna happen. Although us Alien-nerds will never have the satisfaction of having the ultimate "Aliens Vs. Predator", this will have to do. And that's fine by me.
AVP is actually far better than it could have been. For weeks I've been hearing terrible buzz about the film. It is actually better than all that. It's fun to watch and, even when the plot gets really hokey, it's easy enough to laugh it off and prepare for the next epic monster battle. To be honest, to me, it's the definitive "Vs." movie. We'll have to wait for the R-rated version. Better than Freddy Vs. Jason and the other Vs. movies. It is a very well done flick and one of my favorites. I would love to see more AvP films in the future with more different types of "Alien" species.
***1/2/*****