shows how reviewers like to fool themselves

Rating: 9/10 (1 December 2013)

I love IMDb and think it provides an invaluable service, a time capsule if you will, of popular opinion. Every now and then however the review page has less to do with the quality of the film and oh so much more to do with human nature. And specifically the way we like to kid ourselves. AVP is a great example. Superficially, this film should not have worked. Superficially this yet another in a long line of cheap exploitative "high concept" sequels - Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, Jason meets Freddy, etc. But here is the kicker. This film was superbly done. From the opening sequence in Antarctic where something is discovered under the ice (how creepy is THAT?) to the scene where the giant "breeder" alien gets loose, to the clever mini-climax where heroine Sanaa Lathan gets props from her new Predator buddy -- these are the hallmarks of an entertaining film, and an effective film. But before we break out the champagne, let's pay attention to the elephant in the room -- the overall IMDb rating may be on par with a Bugs Bunny cartoon (and a bad one, at that) but there at last count something like 1500 IMDb members who have taken the time to punch the keys and weigh in with personal reviews. Not to belabour the obvious, but when you have 1500 people looking to opine on a film, whatever you may think of that film, it is anything but mediocre. Think about it...