Combining two classic movie monsters into one dynamic showdown!

Rating: 7/10 (3 July 2015)

25 years ago Ridley Scott scared us with his terror in space original "Alien" in which technically adept director, James Cameron elaborated on successfully in "Aliens". Then came the concept of an advanced race of aliens that hunt for sport using state-of-the-art technology in the box office smash, "Predator". The 1991 sequel, "Predator 2" featured an in-joke at the film's climax where Ridley Scott's "Alien" skull is observed as being a trophy inside the "Predator's" spaceship, and that idea launched the 1993 Super Nintendo video game, the Stephen Perry book and not to mention various graphic novels that pitted the two species against each-other in a mega-war between the races.
Now its 2004, and director, Paul W.S. Anderson (producer of Resident Evil) finally decides to bring the idea to the big screen in a slam-bang action showdown. Beautiful survivalist, Sanaa Lathan is recruited along with a group of scientists by Weyland Industries' Charles "Bishop" Weyland (Lance Henrickson) to journey to Antarctica where a satellite observed the ancient ruins of a pyramid under the ice that dates back before the Egyptians. It turns out the the "Predator" race designed the structure in order to breed the parasitic "Alien" creatures in order to hunt for sport, and human beings were the unfortunate hosts. Now as the body count piles up, resourceful female hero must combine wits with the hunters in order to defeat the enemy. Sound familiar? This is hardly new terrain, but the action is exciting enough, the special FX top notch, and fans of "Alien/Predator" films will appreciate the effort. Lance Henrickson is the perfect candidate for Weyland, and Lathan shines through as the tough but gorgeous female lead. This has plenty of thrills, homages to the original films and the combination of the treacherous Arctic landscape and Egyptian archetypal symbolism is very unique. The unrated version is the way to go of course, and provides a bit more action, but either way this is good stuff for fans of these films. Behold, the sequel, AVP: Requiem comes next!!