Alien vs. Predator

Rating: 6/10 (10 January 2011)

Humans find themselves in an underground pyramid in Antarctica(designed by the "first civilization" at the specifications of an alien warrior race), caught between two warring alien races duking it out for supremacy with walls constantly opening and closing, the labyrinthine chambers making things quite difficult for those unfortunates trying to find a way out. There was a power source picked up by the satellite of a robotics megalomaniac emanating from the pyramid underneath the ice of Antarctica which inspires gazillionaire Weyland(Lance Henriksen) to assemble a team to find a way to make it inside, claiming it as a major discovery certain to achieve renown and fame. What they do not bargain for is to be stuck in the pyramid as the Predator warriors and alien xenomorphs attack each other to the death. Most of the humans are assaulted by face huggers and injected by mouth with xenomorph fetuses(a flaw in the story has the birthing cycle way too fast). Essentially the film is about a human group servicing the threadbare comic book plot as fodder for the Predator and xenomorph aliens. The film had to have human characters to discuss the plot, like an archaeologist and his aid who can interpret hieroglyphics to explain how the pyramid was built and for what reason. Director/writer Paul WS Anderson builds a mythology for the Predator alien warriors and how far they go back. 20th Century Fox sure threw a lot of money at the movie, providing Anderson with a budget for some pretty impressive, elaborate special effects and he does give the audience some legitimate combat scenes between the Predators and the xenomorphs. Where the movie fails is in how the humans are used in the film, and their demises are mostly off screen. Sanaa Lathan does what she can in the heroine role as an expert climber hired by Henriksen(whose millionaire is dying and sucking oxygen from a device)who finds herself choosing sides with a Predator warrior, hoping he will not kill(and possibly even protect)her. Raoul Bova is an archaeologist, Sebastian, with Ewen Bremner as chemist, Miller. Colin Salmon(RESIDENT EVIL)shows up in a minor role as Henriksen's body guard, and the one responsible for getting the crew into their predicament by removing the last gun from a crypt made especially for the Predator warrior. Everyone else in the plot comes and goes when the aliens enter the picture and the pyramid shuts them in. The acid blood of the xenomorphs are used in interesting ways, even as a mark of success when they are killed by their adversaries. You get an alien queen, trapped in a spider-like locking device, getting free thanks to her "children" using her acid blood to break the locks. Seeing Lathan running alongside a Predator warrior seems unusual to say the least. Henriksen, while good in his limited time on screen, is cast in a glorified cameo thanks in part to his Bishop role in the ALIEN series. Made for a younger audience, there's minimal graphic violence or course language which might be a no-no for fans of the PREDATOR & ALIEN series. The Predator body armor and weaponry are really cool and seeing them in battle with xenomorphs provide some exciting moments. But, AVP isn't exactly a work of art, but as he always does, Anderson sure makes a good-looking sci-fi movie--this is basically a B-movie, not really all that innovative story-wise, concerned more with special effects and creature fights. It will all come down to what the viewer is looking for. Characters and story, nope. Space ships, aliens, and a imaginative Indiana Jones-style setting, yep.