A fine merging of two of Sci Fi's most popular franchises

Rating: 6/10 (14 August 2004)

I went into this moving hoping for Aliens or Predator 1. I went in expecting Freddy Vs. Jason. Meaning bad acting and terrible attempts at humor to mask a lack of story and disappointing wash ending. What I got was closer to my hopes than my expectations, surprisingly good action and better acting than I would have expected. I was overjoyed to see a movie that leaves out cheesy laughs and Danny Glover. The aliens really came off well, much more active and vicious through the magic of C.G. It was nice to see the queen in realistic action rather than a large costume with mechanical limbs. The predators were what you'd expect and stayed true to the previous films. My only beef with the movie is the bond that forms between the lead human character and a predator. However the fact that a single female is the surviving lead stays true to the alien franchise and the respect shown by the predator is not new to the Predator franchise either (i.e. the elder towards Glover in Predator 2). The story in my opinion was an interesting and unique way to bring the franchises together. Overall I think AVP is better than Alien 3, Resurrection, and Predator 2 but still behind the others (which are classics). This movie for me puts Paul W.S. Anderson at par for films. The Good (AVP, EVENT HORIZON) The Bad (Resident Evil) The Ugly (Soldier).