Great Lovecraftian And Pulp Material

Rating: 8/10 (16 August 2005)

Literary Appeal - One thing that I'm not surprised about is that I've not heard any critics mention the setting and premise being close to H.P. Lovecraft's 'At the Mountains of Madness'. Lovecraft is considered to be basically the greatest horror writer of the 20th century, often called the 20th century Edgar Allan Poe; 'At the Mountains of Madness', one of his three novels, is considered to be his masterpiece. The Lovecraftian element of the film is something that will be ignored by almost everyone. In my opinion, this is one of the movie's strong points; the fact that the movie places the two most recognizable hostile ETs of pop culture together within this premise and setting. And the fact that this Lovecraft basis is esoteric.
Philosophical / Deeper Meaning Value - Most viewers also don't think about the darker and philosophical side of a movie like 'Alien', which is just as much Gothic horror as it is science fiction (like Lovecraft's work). In 'Avp', when the expedition team is standing at the mouth of the cave, no one even dares suggest that maybe ETs created the hole in the ground. I really liked this element, because it seems like real life; people don't want to be considered crazy for suggesting that they believe in the possibility of this reality. Lovecraft's mythos dealt greatly with the theme of mankind's small place in this vast universe, and the fact that most human beings ignore this...most people are probably just interested in the FX / rubber costumes and familiar hero characters. One article I remember reading in a paper, started with whining about how there was no Arnie or Sigourney, so the movie must be terrible.
The fact that the premise of the movie is based on a 'Chariots of the Gods' concept with the mixed-culture first civilization, is another strong point. And I've always liked the appeal of the Predator species being an ancient, advanced intelligent species that relies only on a primitive or basic society honor code to hold together their society.
Pulp Appeal - Not every movie is 'Citizen Kane' or 'Lawrence of Arabia'. 'AvP' is supposed to be a modern day 'Godzilla vs Mothra'; and it is a great rendition of this concept of film. It is not the most intelligent movie ever made. Part of the basis comes from video games and comic books, not Shakespeare, but it still manages to have some level of depth and intelligence while still appealing to 12-year-olds. Most comic book-based movies are just centered on action, and hero figures with fake values.
Production / Design - The flow of action and the storyline do move at a somewhat slow pace; this is one of the negative sides of the movie. But, the first 'Alien' film does too. And 'Predator', like 'Alien', does not reveal the creature until toward the end. Both are some of the best creature designs ever created. And the gestation of the Aliens was somewhat rushed; but if you think about it, maybe the Aliens were genetically engineered by the Predators to grow faster; they are certainly an advanced enough species. The eggs that were lying around inside the derelict craft in 'Alien' had been dormant for eons.
The set design of the underground ruins I thought was well crafted and designed, along with the awesome queen chamber reminiscent of the comic books. The scenes with the Predator craft descending from the sky were awesome. The action and battle scenes were well-executed and there was some level of unpredictability and suspense; but I agree with some critics who think there should have been a little more fighting between the two creatures. The queen fight sequence at the ending was excellent, and I like the way the female figure's role followed along with the comic series. The strongest horror element I think was the helplessness of the humans being trapped in the middle of the struggle.
Overall, I would give the movie about a 7.5 rating. A little bit of a slow and dry beginning. Some great esoteric appeal with the Lovecraftian basis (even though I'm not sure the team behind the movie intended this), some level of depth and intelligence if you look for it, and a good comic book-based movie.