Has Its Flaws, But Was Enjoyable

Rating: 8/10 (14 August 2004)

Alien Vs. Predator

I had very high expectations of this movie because I, like many others, had been waiting for many years to see this adapted to film. I would like to state right now that I did enjoy this film and think it is an alright addition to both series. Now with that said, AVP does have its problems, some that hampered it very much. The following are my problems with AVP.

1.Lack of violence
I am not saying that this needed to be some kind of epic bloodbath, but almost all violence was committed off-screen and what was done on screen was IMO barely worth a PG-13 rating. Much of what made great shots in previous films like chestburstings, Predator claw kills, and so on were all off-screen. It really did not seem fair to deprive die hard fans of these acts that are common in all the respective films of these series. Going for a PG-13 rating was by far the worst move that Paul Anderson could of done.

2.Lighting
Many of the action scenes were very poorly lit, and I had a hard time to make everything out that was happening. I understand that this took place in a pyramid 2000 feet under the surface, but it could have been a bit brighter for the viewer's sake.
3.Predators
I don't believe that the Predators were adequately represented in this film. First off there should have been more than there were, and they should have been tougher. I wont give anything away but the movie doesn't seem to be fair in depicting which species are better.
Conclusion:
Well, those are my main beefs with the film. I did enjoy it, but I just think it could have been better. The performance of who played Lex Woods was good, and the interaction between Predator and Human was interesting to say the least. I give this film 8/10, and I think any fan of either series should see this film just to see what impact it may have on their series of choice. That and you may end up enjoying this film. I think this is a positive step in both series, and am interested and excited to see where it takes us. I just hope Paul Anderson or whoever does the sequels will take suggestions like mine seriously.