its bad but its not THAT bad

Rating: 6/10 (15 June 2006)

Okay. When you see the words 'directed by Paul WS Anderson' attached to the credits of a film you automatically think 'oh sh*t'. However look at his track record more closely and you'll see his films are generally poor but not in a 'worst film ever!' kind of way. Event Horizon was a nifty little sci-fi film with great effects and a great cast while for all its faults Reisdent Evil was fairly entertaining but hampered by dodgy fx. The same kind of thing can be said for AvP.
When a satellite picks up a heat swell on a deserted Antarctic island, company executive Mr Weyland organises a trek to the location to discover whats hidden two thousand feet under the ice. They find an abandoned temple with hints of Egyptian, Aztec and Coambodian (i think) design to it. Inside they discover a breeding ground for Alien parasites that are the meat for a race of extra terrestrials called Predators who turn up every one-hundred years to hunt these vicious black monsters. Needless to say the Predators turn up just as the human team enters the temple and fighting ensues between all three races.
For a film called Alien vs Predator, you'd expect there to be plenty of conflicts between the aforementioned species. Unfortunately we are limited to one basic fight and a couple of ten second long scraps. This is a flaw, and if your feeling annoyed you can have a go at the film for this outrageous dose of false advertising.
Most people know that the Alien series of films began in 1979 with classic Alien, was followed by even bigger classic Aliens, dodgy threequel Alien3 and even dodgier follow up Alien Resurrection. On a whole its one of the greatest film series of all time, a favourite of sci-fi fans and many others. At its heart was Ellen Ripley (absent from this film because her films were set in the future while this is set at present day) a woman who had extraordinary survival skills and eventually managed to wipe out the entire alien species at the cost of her own life.
There are just two Predator films meanwhile. The first starred Austrian Oak Arnold Schwarzennegger and was a superior slice of jungle based combat. The hunter killed Arnies crack commando unit one by one until only Arnie was left and a stunning battle between the two ended the contest. Its follow up Predator 2 was a giant pile of steaming rubbish with Danny Glover being stalked by a Predator on the streets of LA.
As you can there is a lot of history for this film to live up to. Sadly, it only ends up being half decent in attempting to merge the two film series, and the idea of the Predators using the aliens to train themselves is a clever one. The setting of the temple is a poor choice though as its too dark and claustrophobic for any decent confrontations, and strangely Anderson manages to eject any tension from the scenes because it is abundantly clear when the Aliens or Predators are about to attack.
On the acting front everyone is one dimensional, with a handful of forgettable characters pushed to the forefront. Sanaa Lathan (Blades mother in Blade) is pretty enough to lead the cast, displaying a decent amount of ballsy courage and vulnerability but shes no Sigourney Weaver (who played Ellen Ripley). Raoul Bova is the 'seond longest survivor' of the human cast, and thats not me trying to be funny, thats just how he seems to be used in the film. He is an Italian scientist who manages to read an Aztec wall inscription faster than he can probably read Italian to basically explain the plot of the film in a one minute segment. He eventually dies (as does everyone except Lathan) and we promptly forget about him because, well, all we know about him is that he is Italian.
Lance henriksen pops up for a continuity bashing cameo as Weyland. Henriksen played android Bishop in Aliens and Alien3, and also Bishops human creator at the climax to Alien3. How hes here in present day as well as the future is baffling, but what the hell. The fact he dies seems to be ignored as well (if he dies, hows he in Alien3?) Effects wise the film is top notch. The cg aliens are much better than those seen in the last Alien film Alien Resurrection, and the expertly realised Alien Queen (shes runs! and jumps!) adds a good element of something never seen before because the Alien Queen of Aliens simply stood and swung its tail around. Now shes mobile! Music wise the films scores again. It has a brilliant musical score (check out the piece accompanying the alien and predator coming face to face for the first time or when the Predator ship leaves Earth at the end). The sound effects are brilliant as well, so backstage the job has been done.
Its just a shame Anderson messes up the action (the alien/predator opening fight is quite clearly two men in suits bashing each other) and that the characters are forgettable pieces of fluff. He also messes with Alien mythology. The Alien Queen lays eggs that sprout 'facehuggers' that grab onto your face and put an alien embryo inside you. Up to a day later the alien pops out your chest. In AvP the alien pops out of a woman's chest two minutes after its been laid. An annoying error that could have been avoided if the makers had really thought about it.
There are some nice touches (the logo from the Alien 3 poster can be seen on the floor of one of the rooms in the temple) but ultimately there is nothing to get excited about with this film. It doesn't bore you but it doesn't hit you with anything spectacular.
Rent before you buy.