Review - Alien vs. Predator (2004)

    Hey guys, Chuck here. Before we get to today's review, I wanted to give a quick update. Throwback Thursday has officially been discontinued. Going forward, any off-the-shelf reviews will be listed as reviews, and will be posted any given day of the week. So, if there is a movie that I've watched, whether on disc, streaming, or in theaters, I will review it at that time. So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at Alien vs. Predator.  

    Released in 2004, this sci-fi action film, written and directed by Mortal Kombat director Paul W.S. Anderson, was inspired by a series of comics published by Dark Horse comics that crossed over two of 20th Century Fox's most popular franchises: Alien and Predator. Alien, released in 1979, was the brainchild of director Ridley Scott, who worked on the film with screenwriter Dan O'Bannon. The film introduced an alien race known as the Xenomorphs, and quickly joined Planet of the Apes as one of Fox's signature franchises, earning three sequels released in 1986, 1992, and 1997. Predator, directed by John McTiernan, introduced a race of aliens who hunt humans for sport. That film only received one sequel, which was released in 1990. Both franchises, considered to be among Fox's more popular film series, led to the crossover comic book series, which inspired Fox to create a crossover film. So, with all of that out of the way, let's take a look at Alien vs. Predator. 

    Deep beneath the ice of Antarctica, a heat bloom is detected by an orbital satellite owned by Weyland Industries. The company's CEO, Charles Bishop Weyland, assembles a team of achaeologists, mercenaries, liguists, and a field guide named Alexa "Lex" Woods, to investigate the source, which turns out to be a pyramid located 2,000 feet beneath the surface of the ice. As the team heads to find the pyramid, a Predator ship from deep space drills a hole into the ice leading straight to the pyramid's entrance. Inside of the pyramid, a Xenomorph Queen is awakened and begins laying several eggs, each one containing a Facehugger. Meanwhile, three Predators arrive to prepare for their hunt. Several members of the expedition are either killed by Chestbursters emerging from them after being impregnated by the Facehuggers, killed by fully matured Xenomorphs, or killed by Predators. At the same time Lex learns that in ancient times, the Predators brought the Xenomorphs to Earth to serve as the ultimate prey, and they used humans to breed the Xenomorphs into their true forms, and then kill the Xenomorphs in the ultimate hunt, wiping everything out if they become too overwhelmed. Lex, along with archaeologist Sebastian De Rosa, goes to look for the last of the three Predators, as he may be the humans only chance of keeping the enomorphs from reaching the surface. Lex teams up with the Predator, known as Scar, and together, they fight off the Xenomorphs. Unfortunately, the Queen is freed, and despie the destruction of the pyramid, she gives chase to Scar and Lex, Scar sacrifices himself, and the Queen, with her chain caught on a water tower of the abandoned whaling station, falls into the icy water below. A Predator ship decloaks and collects Scar's body, and the leader of the Predators gives Lex a Predator spear weapon as a gift, recognizing her skill as a warrior. In space, a Chestburster with traits of both the Xenomorphs and the Predators emerges from Scar's chest. 

    Alien vs. Predator is one of those movies that I like to watch when I want to shut my brain off for a couple hours and enjoy a fun popcorn flick. Getting to see both of these legendary alien races clash on screen is a lot of fun. Actors like Sanaa Lathan, Tommy Flanagan, Colin Salmon, Raoul Bova, Ewen Bremner, and Lance Henriksen do a great job as the human cast of the film, and the creature effects of both the Xenomorphs and the Predators were top notch. The story wasn't difficult to follow, and was a lot of fun. Long and short of it, of you're looking for a fun movie that doesn't require a lot of extra thought, definitely give AVP a watch. I'm going to give Alien vs. Predator a rating of 4.75/5. 

    Now as for the future of the two franchises, after a failed 2007 sequel, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Fox decided to pursue the two franchises separately once again. In 2010, filmmakers Robert Rodriguez and Nimrod Antal released Predators, a film which saw a group of humans taken to a planet that served as a game preserve for the Predators to hunt in, and in 2018, director Shane Black released The Predator ,which was really popular upon its release. In 2012, Ridley Scott returned to the Alien franchise with Prometheus, a prequel that explores the origins of humanity, as well as the mysterious figure introduced in the original Alien known as "Space Jockey." Prometheus, which featured a cast that included Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and Idris Elba, received mixed reviews upon release. Prometheus was followed by Alien: Covenant, released in 2017 and also directed by Ridley Scott, which sees a sort-of origin for the Xenomorphs, as well as their predecessor the Neomorph. Much like Prometheus, Alien: Covenant received mixed reviews upon release. The studio, and its parent company of Disney, has confirmed that more entries of both franchises are on the way, so we'll see how they turn out. 

    This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time.