AvP Requiem Fan Review

When I randomly watched AVP: Alien vs. Predator at a friend’s house back in 2004, I was instantly drawn to these two titans. The Alien was a being I had never seen before. Iconic design, agile, intelligent and a breeding cycle that I still find interesting to this day. The Predator was pure eye candy to look at. Cool looking armour and weaponry, an original facial design and an extremely complex honour and culture system. On the first viewing of the movie, I fell in love with the two. For me the movie was suspenseful, exciting and featured a great setting, music, CGI and creat  ure effects that were unbelievable. In turn, I was drawn to the original series of movies, which I must say, I didn’t think would be as good as AvP. I was wrong. Fear was taken to a whole new level with Alien, my heart raced like never before with Aliens, I was sucked into a world of dread and despair with Alien3 and was stunned with Alien Resurrection (in a good way). I was entertained to the max with Predator and Predator 2 took my interest with The Hunter even further.

All six of these movies are amazing in their own ways. Music, acting, realism and style were all featured in the movies at some point or another. Then when I compared these classic flicks with AvP, I was a little confused. I still liked the movie, but since it was the seventh movie in the series, I felt like what many other fans felt at the time; it was a crushing disappointment. Then, three years later, I found AvPGalaxy and learned that my dreams had come true. AvP2 would be a reality. Finally, I could go to a theatre to see an A/P flick for the first time.  This movie, I can honestly admit, was the one movie I had been anticipating the most in my entire life. I had followed everything on it for almost a year and the movie seemed to take over my whole life. I became an active member and logged on daily to see what was new and what was going on with the production. It’s hard to believe that is all in the past now; the movie came out, as did the DVD and now we all look to the future. Here is one of many reviews of the theatrical version of AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator – Requiem, one which is definitely much different than it would have been, had it been written after I first saw it in theatres.

From start to finish

First off I think the title introduction was perfect. This ultimately sets the overall tone for the movie I think, which is to look and sound ‘cool’. Probably the most important and crucial part of the movie passes too quickly though; the PredAlien causing the ship to crash to Earth. We’re introduced to a much darker and other-worldly ship interior than in Paul WS Anderson’s movie, which I must admit looks a tad better in this one. It seemed liked the Strause Bros redone the scene purely just to do it differently than in AvP, I had no problem with that interior myself. It does look more Predator however and it’s a nice change for the start of the movie. One thing to note in the beginning is that the transition from Mothership to scout ship isn’t done too well. We’re given a shot of the Mothership flying past the camera and soon after, the ship suddenly seems to decrease greatly in size. People following the movie or that watch the Unrated version would know that a smaller ship detaches from the Mothership and heads back towards Earth. In the inside of this smaller ship we are given a quick shot of the PredAlien ripping the last of the molting skin from its body. This is mostly hidden however as to keep some mystery. After this small, but important scene, we see that many Facehugger stasis tubes are being transported. It isn’t explained exactly where they are being taken, but to be honest I would rather not know. The first few minutes of the movie are really the most intense as I was shaking like a leaf as the PredAlien’s tail swings past the camera amongst the tubes. Excitement was increased even more as the screen filled with a Predator trophy wall with many strange and familiar skulls adoring it. Interesting to note that that sequence was entirely CGI, they sure had me fooled on that one.

It was a sigh of relief when the PredAlien grabs the unwary Predator from behind, knowing that the Predator blood in this movie was very limited. In a matter of a few more seconds, the ship crashes to Earth and the only notable space sequence in the movie ends. It was too short perhaps, but was fast paced enough to keep me focused for what was to follow. The scene where Buddy and Sam are chased and attacked by the escapee Facehuggers, I thought was very good. It had little suspense, but the lighting in the surrounding trees was brilliant and very atmospheric. The introduction of Sheriff Morales and Dallas was quite good also. We don’t learn right away that Dallas has in fact been to prison, but it’s clear that he’s been gone for a long time. The friendship between him and Morales is obvious however and I liked the dialogue done between them. The following scene were we’re introduced to Ricky I thought was pretty pointless to be honest. We find out that he’s a pizza boy and that he doesn’t like wearing the hat. However the next time we see him, both of those things are apparent so this scene was not essential. When he arrives at Jesse’s house, we are basically shown the full story of their roles in the movie; Ricky likes Jesse and Jesse likes Ricky. Also that Dale, an obviously forced unlikable fodder, has a dislike for him. I thought although this scene told the audience a lot, it seemed very out of place for an Alien movie. I’m aware many other fans feel the same way but to be honest, it’s really the only decent character introduction.

I got yet another rush of excitement as the camera pans down to the body of Sam as a Facehugger lies lifeless beside him. It’s painfully obvious, pardon the pun, what is about to happen but there are some issues with it. One is of course that the life cycle speed is the same as it was in the first AvP. It’s clear that this is done for story purposes, but some good character development could easily have been done between their waking up and finally giving birth. Make their deaths mean something to the audience.  Also because it’s such a short scene, it seems quite rushed and because of this, the idea of chestbursting is a lot less powerful than it was before. I liked the effects of when the Burster emerges out of Buddy. I felt it did in fact look pretty real (the puppet) and I liked it how it just looks at Sam as he himself gives life to another dark terror. Yet another quick character development ensues in the next scene with Kelly arriving home. It’s clear to see the distance between her and her daughter Molly, and I could really see the pain and awkwardness of it in her face. Then, (it’s like reading off a bulletin board with this movie) after some brotherly love between Dallas and Ricky, the PredAlien’s first (random) human kill gets checked off the death list. The Strause Bros obviously tried to give the creatures more life as we are given a back shot of the Warrior walking towards the fear stricken woman. It looks quite good actually and although it doesn’t look at all graceful, it at least shows you a part of the Alien you don’t usually see on film. One pretty profound complaint amongst fans and critics alike is that the movie is very dark and I think this is one of the scenes that shows that. I had no problem with seeing what was going on myself, but it’s clear that the darkness is there.

One thing to note about the human deaths so far, I felt no sympathy whatsoever. They were just there and they just died. Not exactly the horror image that the Bros insisted the movie had. When the Predator finds the downed space ship I was very drawn as to what he was doing. Yes, he’s preparing to battle the Aliens, but he shows a little sorrow for one fallen comrade, something I’d always wanted to see. I felt that the mask vision, although it does look and sound ‘cool’, was a little overused in the first half, particularly here. The next part of the movie continues to offer quick snacks of character development and introduces another pointlessly named character called Carrie. She has no pivotal role, she only has a few lines in total, but besides her random introduction I did in fact have a soft spot for her. She is very pretty, but she also had an innocent, kind hearted presence which lead her to be in fact my favourite character in the whole movie. Shame she wasn’t a main character or at least had more screen time. Probably the most memorable scene to come soon after, is when Morales finds the skinned body of Ray in the woods. I think the Bros thought the theatre would come alive with a fanboy orgy as the slow panned camera reveals this little sceptical. This is not the case however and I didn’t feel any emotion while looking at it. This is just yet another pointless factor in the movie and is simply put there to look ‘cool’. I sure didn’t think the skinned body massacres in the Predator movies were ‘cool’, they were horrific and gut wrenching, the emotion that was meant to be felt.

So, let’s cut to what the movie is really about; two alien beings battling each other. The build-up to this first encounter proved to be probably the most intense one in the entire flick. The sound effects in the sewer were very detailed indeed and this just cranked up the suspense even more. I had been fairly excited since the start of the movie, but I was literally gagging for either the Predator or the Aliens to make a move. Hence, the best and the worst action scene begins with the Predator using itself as bait. After following the movie from start to finish and watching the Red Band trailer, I knew the Aliens wouldn’t really be seen in they had been, but they really took it to another level. They were being pushed and swatted around like flies and the infamous ‘Double Choke’ move where the Predator picks up two Warriors by the throat as they struggle to free themselves (?). It’s a pretty epic looking shot but it realistically would have only lasted a second or two. The Aliens would have easily impaled the Predator and the movie would basically be over. Thankfully the PredAlien knocks him aside and the two exchange a short glance at each other as they go their separate ways. Nice little scene as it shows that the PredAlien is the one taking over the town and that she is the biggest threat to the Predator.

I thought this first battle was way too short and bias but it was very well done and the suit work was pretty good. As the Xenomorphs crawl and the Predator ’supermans’ his way out the sewer, my favourite character, Carrie, meets her end. I thought that the diner scene was a very good Alien moment in the movie and showed that humans are completely at the mercy of the slavering beasts. After yet another homage (this time to Alien3) the screen goes black and from then on I didn’t care who lived and who died. From here on, the movie is nothing more than a montage of sequences and homages, which to be fair, makes it all the more entertaining. Some scenes had every potential of being creepy, even of making the audience jump in fright, but there was not one of these in AvPR. The scene where the Alien jumps through Molly’s window to kill her dad could have been the fright of the movie but this of course was spoiled in the trailers. Yet another real shame.

But on the bright side, the movie packs in many bloody deaths, a lot of them. Dozens of humans are killed on-screen making it the highest death toll in any movie of both series. Probably the most controversial scenes would have to be at the maternity ward and for obvious reasons. I liked it to be fair. It was very cruel and yet again another example that humans are helpless at the hands of the Xenomorphs. I have no problem with the breeding method the PredAlien embodies, but the hate for the idea has escalated in the fan base. For whatever reason, the method is still quite sickening and brought back a sort of strange rape idea, something that was missing from the other Alien sequels. The movies finale I thought was very intense and heart racing, helped by the fact that the few characters remaining only have a few minutes left to get out of Gunnison before it is disintegrated. Something that has been clear at this point is that the movie has a lot of rain. The rain itself is real, but with water machines mixed in. The end result is very nice looking drops of water that make the screen in front of you just nice to look at. It also gives an element of realism and grittiness that the first AvP lacked, something crucial to all Alien and Predator movies.

I have to say I really lost my excitement about halfway through the movie and the only feature that really made me want to keep watching was the final confrontation between the Predator and the PredAlien. When it finally begun, my uncontrollable heart rate exceeded once again. I thought the fight was very brutal and thrilling, and really showed off some good performances from Whyte and Woodruff. As with every other Alien/Predator encounter in the movie, it could and should have been much longer and it also should have showed a more agile side to both creatures. One nice little feature to point out, is that the Predator actually laughs when he grabs the PredAlien’s inner jaw. I never would have noticed this unless it was pointed out, but it’s yet another feature that makes the Predator what he is. As predictable as with the rest of the story, the town is destroyed and my continuity concerns could finally take a back seat. Next to follow is the movies cliffhanger climax which I thought personally was a great way to finish off the movie. I little confusing, but a good ending none the less. When the end titles finally came up, despite being entertained through most of the movie, the flaws stuck out like a sore thumb and I left the cinema quite annoyed and angry at what I had just paid to see. I did stay until I had seen H.R. Giger’s screen credit however, I would have been even angrier if he didn’t get one. When I bought the Blu-ray disk on the movie’s release, I had an epiphany and the movie certainly gained a lot more respect from my point of view.

Overall

AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator – Requiem is a very difficult movie to rate. It has its imposing errors and faults, some that just can’t be ignored. The script is the main gripe for me, very cliché, uninteresting and not suited for a movie featuring these two iconic creatures. This in turn caused bad characters and poor acting by those that played them. A few characters just managed to shine through, but most are so uninteresting that you probably wouldn’t remember their names. Another big problem is the actions and behaviours of the Aliens. They didn’t seem like a big threat to the Predator at all and hence greatly lowered the intensity of the battles. I also felt that the sound effects done for them were greatly overused and became very repetitive after a while. The movie also tried too hard to look ‘cool’. It seems everything in the movie was intended to be eye candy. Yes, there are some visually nice moments in the movie but people being sliced in half, heads being blown off and skinned bodies hanging from trees aren’t meant to look ‘cool’. The visual style in the movie was basically nonexistent and I felt it look very amateur and basic.

Though, saying all that, it has it good points too. Probably the best part is the fact that the Predator is finally a Predator again. After the American rugby players from AvP, it was real sigh of relief to have a slim, yet agile hunter once again. I also really like some of the new weapons added for his disposal, the whip being one of the better ones. The PredAlien (whose design leaves little to be desired) has an impressive presence on-screen and I felt that this made up for the rather pathetic Warriors. I also enjoyed many of the creature moments, namely the sewer, diner and hospital scenes for the Aliens and the forest and rooftop scenes for the Predator. Believe it or not, I also enjoyed the few character moments too. The best part of the movie however is that it is extremely entertaining, even more so than Aliens and Alien Resurrection (which I watch the most). It is in itself, a fun B-movie very much in the style of Predator, Predator 2 and Alien Resurrection, movies you watch purely to be entertained and to have a good time. The entertainment value of AvPR is very high, but quality is not so much. Based upon that I give AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator – Requiem, 2 out of 5. I greatly await a third chapter in the series. What style it will embody awaits to be seen, but I look forward to it and to what the future will hold.

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