Share your memories of the first time you saw AVP

[blood.]

I was the literal embodiment of "cannot wait", I would go home every day and go on the official website scrounging for new information or clues on the movie. I had a dial up connection so it was hours of time wasted loading trailers etc. I was geeking out big time.

Movie finally comes around and I'm telling my friends how good these two franchises are and how the predators are these unstoppable space warriors... we go to a movie marathon and get all dressed up and we're trying to pick up chicks etc... it was really an event film for me, memorable kind of night, after one alien kills two predators my friends just looked at me and were like LOL.... after the movie they refused to talk about it, all they said was "that was ****ing ****" and I remember feeling huge frustration at the lofty height I had generated come crashing down.

The next movie was 'walking tall' and after that we just lost interest in the 3rd movie that night and chased girls around lol

[426Buddy]

Never had a problem with the alien killing 2 preds, just shouldn't have been in the same scene.

When I saw the trailer and I read who was directing I knew it wasn't going to be any good. I waited until it was out on video and when I watched it was I vindicated because it was indeed rubbish.

The worst thing AvP does is turn both franchises into a low budget looking monster mash with bad acting, writing, cheap looking effects, & bad designs for both preds and aliens. At the time I felt there was nothing special left in either franchise and that AvP and AvP2 would be the last 2 nails in the coffin.

[SamuelDL]

I remember that my brother brought the movie from the video store saying that the film was not very good, because he had already seen it in the cinema and had some bad special effects. I was very disappointed with what he said, and when I saw the movie I was left with my mouth open with how impressive were the fights and effects in general. I loved it then, when I was 11, and I still like it now.

[HuDaFuK]

The effects are actually pretty good, even now. I certainly wouldn't list them among the film's faults.

[426Buddy]

Yeah except for the rubbery suits and plastic looking armor, also the facehugger masks terrible, cheatbursting scene was the worst on screen aside from maybe the oxburster. Don't even get me started on the pred faces. I am wrong though, I actually did like the predator armor design, it just looked like plastic.

It looked cheap to me.

[HuDaFuK]

Some of the designs were naff, but I didn't think the technical side of the effects work was bad at all. Especially given that they did it all on a tight budget.

The Chestburster looked fine. The fact the sequence was virtually bloodless was a joke, but the actual puppet looked pretty good. Saying it's "the worst on screen aside from maybe the oxburster" is just daft, because at the very least it looked leagues better than the tooth penis ones in Resurrection.

[426Buddy]

Some of the designs were naff, but I didn't think the technical side of the effects work was bad at all. Especially given that they did it all on a tight budget.

The Chestburster looked fine. The fact the sequence was virtually bloodless was a joke, but the actual puppet looked pretty good. Saying it's "the worst on screen aside from maybe the oxburster" is just daft, because at the very least it looked leagues better than the tooth penis ones in Resurrection.

I thought they used the same chestburster model in both films?

If i remember correctly, its the same method they used on the oxburster, just a static puppet on the end of a stick.

not a good qaulity clip, but it showcases the bad facehugger mask effect and the quickshot of the chestburster looking like a toy.

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[HuDaFuK]

If i remember correctly, its the same method they used on the oxburster, just a static puppet on the end of a stick.

You mean the exact method they used in the very first film?

[426Buddy]

If i remember correctly, its the same method they used on the oxburster, just a static puppet on the end of a stick.

You mean the exact method they used in the very first film?

You mean a film made 37 years ago when that technique was new but still flawed? I also believe they used or immediately switched to a rod puppet that was articulated. Multiple effects and editing were used to achieve a believable event. Its also insane that it was done better almost 40 years ago.

Oxburster and that avp burster in that clip appear to be static and not alive looking at all. It looks exactly like what it is.

[g2vd]

That scene where the Predator gives the heroine the xeno gear and they run off together is tragically burned into my brain.

Don't forget The Sleigh Ride of Friendship.

That is single handily the greatest thing that has ever been said for this movie ever.

[SamuelDL]

The effects are actually pretty good, even now. I certainly wouldn't list them among the film's faults.

Completely agree with you. What happens is that at that time my brother wanted more CGI, being the novelty. I remember that I had said that it was very noticeable that the Aliens and Predators were people in disguise. I do not know, maybe he does not value the practical special effects.

[SM]

Some of the designs were naff, but I didn't think the technical side of the effects work was bad at all. Especially given that they did it all on a tight budget.

The Chestburster looked fine. The fact the sequence was virtually bloodless was a joke, but the actual puppet looked pretty good. Saying it's "the worst on screen aside from maybe the oxburster" is just daft, because at the very least it looked leagues better than the tooth penis ones in Resurrection.

Rousseau's chestburster is the worst one ever committed to film.  Sebastian's is the second worst.

[happypred]

I was extremely disappointed by AvP 2004 in the cinema

The unceremonial offing of two preds in the beginning was only one factor

It was mostly the PG-13 feel and cringey dynamic between Lex and Scar...really ruined my experience

The fights sucked as well. The Celtic vs. Grid WWE throwdown was laughable, regardless of who won.

Illogical things, like random items of melting gear, also left me scratching my head

[echobbase79]

Yeah, I left the theater really pissed off. Also, I didn't know it was PG-13 until I bought my ticket. The movie had a great opening shot and then from there on I was pretty much bored. The fight scene between Celtic and Grid livened things up for a few moments, but after that it was back to more snoozing. The only moment where I really stood up and cheered (not literally) was when Scar jumped through the air and stabbed the Queen through the crown with his spear. Other than that I thought I'd been hit by a train. Also, my hatred for Paul Anderson was born.

I did think it was better than Resurrection and went back to the tone of the earlier Predator and Alien films.

Of course that's all in the past. AvP isn't all that bad and I enjoy it. My hatred for PA is all gone and I really enjoy most of his older movies. I still can't stand RE though. Never saw his take on The Three Musketeers.

So that was my experience.

[Bughunter S. Thomson]

I had heard nothing good from the reviews and someone gave me a cam copy so rather than go to the cinema, I watched it at home. There was so much wrong with it. Despite the gory horror of the two sources, it was a predictable softcore monster mash. The rules of the Predator were picked up and dropped at will, and the chestbursters became chestnudgers, emerging carefully and relatively blood-free and became fully grown selectable characters in minutes. I just waited for characters to die, and the Queen big fight scene had my eyes rolling. The aliens and the Queen seem to both be more like the Raptors and T-Rex from Jurassic Park.

It ended and I thought "Well, Paul WS Anderson directing, PG-13 rating... What was I expecting?"