..it holds up better than expected.
Having seen Covenant the other day and not really being too impressed (rated it 4/10), and having previously hated AvP (rated it 1/10 originally!), I saw AvP tonight for the first time in a while (at least five years).
First of all, my feelings towards AvP have improved a fair amount. To get to the point, I rate AvP higher than Covenant....rating AvP a solid 4.5/10 now. I would also like to say, that my view/rating/review is based on satisfaction for an Alien fan, and not as a film in general.
Ofcourse, there are plenty of flaws with AvP. Loads of them. But one advantage AvP has over Covenant - it has a clear, and concise story from start to end: Scientists detect temple under the ice -> Hire people to assist the exploration of it -> Find temple -> Shit happens - > People die -> Person lives.
One thing I really wanted to highlight, was how well the effects stood up after THIRTEEN years - hate to say it, but some of the CG/VFX are better than what Covenant had to offer. The creature effects for the Queen in AvP (in the final sequence) are flawless, and better than the majority of Covenant.
There are some really poor effects, but considering this was made in 2004, it stands up pretty damn well to what is usually on offer these days.
The biggest thing I really got from AvP today - in terms of Xenomorph action, it is pure, simplistic and far more indulgent than what we got in Covenant. It honours both the Predator and Alien.
Ofcourse there are plenty of silly moments, the ending with the Predalien is ridiculous, and other things out of place, as well as the obvious technical flaws (especially the editing). But one thing I can't deny, is that AvP - taking into account the technical aspects of a film released in 2004 and one released in 2017 - is at least on par with Covenant, and taking into account the Alien mythology in Covenant and that in AvP - AvP wins hands down.
Improving my rating to a 4.5/10, and consider it a slightly better film for Alien fans, than Covenant.