AVP: Alien vs. Predator

Ugly and uglier, as one of my friends aptly proclaimed. And in the midst of the ugly, a group of more or less handsome humanoids are desperately trying to survive... Paul W. S. Anderson filmed a very grateful theme, but instead of an atmospheric mix of claustrophobic tension and dynamic action, as offered by the computer game of the same name, an initially thrilling, then extraordinarily predictable murder story with an emancipated heroine and a ridiculous story emerged from it all. Unfortunately, the heroine isn’t anywhere near as good as Ripley, and her survival journey is full of pretty nice action sequences, but she lacks suspense and the ability to grab the viewer’s attention. It’s too bad, because the introduction to the film is quite promising, but then, unfortunately, the tension disappears in the regiments of quite-visible monsters. Anderson just shot a B-movie with average A-movie effects. A pleasantly-killed hour and a half, but the film’s credit does not increase in any way with the ugly (Predators) and the uglier (Aliens), quite the opposite. AvP is just a parasite... 50% (03/10/2004)

Alien vs. Predator is surprisingly well-filmed with nice special effects, dynamic editing and brisk action. And though the first fight between the Predator and the Alien was unwatchable, it still filled me with the rapture of my teenage years. What drags the film down to the level of average, however, is the UNBELIEVABLY stupid screenplay. The fact that Paul W.S. Anderson only steals wouldn’t matter so much, but the way that he sticks the stolen bits together with even more careless glue is a sight to see. With a better screenplay and longer runtime, this could have been excellent entertainment. P.S.: I was a bit bothered by the overall “humiliation” of the Alien race. Personally, I have more respect for it than I do for the plodding Predators. (08/11/2004)

For a horror movie it lacks even the slightest hint of atmosphere and, for an adaptation of an action game (or a comic book), it’s lacks action. Perhaps only the makeup deserves praise. A boring and uninteresting B-movie that you can see hundreds of on the shelves of video rental stores. Anderson was able to dishonor two legends in one film, so hopefully some skillful predator will find him and exact personal satisfaction for defamation. (10/02/2007)

Paul W. S. Anderson has directed another one of his classics, which doesn't really stray from his abilities. It's a shame that the story is unbelievably banal because the duration it takes is otherwise too rich. It needed more thought, then people would appreciate not just the great masks. This film only shows that for the new millennium, Aliens and Predators are lost for now. (20/01/2015)

To embrace Anderson's latest film is, figuratively speaking, not to put your hand in the popcorn, but to go straight into it with your whole body. Even then, AvP is hard to accept. That said, technically there is not much to complain about, the effects are fine, the animatronic models of the aliens are really good, and the film has a brisk pace. But a rather fundamental problem is the absence of two important ingredients in a movie, there’s hardly any atmosphere and suspense. And the script? Everything follows tried and tested templates, without any surprises, and a plot that is transparent and predictable. Anderson's basic idea of the story makes sense, but it's rather dumbed down. Besides, what must McTiernan have thought when he saw that his formerly uncompromising hunter had become a damsel in distress? Please don't do that. The 2 stars are too much, taking into account the fact that I don't like crossovers, and their cold financial cynicism. Now I'm just waiting for someone to come up with a Red Riding Hood vs. Batman movie. That would be awesome! (08/01/2005)