This is yet another review from my archive I wrote back in 2004. I think it is worth sharing.

Movie Title: Alien VS Predator Running Time: 1 Hour 27 Minutes Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Fiction/Thriller/Horror

I was back home in Malaysia and had the privilege to watch this movie in a brand new cinema. My mates invited me for a reunion and what better things to do than meet up for lunch and then head on for a movie. The movie of choice was Alien Versus Predator(AVP). I was skeptical after watching a similar disappointing movie called Freddie VS Jason. Since most of friends voted to watch and majority wins, I had to watch it. Personally, I would have preferred to watch Garfield instead.

Arm myself with a box of popcorn and a large Pepsi, I reluctantly lead the way into the cinema to find it surprisingly crowded. Is this movie that famous? Well, fans of Alien and Predator wouldn’t want to miss this showdown.

Before, I proceed on writing my review, I remembered watching the trailer not too long ago. It said that “No Matter Who Wins, We All Lose?. Which was something interesting and to think about. Aliens and Predators have been pictured as worse enemies of mankind in the movie world and how are we going to manage them this time around?

This time around, the cast of the movies are virtually unknown. I have never heard of any of the actors. Here are the cast and credits:

Starring: Sanaa Lathan, Lance Henriksen, Raoul Bova, Ewen Bremner, Colin Salmon , Tommy Flanagan, Agathe de la Boulaye, Carsten Norgaard, Joseph Rye, Sam Troughton & Tom Woodruff Jr. Director: Paul W.S. Anderson Producer: Walter Halsey Davis, Gordon Carroll & John Davis Screenwriter: Paul W.S. Anderson & Shane Salerno Cinematographer: David Johnson Executive Producer: Wyck Godfrey & Thomas M. Hammel

Music: Harald Kloser

The movie starts with a satellite belonging to a big corporation suddenly detects something emitting heat buried underground from an Island in Antarctica while looking for crude oil. A graphical scan reveals that it was in the shape of a pyramid and would be one of the greatest archeology find in centuries.

The pyramid seems to be influence by three civilizations and by two major ones which are the Egyptians and the Aztecs. The boss of the company decided to gather the best brains from around the world to assist him in this amazing discovery before anyone else gets there.

After managing to gather a team of experts, they head on to the site and it was located on an abandoned Whale hunting warehouse. It was rumored that the people previously working there suddenly disappeared and was never seen again. They further found an existing hole dug and lead straight into the pyramid. They had already brought equipments to dig the hold which is now useless. (Aww….what a waste of time and effort) They were indeed curious and couldn’t figure out who have done it and what equipment had been used since the pyramid was thousands of feet below.

Without hesitation, the team went in and found themselves in the pyramid where another room led to another. Some fellow members were left in the Sacrifice Chamber to document the findings while the others further explore the pyramids by going deeper and deeper.

The secret of the pyramid is actually a breeding ground for Aliens like how we breed chickens. Thousand of years ago, people were used by the Predators as the feed for the Aliens. Humans in return worship the predators as god. Images of this story were painted all over the walls of the pyramid.

Being unaware that the aliens have started breeding, the humans innocently ventured deeper into the pyramid. Meanwhile, the predators were on their way to battle the Aliens. It is a ritual by these warriors to battle the Aliens for glory. They would then use the acidic blood of the killed alien to mark their forehead and armour. Now, the humans are in big trouble where they are stuck in the middle of the battle. They couldn’t go anywhere because the Predators are coming in while the Aliens are coming out. How are they going to survive? Well, I am not going to spoil the movie for you.

The things I like most about the movie are the Animatronics of the Alien and Predators. They look so realistic. There was a battle scene that I believe was the best highlight of the movie. Check out the moves of the predator fighting the alien. It looks like a game from PS 2. Make a bet with your friend who is going to win before this movie to make it more interesting.

Go and watch the movie just for the sake of the graphics and special effects. Forget the horrible story line. If there is another movie on and you are not a big fan of Creatures from other planets fighting on earth, give this a skip.

My idea of a next VS movie will be Garfield VS Scooby Doo. No joke.

Further Information:

AVP Official Site
http://www.avp-movie.com

Yahoo Movies Site For AVP
http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&cf=info&id=1808496111

I hope this helps!

XXX Benny Ong