Not Enough Room To Swing An Alien

With the resurrection of the Predator franchise being released in cinemas this weekend, I'd thought I'd get in the mood with a previous Predator movie. Having watched the original movies recently, I'd felt it was time to give one of the AvP movies another chance. For me that leaves just one choice as I HATE the most recent franchise entry AVP:R (zero personality characters in a small Canadian town...no thanks). That leaves Paul W.S. Anderson's AvP: Alien Vs Predator.

Now, for you to enjoy this movie you have to look at it in a certain kind of way. If you watch AvP expecting the serious, thrillerish tone of the Alien franchise, you're going to find this seriously cheesy. If, however, you anticipate the a B-movie romp in the vein of the Predator series then you're in with a chance of getting this.

The script very carefully balances the requirements of both franchises. From the Alien side we have an Alien Queen, Eggs, Chestbursters and Alien Warriors. Cameron's trademark blue photography is aped, there's the narrow corridors, mandatory face-off with the final, surviving alien. And you have a female lead in the capable hands of Sonaa Lathan (yes, Cleveland's wife Donna in The Cleveland Show).
From the Predator series we have the Predator's and their technology (invisibility cloaks, spears, laser guns, spaceships), their links with Earth history, an elite team for them to butcher as well as the code of conduct their culture demands.

Oh, and both series films usually end with a massive explosion!

Just like Freddy Vs Jason, the script also has to balance confrontations between the two monsters while never allowing one to outshine the other. After all, how unfair would it be to an Alien fan if the Predator won (or vice versa)! Sacrilege!

Anderson does a solid job keeping the plot moving and the production values are very high, especially the special effects which vere towards practical creature puppets rather than CGI. Apart from the supurb Lathan, only Lance Henriksen and Anderson regular Colin Salmon stand out. The rest of the cast are boring, boring, boring...especially male lead Raoul Bava. There's no tension in the dark corridors and little excitement when the action finally does arrive. Anderson's aim is to shock and awe...not to tell a gripping story. But he does a solid job built on the foundations a solid plot.

The best bit? When the Alien and Predator first go head to head, obviously. You've heard the phrase 'not enough room to swing a cat'? Well imagine that scenario put in to practice...but instead of a cat, imagine an alien. Yeah man!