Along with the original film, came the
inevitable movie novelisation. As the popularity of the
character grew, the well-respected Dark Horse Comics published
stories that explored the idea of Predators hunting Aliens,
eventually leading to many cross-over character battles. And finally, there came a new movie...
The iconic monsters from two of the scariest
film franchises ever battle each other on Earth in Alien Vs.
Predator.
The discovery of an ancient pyramid buried under
the Antarctic ice sends a team of scientists and adventurers
to the frozen continent. There, they make an even more terrifying
discovery: two alien races at war. No matter who wins, we lose.
An incredible and horrific adventure begins
when billionaire industrialist Charles Bishop Weyland gathers
an international team of archaeologists, scientists and security
experts, led by environmentalist and adventurer Alexa "Lex"
Woods, to investigate a mysterious "heat bloom" emanating
from deep under Antarctica.
What they witness 2000 feet below the frozen
surface at first excites, and then terrifies them. They discover
a pyramid bearing a mixture of Aztec, Egyptian and Cambodian
cultures.
Inside the pyramid they find a matrix of chambers so
technologically advanced that it becomes obvious that an extraterrestrial
influence has been at work there for thousands of years. The
chamber walls reconfigure unexpectedly, trapping members of the
team and cutting them off from their colleagues.
Moving from chamber to chamber, the horrific
truth finally reveals itself: Predators have been keeping alive
a captive Alien Queen who lays eggs at 100 year intervals. Young
Predators warriors are tested by fighting the Alien offspring.
The team stumbles into the middle of an incredible rite of passage
- and a war between Aliens and Predators.
Produced by: 20th Century Fox
Released: 6th August 2004 (USA), 22nd October 2004 (UK)
Tagline:
Whoever wins... we lose.
Plot Outline:
The discovery of an ancient pyramid
buried under the Antarctic ice sends a team of scientists and
adventurers to the frozen continent. There, they make an even
more terrifying discovery: two alien races at war. No matter
who wins, we lose.
Cast (in credits order)
Alexa "Lex" Woods
Sebastian De Rosa
Charles Bishop Weyland
Graham Miller
Verheiden
Max Stafford
Quinn
Adele Rousseau
Connors
Thomas
Sanaa Lathan
Raoul Bova
Lance Henrikson
Ewin Bremner
Tommy Flanagan
Colin Salmon
Carsten Norgaard
Agathe De La Boulaye
Joseph Rye
Sam Troughton
Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson Written Credits: Paul W.S. Anderson, Shane Salerno (click here to download the script from the Downloads section) Produced by: John Davis, Lawrence Gordon, Walter Hill, Joel Silver Casting by: Donna Isaacson, Christian Kaplan Art Dept: Marco Bittner Rosser, Stephen Bream, Stephan O. Gessler, Aleksandar asha Matic Special Effects by: Roland Blancaflor, John Calpin, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr. Other Crew: Martin Hubacek
In delivering PG-13-rated excitement, Alien vs. Predator is an acceptably average science-fiction action thriller with some noteworthy highlights, even if it squanders its opportunity to intelligently combine two popular and R-rated franchises.
Rabid fans can justifiably ask 'Is that all there is?' after a decade of development hell and eager anticipation, but we're compensated by reasonably logical connections to the Alien legacy and the still-kicking Predator franchise (which hinted at AVP rivalry at the end of Predator 2); some cleverly claustrophobic sets, tense atmosphere and impressive digital effects; and a climactic AVP smackdown that's not half bad.
This disposable junk should've been better, but nobody who's seen Mortal Kombat or Resident Evil should be surprised by writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson's lack of imagination. As a brisk, 90-minute exercise in generic thrills, however, Anderson's work is occasionally impressive... right up to his shameless opening for yet another sequel.
Produced by: 20th Century Fox Released: January 25, 2005 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Full screen, Dts stereo, Ntsc, Full Screen 43 / Region 1 / Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audio: Subtitles: English, Spanish; Available Audio Tracks: English (DTS 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround) Extras: Commentary by director Paul W.S. Anderson, Lance Henriksen, and Sanaa Lathan (theatrical version only); Commentary by Alec Gillis (alien effects), Tom Woodruff Jr. (alien effects), and visual effects supervisor John Bruno (theatrical version only); Includes theatrical version and an extended version with a new beginning; Deleted scenes; Making-of featurette; Dark Horse comic book cover gallery; DVD-ROM: the first edition of the AVP comic book, AVP comic book background study, exclusive 16-page preview of the upcoming AVP graphic novel
The Unrated Director's Cut [which Anderson promised fans from the beginning, if you remember], is as the movie should have been. You are given eight more minutes.
Now, I can already hear the cries of malcontent. 'Eight minutes?!' But I can tell you that 8 seconds added here, and 5 seconds added there, really do serve well to flesh out the story, give you the details previously missed, and extend the Alien/Predator fight adequately enough so that fans are, at last, appeased.
The story is in the Unrated Edition. The action is in the Unrated Edition. The version which makes sense is the Unrated Edition. The PG-13 edition is the chopped up, convoluted crapfest we saw at the theaters.
Thanks to the studio for letting Anderson have this Unrated Edition. It goes a long way towards salvaging what we KNEW was NOT an inferior film. The PG-13 version just made it seem inferior.
Produced by: 20th Century Fox Released: November 22, 2005 Format: Closed-captioned, Collectors edition, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc Audio: Subtitles: English, Spanish; Available Audio Tracks: English (DTS 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
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