ALIEN vs PREDATOR

With Sanaa Lathan, Lance Henriksen, Raoul Bova, Ewen Bremner
Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson

Another case of "why did they bother". The anticipation has been building for this one amoung genre fans (like Freddy vs Jason), and like the slasher clash, falls way short. Graphic novels, PC games and fantasies have delved into this showdown, but in the end, we could only have expected nothing more than a mediocre action flick. The only redeeming factor is the presence of Lance Henriksen cast as the wealthy head of the corporation (who obviously used him later as a template for the Bishop replicant - he even does a quick knife-between-fingers trick with a pen). A team is sent to Antarctica where a thermal flash was detected. They find themselves part of a ploy to get our Predator hunters to have some sport, but the lethal Aliens are also part of the deal. Scriptwise the connection is not badly laid out, but (I hate to keep using it) as with Freddy vs Jason, the potentially explosive meeting is a disappointment. Director Anderson gave us enjoyable movies like Event Horizon and Resident Evil, but with the history of especially the Alien franchise, this is just not strong enough to impress in the shadow of those cool movies. A very weak female lead and so-what Alien-Predator extra-fodder are only a few of the problems. At least the story was co-written by original creator Dan O'Bannon. A true fan will watch it no matter what I say, but just be prepared not to be blown away.

2 / C
- PB

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