Alien Vs. Predator

[martok2112]

Oh, my GOD!

I have just been to the AVP movie site, and checked out a couple of fight scenes from ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, which releases this Friday I think.

All I can say is......Daddy WANT to see this film!!!!!



I think the movie got a PG-13 rating, which is wild, considering that the movie is combining two R rated franchises.

Anticipation,
Martok2112

[Archangel]

I've been looking forward to this... well, damn near forever!!!

[julix]

Oh, my GOD!

I have just been to the AVP movie site, and checked out a couple of fight scenes from ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, which releases this Friday I think.

All I can say is......Daddy WANT to see this film!!!!!



I think the movie got a PG-13 rating, which is wild, considering that the movie is combining two R rated franchises.

Anticipation,
Martok2112



If Daddy is a good boy maybe!!!!!!! :D I am gonna go, linning up babysitters as we speak...may the force be with me!

[The 14th Colony]

Oh, my GOD!

I have just been to the AVP movie site, and checked out a couple of fight scenes from ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, which releases this Friday I think.

All I can say is......Daddy WANT to see this film!!!!!



I think the movie got a PG-13 rating, which is wild, considering that the movie is combining two R rated franchises.

Anticipation,
Martok2112
Although story is the most important feature, I hope that the PG rating did not come at a diminishing of the violent scenes most expected from both franchises. That is a topic of conversation on another board and I paid it no mind, until I thought about how bunny wabbit tame a PG Alien movie would be. maybe that is a tad exagerated, but I think that without the elements that earned each franchise their R ratings, the marine in Aliens who said, "What the hell are we supposed to use, foul language?" would be told to watch his mouth. :/:

[The 14th Colony]

BTW, although I think the match up of the alien and the predator is one of the most eagerly awaited battles (who hasn't felt that way since seeing the alien skull in Predator 2?), the way this film is written, the continuity established in the 1st Alien film is comprimised. This should have taken place far in the future after the timeframe of the last Alien film, not prior to the first one on Earth.

[Gemini1999]

I saw a 15 minute "behind the scences" for AVP on HBO - I wasn't really planning on seeing this one as I never saw any of the Predator films and really hated the last 2 Alien films.... I've changed my mind - this film looks really good and I really want to see a good film this week (I'm just in the mood for it).

I can't wait!

Bryan

[martok2112]

BTW, although I think the match up of the alien and the predator is one of the most eagerly awaited battles (who hasn't felt that way since seeing the alien skull in Predator 2?), the way this film is written, the continuity established in the 1st Alien film is comprimised. This should have taken place far in the future after the timeframe of the last Alien film, not prior to the first one on Earth.


Agreed one hundred percent. To our knowledge, the ALIENS never appeared on Earth before the time of Ripley (believe it or not :D) However, I think the story may actually provide some insight as to why the Company is so obsessed with the ALIENS in the movies.

Lance Henriksen plays Charles Bishop Weyland. Now, two of those names have great significance in the ALIEN universe. Bishop (I am presuming that this character may be the great grandfather of Bishop the creator in ALIEN 3.) Weyland (as many may or may not know, the name of the company Ripley worked for was called Weyland-Utani.) So, I get the sense that we are meeting one of the co-founders of Weyland-Utani. So that kind of justifies a wee bit of liberty taking in the timeline.

Hope this has shed some light.

Respectfully,
Martok2112 :salute:

[The 14th Colony]

Yes, I read that too, that Henrickson plays the founder or co-owner of the Company. Evidently the future Bishop "artificial persons" are based on the company founder. What an ego boost, aye? To be a multi gazzillionaire and have a line of robots modelled after you. Let's pray that Donald Trump doesn't aquire this kind of techonology!

[The 14th Colony]

I don't like how it alters the mystery of the first alien. Lots of people have said that introducing Boba in AOTC negates the mystery factor of the character in the old trilogy. I don't entirely agree with that (just a little bit), but I feel that introducing the aliens in a film set before the timeline of the Dan O'Bannon alien takes away from the mystery and shock value of the aliens in 2079-era Alien.

I had no problem with seeing the Death Star plans in AOTC, but what if we saw a fully built Death Star blowing up planets in ROTS? Beside ruining the continuity between Revenge of the Sith and ANH, it would lessen the surprise and mystery of the battle station in ANH.

This movie will indicate that it was the discovery of the aliens in Antarctica that will lead the Company to crave the aquiring of the aliens prior to the Nostromo mission. But part of the mystery factor of the book and movie, adding to what I said in my last post, was that the Company wanted the aliens for their weapons division because they had intercepted and translated the extraterrestrial warning message transmitted from the ship on Lv426 and knew of the aliens from the details of the message. I liked the idea of the Company wanting to get their hands on an alien while not really knowing the full extent of what they were getting.

[The 14th Colony]

But don't get me wrong, I'm going to see this film anyway. I looks like fun. :)

[Ian_W359]

Yow! I checked out the trailers for AVP a few weeks ago, it looks like it's gonna rock!

But unfortunately, over here in dear old Blighty (the UK), we don't actually get the film until October 22! :(

I guess some things are worth waiting for..... we get the new BSG first, but we'll have to wait for AVP...

All the best,
Ian W359
:)

[julix]

bump...anyone see it yet????

[Gemini1999]

Julix -

Yup - I saw it....! It was pretty good - the "Alien vs. Predator" concept was interesting - there's a scene in the movie that explains the whole thing. I can't say much about this movie without giving things away - the one thing I will say is that A LOT of people die in this movie...!

I liked the concept of a pre-ice civilization living in Antarctica - I was reading up on it the other night and found out that there are ancient maps that show what the land configuration looked like before the ice came. Very cool....

It's a fun movie (not for the kids) - I never saw any of the "Predator" films, but I did like this better than the last "Alien" film I saw.

Best,
Bryan

[thomas7g]

Alot of people always die in Alien and Predator movies. :D

Usually only a few people survive each time.

[julix]

Julix -

Yup - I saw it....! It was pretty good - the "Alien vs. Predator" concept was interesting - there's a scene in the movie that explains the whole thing. I can't say much about this movie without giving things away - the one thing I will say is that A LOT of people die in this movie...!

I liked the concept of a pre-ice civilization living in Antarctica - I was reading up on it the other night and found out that there are ancient maps that show what the land configuration looked like before the ice came. Very cool....

It's a fun movie (not for the kids) - I never saw any of the "Predator" films, but I did like this better than the last "Alien" film I saw.

Best,
Bryan



Bryan
thanks for the review....I hope to see it
I saw the first predator movie and liked it....saw all the alien movies, liked one and two. So I was interested. Indeed lots of people do die in these movies. Let you know what I think of it(still checking for babysitters) ;)

[Bijou88]

This movie has been getting lots of bad reviews. I saw the movie today and wondered what movie the critics saw. Based on the reviews, you would think this is the worst movie ever made. To enjoy this flick, you have to go into the theater knowing that it is a gimmick movie. It has no pretentions about being art or a high minded messege movie. The film makers know it is a gimmick picture. In fact at the beginning of the flick, some characters are watching "Frankenstein meets the Wolfman" on TV. The creators know what they are about. It is what it is. It is a sci fi exploitation picture pure and simple. People pay to get in and see Predators and Aliens go at it literally tooth and nail. With this in mind, I can say I got my money's worth.

Are there flaws? Yes. The life cycle of the Aliens seems to be excellerated. Where the face hugger to chest burster to adult alien sequence seemed originally to take a day or so, it now seems to take an hour. There is a sort of "Chariots of the gods" type back story that is kind of dopy. It seemed sort of out of place. I also feel setting the movie in the present day undermines the dramatic punch when watching the alien movies in sequence. If you see this movie before Alien, It would take some of the shock value away from Ridley Scott's classic.

The human characters are rather bland in AVP. The characters in both the Predator and Alien movies were very memorable. In AVP, they don't make much of an impression.

In the end though, the movie delievers the goods. Acid Alien blood? Check! Neon green Predator blood? Check! An Alien Queen with a mad on? You betcha! Predators in all their heat vision-invisibility screen-weapons up the ying/yang glory? You better believe it!

I was afraid that this movie would gyp the audience by having the Aliens and the Predators fight in the last five minutes. I am happy to say that there is lots of real knock down/drag out fights through out the picture. It may not be the ultimate match up between the two opponents that fans have been dreaming about, but it will do for the meantime.

I will not reveal the ending, but it really makes you leave the theator wanting more. I hope that they make another installment so that we may see what happens next! Only, what will they call it? Aliens Vs. Predator again? Aliens Vs. Predator round two? Aliens Vs. Predator grudge match? Time will tell.


:popcorn:

[martok2112]

Screw the critics! :D
I plan to see it anyhoo....

As for a sequel?

ALIENS VERSUS PREDATORS?

LOL,
Martok2112

[julix]

Screw the critics! :D
I plan to see it anyhoo....

As for a sequel?

ALIENS VERSUS PREDATORS?

LOL,
Martok2112



LOL.....that would be lots of screwing! I like your sequel :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

[martok2112]

Thanks, Julix. :D

As you can probably tell, my sleep schedule is still SCREWY! ARGGHHH!

Irreverently,
Martok2112 :D

Hmmm....I wonder if I should start writing a sci-fi fanfic of some type. :D

[The 14th Colony]

So who has seen this flick? I saw it today. It was good dumb fun, but nothing like Alien, Aliens, or Predator.

[dah66]

I saw it. I would say that it has some cool moments and some really stupid ones.

The decision to go with PG-13 was a huge mistake. The action and suspense seemed watered down. I'm sure this was based entirely on $$$$ and was a shameless way to lure in the fanboys that were more familiar with the video games and comics then the actual R rated movies from the Alien and Predator film franchises.

The Predator's looked too bulky and were too easily dispatched. There was no real menace from these guys, they looked liked Jamaicans dressed up for American football.

The Aliens looked uniformly good, but the life cycle for these creatures was accelerated for no reason other then to accommodate the rather weak plot. For me, this was a huge distraction that impacted my ability to enjoy the film.

The action takes place in Antarctica, yet nobody seems to be cold, despite wearing clothing that seems dangerously inappropriate.

The ancient pyramid was a decent concept, yet the constantly changing configuration of the buildings interior was confusing and served no purpose other then to trap and separate the characters. I'm sure that this could have been handled in a more realistic and dramatic manner if more thought was given to the actual plot of the film.

The human/Predator team up was just a bad idea. No Predator worth his salt should need, or want the help of a human. This seems especially silly when you consider that the Predator was there as a rite of passage!

The use of slow motion and Matrix style camera tracking seemed out of place.

The initial setup was fairly decent. I found that I liked most of the characters, but still didn't feel too much when they met with their sticky and painful deaths.

Basically, I missed the "bad ass" feel that the original Alien and Predator films had. In the first films of each franchise, the monsters were worthy opponents that were nearly impossible to kill. In this film, an Alien can be killed quite easily from the sitting position with a spear. Is that all Ripley needed to do? Just sit down and wait to stick the Alien? I guess the mystique of these creatures has been removed. I'm not sure if this is caused by familiarity or the lack of vision by the filmmakers that have been responsible for the more recent films.

Still, it's just a movie, and I would give this one a C and would say that it's worth the price of a matinee.

Dave

<** edited by Tom: I just hid a part that may be giving too much away.>

[Ian_W359]

Some more news from the UK......

AVP has been given a '15' rating this week by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), for its scheduled October release in UK cinemas.

This matches last years '15' rating for Alien : The Director's Cut (Previous versions of Alien were rated '18' - for home video)

Perhaps it's a sign of the times that films that would previously be 'adults only' now get re-rated for a wider audience - but I have read elsewhere that some people think that because the film has a lower rating (PG-13 in the US?) that the quality of the film will suffer as a result..... I'll wait and see on that one.

All the best,
Ian W359
:)

[thomas7g]

Hey Dah, I hope you don't mind, but I put part of your reply in a spoiler. For obvious reasons.

Here is my reply to that comment:
I also thought it was unusual. But I kinda liked it. I don't see it as the Predator taking a partner. More like the Predator seeing something in the girl that made him not splatter her guts. Basically a mark of respect after seeing her kill an Alien. Remember, the Predators aren't like Charles Manson. They find some sort of honor in the hunt. In the flashbacks of the ancient past, humans have interacted with the predators before without being slaughtered. And if they honor the hunt, then it is logical that they would respect another that did the same basically barehanded.

All the criticism above I think are VERY valid. Though personally I was glad not to see the gore. WE all know what happens. Seeing it vividly AGAIN isn't my java. I also think this movie takes awhile to get going. And really should have spent its time getting us to like its characters.

On the whole, this film didn't fail. But it wasn't very original. It didn't surprise us in any way. It didn't give us any twists to the story. From the very start, you knew what was going to happen. And while you didn't know who would come out on top between the two title creatures, you kinda knew it would be mutual annhilation for the most part. And you knew which humans were going to die. (Though Weyland and italian guy were iffy).

This film would make an awsome rental. But a full admission price is kinda steep.
;)

[thomas7g]

Oh yeah... one more inconsistancy....


Regarding the freezing death of the mother alien. Remember the first one when Ripley shoved an alien out the escape ship and into the vacuum of space? If absolute zero didn't kill the alien, I doubt the cold of the anartctic would do much harm.


:D

[dah66]

Hi Thomas! Sorry for the slow response. Between work and 'back to school time' it's been nuts lately.

No problem hiding the spoilers. I didn't know that feature was available.

In regard to the gore, I don't need to see it either. That was one of my biggest problems with Alien Resurrection, the 'yuck factor' was just too high. In AVP, I just felt like the cutaways from the violence were to abrupt at times. There is an article at Dark Horizons that sheds some light on this. Apparently, the studio mandated the PG-13 rating three weeks prior to release! The article also explains that the film wasn't entirely ready for release and I'm sure that explains the short run time and some of the inconsistencies.

Here is the link to the article: http://www.darkhorizons.com/news04/040819d.php

I bought the special edition of Predator and it contained a free ticket for AVP. So, I went with my brother last weekend and saw the film again. It actually plays better the second time. Once you get past the initial disappointment, it's not that bad. You summed it up best when you said that it doesn't really add anything to the mythology.

Dave

[dah66]

Oh yeah... one more inconsistancy....


Regarding the freezing death of the mother alien. Remember the first one when Ripley shoved an alien out the escape ship and into the vacuum of space? If absolute zero didn't kill the alien, I doubt the cold of the anartctic would do much harm.


:D

I'm thinking this will be the launch point for AVP 2. Most likely, the new head honcho of Weyalnd Industries will be able to retrieve and subdue the Queen Alien. Then, it will be used to create some type of product or weapon that will lead to the creation of the world dominating "company" that we see at the beginning of the original Alien.

[The 14th Colony]

I'm thinking this will be the launch point for AVP 2. Most likely, the new head honcho of Weyalnd Industries will be able to retrieve and subdue the Queen Alien. Then, it will be used to create some type of product or weapon that will lead to the creation of the world dominating "company" that we see at the beginning of the original Alien.
I don't agree. Here's why:
We have no idea how deep the antartic ocean is but if the queen could have been located and brought back to the surface, there would have been no reason, no need, to send the Nostromo off course and sacrifice the crew in order to aquire an alien in 2079.
However,
Even if they could get the queen from the bottom of the ocean and she was still alive, they would need a male alien to impregnate her in order to get more baby aliens., and that would require the alien they sent the Nostromo to get in 2079.
On the other hand,
I just don't buy that concept. Remember, they needed an alien in Alien for their bio weapons division and the novel implied that they wanted but hadn't had access to the aliens prior to that. So it wouldn't fly to have the next sequel say that they found the queen in 2005 and developed bioweapons from her which elevated the company, because it would do more to destroy the continuity of the first Alien film.
'Nuff said. ;)

[dah66]

14th Colony,

All valid points, but I'm guessing that they don't really care too much about the continuity of why The Company needed, or wanted the Alien in the first film. If they did, then they wouldn't have set this film on Earth as a prequel to the original Alien series. Also, I'm basing my guess on the interviews that I've read or seen with the director/writer, Paul Anderson.

So, I'm thinking that they will shoehorn this franchise into the continuity of the original Alien films, by having Weyland Industries retrieve the Queen, and then realize her potential for bio-weapon's research. Then, they will begin exploiting this resource, and the second AVP film could chronicle how their insidious operation is shutdown. Most likely, Lex would return and realize that Weyland Industries was generating product based on Alien genetics. She would protest, and be branded a lunatic for her outrageous story. Then the Predator's would show up, since they would not want the human's breeding Aliens. In the end, the human's and Predator's would win, resulting in the complete annihilation of all Alien's and related genetic material. So, Weyland Industries would now know of the Alien's and their overall potential. This would then fit somewhat with continuity, since it would help to explain why The Company was so eager to locate and exploit an Alien at the beginning of the first Alien film.

As far as a male being needed to fertilize the retrieved Queen, It could be possible that a male Alien reached the surface prior to the explosion at the end of AVP. Or, perhaps just enough of an Alien male survived the explosion to allow the Weyland scientists to artificially inseminate the Queen.

In general, I don't think that continuity was much of a consideration for the makers of AVP. The accelerated life cycle of the Aliens is what bugs me the most. Paul Anderson has stated in interviews that this was a result of the Predator's pumping the Queen full of hormones and that the studio cut that explanation from the final theatrical cut. This explanation wasn't in the AVP novelization and I doubt that it will be explained in the director's cut of AVP. Speaking of the AVP novelization, It certainly wasn't up to par with Alan Dean Foster's work on the original Alien novelization. The descriptions of the Alien/Predator fights were repetitive and at one point there are hundreds of Aliens pursing Lex. Where did hundreds of Aliens come from? The entire thing just seemed rushed, much like the film.

Dave

[thomas7g]

Ya know... putting the Alien on Earth just don't make sense.... Its just too damn far of stretch for too little payoff.

The first Alien and Predator films were great pieces of cinematic art. The sequels weren't so much stories as they were rollercoaster rides. They were pretty dang fun. But light on imagination, ambiance, and story. Since then its been mostly crap for our bucks. This one is alot better than the last two aliens...but...

WEll... I'm hopping this puts a nail into these coffins.

:)