Alien vs. Predator

Paul W. S. Anderson made another one of his classics, which doesn't fundamentally deviate from his abilities. It's such a shame that the story is incredibly banal because otherwise, it’s too long. It needed more thought, then one wouldn't just appreciate the great masks. This film just shows that in the new millennium, Aliens and Predators don’t have much of a place. (20/01/2015)

Alien is downgraded to a drooling game of hopscotch, leaving the remnants of its sophistication in the original tetralogy – and for that alone, Paul W.S. Anderson has failed me again this time. While it's more boredom than a major annoyance that the unappealing main characters have to spend time acquainting themselves with the chilling environment and themselves. But when the alien newborn hatches a few minutes after meeting the facehugger, the queen agilely scampers around, and the predator senselessly respects the insignificant human, I wearily bury my head in my hands and give up. Shameful. (28/12/2004)

To embrace Anderson's latest film is, figuratively speaking, not to put your hand in the popcorn, but to go straight into it with your whole body. Even then, AvP is hard to accept. That said, technically there is not much to complain about, the effects are fine, the animatronic models of the aliens are really good, and the film has a brisk pace. But a rather fundamental problem is the absence of two important ingredients in a movie, there’s hardly any atmosphere and suspense. And the script? Everything follows tried and tested templates, without any surprises, and a plot that is transparent and predictable. Anderson's basic idea of the story makes sense, but it's rather dumbed down. Besides, what must McTiernan have thought when he saw that his formerly uncompromising hunter had become a damsel in distress? Please don't do that. The 2 stars are too much, taking into account the fact that I don't like crossovers, and their cold financial cynicism. Now I'm just waiting for someone to come up with a Red Riding Hood vs. Batman movie. That would be awesome! (08/01/2005)

Alien vs. Predator is surprisingly well-filmed with nice special effects, dynamic editing and brisk action. And though the first fight between the Predator and the Alien was unwatchable, it still filled me with the rapture of my teenage years. What drags the film down to the level of average, however, is the UNBELIEVABLY stupid screenplay. The fact that Paul W.S. Anderson only steals wouldn’t matter so much, but the way that he sticks the stolen bits together with even more careless glue is a sight to see. With a better screenplay and longer runtime, this could have been excellent entertainment. P.S.: I was a bit bothered by the overall “humiliation” of the Alien race. Personally, I have more respect for it than I do for the plodding Predators. (08/11/2004)

For a horror movie it lacks even the slightest hint of atmosphere and, for an adaptation of an action game (or a comic book), it’s lacks action. Perhaps only the makeup deserves praise. A boring and uninteresting B-movie that you can see hundreds of on the shelves of video rental stores. Anderson was able to dishonor two legends in one film, so hopefully some skillful predator will find him and exact personal satisfaction for defamation. (10/02/2007)