Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem (Unrated Edition)

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In AVP:REQUIEM, the audience sees that a transformation has occurred in the character of the Predator. While the Alien remains the same mindless gore hungry killer that Sigourney Weaver first encountered in the original, the Predator has slowly begun to morph from the skull collecting trophy hunter that Arnold Schwarzenegger faced to a hunter that has a purpose over and above killing its prey. With each Predator sequel, we learn a bit more about what motivates the species. To begin with, for the first time we see its home world. As the last sequel AVP ended, a dead Predator was headed home when an Alien burst from its incubated host, thus beginning this movie. His vessel crashes back to earth and a message is sent to the Predator home world. What is of interest is that in previous Predator films, the Predators share one trait with our own Navy Seals: they will not let one of their own fall into the hands of the enemy. A Predator undertakes a solo mission to bring back or avenge the death of his comrade. Thus, the focus of the movie is less on the plight of the beleagured humans and more on whether the avenging Predator will succeed. We care very little for the human beings since they are nearly faceless and interchangeable. There are no Sigourney Weavers to make us care about their collective fate. A entire town in picked off one by one. Further, for the umpteenth time we are told that a heartless and shadowy government has its own means to contain the threat, one that deals more with eliminating it than rescuing the threatened townspeople. By default, the focus of attention in on the sole Predator's mission. There is plenty of gore, including even a disturbing scene in which an Alien enters a hospital nursery to find rows of unguarded and helpless human babies and heavily pregnant mothers. Such scenes add little to the forward thrust of the film since we have been thoroughly desensitized by the mass spilling of blood by those whom we have not had time to know. The mission of the Predator is what holds the film's disparate parts together. To the Predator, humanity is unimportant except insofar as to provide an opportunity to clean up the mess left by his erstwhile comrade. This Predator is much like any celluloid hero. He fearlessly faces staggering odds and in one scene performs in a way that reminded me of Errol Flynn in THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON as Flynn faces an oncoming Souix horde with no bullets and can do little else than draw his saber to face his fate. I came close to cheering this Predator but the level of interchangeable human deaths led me to accept the view that AVP:REQUIEM was little more than an excuse to give a slightly different tack to a series that is rapidly running out of reasons for further sequels.

Guest

Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem (Unrated Edition)

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The bare bones of AVP-R is the Predator ship carrying the Pred-alien from the first AVP crashes back to Earth, and the mayhem that always accompanies Aliens trying to make babies ensues. Cue face-huggers. Cue bursting chest scenes. Cue clueless humans. Much running. Much screaming. Not much that is new. Except the Pred-alien, and the Predator with a Purpose.

What do you get when you cross an Alien, and a Predator? An Alien with quasi-dreadlocks and the ability to scare, intimidate, and/or command the other Aliens. Pred-alien. What do you get when Aliens over run the (at least, one of the) Predators' favorite hunting grounds? According to AVP-R: a Predator whose purpose is similar to a "cleaner" in organized crime - get rid of the evidence at all costs.

The actor playing this Predator, while wearing pounds of prosthetics, manages to out act all the other actors. He is introduced with a clinical, almost bored, attitude towards his pending Alien clean-up. As the movie progresses Ian Whyte - the actor portraying the Predator - successfully projects the surprise at the discovery of the Pred-Alien; determination to eradicate the Aliens; frustration at being unable to quickly wipe out the Aliens; and at the end, total primal fury while fighting to the death with the Pred-Alien. Kudos to Mr. Whyte.

The humans in AVP-R were simply fodder for the Aliens and the Predator. The acting is as one-dimensional as the cliched characters: unsure sheriff; bad boy come home; brother to bad boy; and solider returning from war, almost a stranger to family. Yeah...

I wasn't surprised to learn that the film's directors have experience making music videos. "Music Video" came to mind as I watched AVP-R, primarily during Alien/Pred-alien/Predator action scenes. Various moments lasting a few seconds, pasted together to give an impression, rather than a start to finish action scene. Very bad lighting, as well.

The directors' lack of theatrical experience is very evident in the scenes of "horror and carnage" which usually induce mocking laughter, instead of chills. To try and make up for the lack of skillfully done horror, the directors have the Aliens take out anybody, and everybody - babies, children, pregnant women, not pregnant women, men. The only things that weren't attacked by the Aliens were kittens, and teddy bears. Or, they were, and the scenes were edited out.

Arguably, the directors respected much of the Alien (except when it came to making baby Aliens) and Predator canon, and seemed to have passion for the characters, but they (the directors) just didn't have the experience to express it well on the screen. I'm hoping that their film making experience, and expertise, will eventually catch up to their passion.

Is this a good movie? Only when the Predator is on screen, despite the badly shot, and lit, fight scenes. Overall, AVP-R is much better than the first AVP. The first AVP is pretty to look at, but has no passion or purpose, other than to seemingly indulge Paul Anderson, as he thumbs his nose at all those who are not Paul Anderson. AVP-R is not very pretty to look at, but it's hard not to feel the director's passion for the Aliens, and the Predators. Definitely worth a look, but not if you have to pay full price. Wait for a sale. A really, really good sale.

The fast forward button is your friend with this DVD.

Guest

Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem (Unrated Edition)

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Very bad script. In the previous AVP, there were several Predators on the ship. The ship should not crash back to the earth. If it's another ship, after the crash, only aliens can survive?! Why only one predator came to do the clean up job?!The whole movie is shown in dark background and make it not enjoyable.Don't buy this movie, just rent it.

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