Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46806 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-09-24
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 104 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
In delivering non-18-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 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. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
When audiences caught a glimpse of an alien skull mounted in the trophy cabinet of a Predator in the 1990 film PREDATOR 2, it seemed a franchise was about to be born. Sure enough, comic book artists immediately seized on the possibilities suggested by the brief scene, and a number of skirmishes between the deadly foes were played out on the printed page. Fans have had to endure a lengthy wait for a cinematic match-up, but writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson (EVENT HORIZON) has finally delivered the blood-splattered goods in ALIEN VS. PREDATOR. Set in the near future, a team of archaeologists lead by Charles Wiedland (Lance Henriksen, returning for more ALIEN action after appearances in the second and third films) ventures towards an inexplicable 'hot zone' detected in Antarctica. Joined by Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan) and the requisite amount of human fodder for the otherworldly creatures to feast on, Wiedland and his cohorts discover a sizeable underground pyramid. Chaos ensues as they awake the Queen alien from her blissful slumber, causing face-hugging and chest-bursting scenes aplenty. But the ailing crew has a further quandary to grapple with in the shape of some fearsome Predators, who are using the aliens as bait for their offspring to brawl with in an ancient initiation ritual. With the human team trapped in the labyrinth-like pyramid, the battle evolves into a nail-biting three-way tussle between the archaeologists and their extraterrestrial adversaries. Fans of both the ALIEN and PREDATOR movies should find much to satiate their appetites here, and with an ending suggesting further hostilities between the pernicious coupling, this one looks set to run and run.

Customer Reviews

Not Definitive may never be
I have seen a fourth version of this film in the cinema when it first came out. The version I have seen is not out on DVD. I bought the Definitive (unrated) edition DVD with the extra 8 minutes thinking that would have everything, but there is more. The definitive edition does not have the Alien Queen being injected to speed up the growth of the Aliens, I remember that bit distinctly. I also believe there is greater character development of the Blond haired Girl before they leave the ship. This really winds me up that these are probably small extra bits that must be somewhere but they have been cut out of the DVD

Whoever wins... We lose
The tagline said it all - we lost.

We all lost - the fans of both franchises, the general cinema going public, and anyone who has the misfortune to see the film either on DVD or TV.

Unlike the previous films, AvP was made to appeal to teenagers. That in itself isn't such a bad thing - an 18-rating doesn't make a film great. An intelligent script, implemented by a good director, can produce a thrilling film with a `15', `12', or even a `PG ` rating that makes economical use of gore but which ramps up the suspense and action.

However, in this case, there is no evidence of any intelligence in the script or any flair from the director (who wrote the screenplay.) Some curious decisions - such as ditching the Alien life cycle, (set-up in Alien and adhered to in all the other sequels,) - upset fans of the Aliens franchise while fans of the Predator films were upset by equally ludicrous ideas about how Predators react - such as the friendship formed between a Predator and the human heroine.

Since they're making a sequel I assume the studio made money from this film, so it looks like our loss was the studios gain.

I only hope the sequel is better - much, much better - than this...

Glad I only watched it on TV
Pretty poor stuff. While Alien 3 and 4 had their flaws, and were pale shadows of what they could have been (especially 3), they did have some original and interesting ideas in the mix. This, on the other hand, is paper-thin. The set-up is just a bit too far-fetched and silly, and the shock/violence content borders on insipid. Not sure if one can blame the acting or the script, but the characters are just not engaging, and the humans mostly get killed off too quickly and too perfunctorily.

Have to say I always thought the Alien movies, even the worst of them, were in another league to the more formulaic (and generally less well acted) Predator ones anyway.

(Also a bit puzzled what Lance Hendrikson's character is supposed to be - how come he's physically identical to what must be his (umpteen-greats) grandson in Alien 3, eh? Presumably the eagerness to have at least some link to the franchise proper got the better of logic.)