“Get To Da Exit!” - Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

By Roberto Alvarenga

AVP-R is that classic case of what happens when you let fans direct a film. Maybe the pressure to make a bloodier, scarier, and more action-packed follow-up to the original movie got to be too much for the directing Strause Brothers. Maybe it’s the writer’s fault (I hear that when in doubt, blame the writer). Unfortunately, we may never know who is to blame because there are that many things that is wrong with this film. As a fan of both the monster franchises, you want to see a film that can delve more into the mythos of both these iconic creatures and still keep the pulse pounding sci-fi action you are accustomed to. Aside from a few new teases, what we get is Evil Dead 2 featuring Aliens and Predator. You even get a knock off version of Bruce Campbell to boot.

The film actually shows a lot of promise in the first act by picking up right where the original left off with the “birth” of the Alien-Predator hybrid bursting out of our fallen Predator hero. The hybrid “grows-up” pretty fast and in its attack on the remaining Predators (I remember being more of them in the first film), the ship sustains fatal damages and crashes back to Earth, near a rural town in Colorado. From there of course all hell breaks loose. We then get our first glimpse of the Predator’s home world, where a lone Predator becomes aware of the crash and sets off on the greatest Alien hunt ever. Maybe if there were a way to just keep the story only on the two warring monsters, then maybe we would have had something but unfortunately there are human characters to introduce here.

Unfortunately because we are then exposed to some very cliché type characters that serve only as human fodder for the film. One by one, the film introduces its cast and their very weak back stories while still trying to keep us updated on the Alien invasion. Steven Pasquale plays the leather wearing prodigal rebel without a cause, Dallas, that returns home to see after his troubled teen sibling Ricky (Johnny Lewis) who is following in his convict brother’s footsteps. John Ortiz plays Morales, Dallas’ ex-partner in crime now turned town sheriff that is in over his head and will ultimately doom people by his uninformed decisions. None of these details play any relevance in the film. As a matter of fact, that goes for every character in the film with the exception of Kelly (Reiko Aylesworth), a soldier mom that comes home and tries to reconnect with her daughter, who has now only been accustomed to her dad being there. Had the film made this the major subplot, we might have had a very interesting and captivating movie.

The sci-fi action is all that one would hope for with these two deadly space species going after each other. In this respect, this film is far superior to its predecessor but it is hard to concentration and enjoy it with all the horrendous acting performances and shoddy dialogue. There are weak attempts at paying homage to both original monster franchises rampant throughout the film; we even get a “get to the chopper” line that comes off more lame than enjoyable. None of the characters are memorable; you even forget who the main characters are after a while. Pasquale’s performance looks more like a Bruce Campbell impersonation (a la Evil Dead) than anything credible. By the end of the movie, you really don’t care who lives or dies and in some ways you wish all would meet their demise.

If all you want is wall to wall Aliens vs. Predator action, then you will not be disappointed. Fans will be thrilled with the Predator showcasing more sophisticated weaponry than you can count and the new methods to how the Aliens infest their host. For a time in the movie, you do actually get a sense of dread and uncertainty with how the plot unfolds. As the infestation grows, the sense that this story may not have a happy ending does resonate with you. But that is quickly lost by the second act when the killings increase and the human’s common sense decreases. In trying to give the fans everything they want, the movie forgets to add any semblance of credibility with the inclusion of good writing and decent acting. We’re not looking for an Oscar winner here but that doesn’t mean you can be lazy about putting together a decent film, because in the end what this film does give the fans is mixed emotions.

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