Alien versus Predator: Requiem

WHEN Alien vs Predator (AvP) hit the screens in 2004, it represented a major milestone for two popular and enduring franchises.
An army of sci-fi and horror fans spanning a generation eagerly awaited the result of these two ferocious creatures doing battle.
The resulting film, however, left nothing but a sour taste in the mouth with its half-baked and ill conceived plot and direction.
It is somewhat surprising then that Alien vs Predator: Requiem, a direct sequel to the original got past the production phase.
Continuing straight after the first instalment, a predator spaceship crash-lands in a small town in Colorado when an alien-predator hybrid (basically an alien with dreadlocks) is unleashed.
Aliens escape and cause carnage but not before a distress signal is sent off to the predator homeworld, where a lone warrior answers the call...
The battles are satisfying and the movie goes some way in recapturing the spirit of the originals with its uncompromised 18-certificate rating but there are also a lot of problems.
For example, the lone predator is determined to cover the aliens’ tracks (with a strange blue liquid) but is content to leave his own mangled prey on proud display.
Meanwhile, the pred-alien hybrid is also able to impregnate humans — this makes no sense in the context of the other films.

This is the first full length movie directed by The Brothers Strause and it is clear the pair must have been big fans of the Predator films.
Unlike the rather robust-looking predator in the first AvP, the new predator is almost a homage to the excellent 1987 film.
The aliens on the other hand — which have enjoyed a largely distinguished reputation in movie history — shamefully lacked the fear factor or style from their earlier incarnations.
Even the human characters leave much to be desired as the viewer is given superficial glimpse into their lives before they are killed in a variety of horrible ways.
24’s Reiko Aylesworth plays an ex-soldier and tries to replicate the appeal of Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley but can’t quite pull it off.
If you’re a fan, it’s worth a watch and it’s certainly better than the first but don’t expect to be enthralled.