“Alien vs Predator” (20th Century Fox)
“Alien vs Predator” is one of those “jump the shark” movies that comes about when the franchises have just about reached the total end of their run. But in this instance the film works because the two monsters doing battle are fun, funny, and frightening.
In the film a satellite has discovered a heat source at the South Pole. Billionaire Charles Bishop Wayland (Lance Henriksen) assembles a crew to go there and find out what is trapped beneath the surface. Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan) is chosen to head up the team.
Once the team gets to the South Pole the film quickly becomes the monster version of “Ten Little Indians.” One by one the team is picked off by either the “alien” or the “predator.” These two life forms are there to do battle and the humans just get in the way.
Yes, the whole movie is about the battle between the two species and that is what makes for most of the fun. The “aliens” are horrible looking monsters that have rows of sharp teeth and drip acid in their wake. The “predators” can be either invisible or not and they are encased in hoods and shields. Once they remove their helmets, yuuuuk!
Lathan is the only actor to make an impression and she is wonderful in the role of leader and last gal standing. She is believable in the fear department as well as in the athletic prowess required by her role. It may not be her proudest moment in acting, but it also isn’t the embarrassment it could have been.
The film is surprisingly rated PG-13 and this is a lenient rating as the film has profanity and a good deal of violence.
There are moments in “AVP” that are intentionally funny and some that are not. Still humor helps balance the horror of the movie and makes it more enjoyable than it has any right to be.
I scored “Alien vs Predator” an out of this world 5 out of 10.
