Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Release Date:
December 25, 2007
Movie of the Day for Saturday, September 22, 2007
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On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 91/94 |
Shane Jenkins |
Worse than the first, which is quite an achievement. |
| 177/214 |
Max Braden |
I realize the darkness makes things scarier, but there's a point at which you just can't see what's going on. |
When two bad-ass alien life forms from different film franchises (of vastly different quality) finally meet on film, it's a time for rejoicing. But when that film grosses $80 million at the box office and those same characters return for a sequel – well, that's a time for much rejoicing (for the studio accountants, not for discerning film fans). Alien vs. Predator: AVP2 is the movie for people who think that neither the Alien nor the Predator got enough killing in during their combined six original films and AVP.
Here's an indicator of just how much is expected of the film: the most recognizable member of the cast is Steven Pasquale, best known as the dim-witted fire fighter Sean on TV's inestimable Rescue Me. That's certainly no slam on Pasquale, who does great work on Rescue Me and very possibly will heroically kill an Alien, a Predator, or both during the course of AVP: AVP2. The ostensible plot of AVP: AVP2 is that the Aliens are at war with the Predators and, as such, have decided to take that war to a small town where the residents are not expecting a war between Aliens or Predators. Of course, the residents must then come together as a community to save themselves. Essentially, this makes the movie really Alien vs. Predator vs. Small Town. Perhaps AVPVST2 is too unwieldy a title.
The movie studio worked to brand the first Alien vs. Predator as "AVP" and has subsequently titled the sequel Alien vs. Predator: AVP2. That's right; the title of the sequel is Alien vs. Predator: Alien vs. Predator 2. I can see why they didn't want to muddy the waters by involving the small town in the title, which would have thrown a wrench into their carefully thought-out marketing plan. In any case, nobody is expecting even an MTV Movie Award nomination out of this movie, which is likely to include a significant number of explosions and special effects. In fact, directors Colin and Greg Strause have an impressive background in visual effects (X-Men 3; both Fantastic Four movies; The Day After Tomorrow), so the film should be, at a minimum, fun to look at. (Les Winan/BOP)
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