Aliens Versus Predator out on DVD now....yeeeah I really hate to love Paul W.S. Anderson. Mortal Kombat, Event Horizon, Resident Evil, AVP. I reeeally hate to love him. Mediocrity at it's best, people!
Bitch Bucket said:Aliens Versus Predator out on DVD now....yeeeah I really hate to love Paul W.S. Anderson. Mortal Kombat, Event Horizon, Resident Evil, AVP. I reeeally hate to love him. Mediocrity at it's best, people!
I suppose you all know what a big fan I am of the Alien and Predator movies so what could be more exciting than an Aliens VS Predator movie? When I saw this in the theater I was way disappointed. My main gripe was its PG-13 rating. The lack of gore and language really set it apart from the previous Alien and Predator movies and while it was kinda fun to watch, it was essentially a popcorn muncher and not much more.
An R rated DVD directors cut version has been promised with an entire subplot that was dropped from the theatrical version but, sadly, it don't look like this is going to happen any time soon. Of course, being the Alien fan that I am, I bought it yesterday on DVD and figured for $15 at Costco waddya want?
After viewing it again in the comfort of my home I had to reassess the whole move and I love it! Most of the cast is so lame that I was finding myself routing for the Aliens and Predators, Yay kill the stupid humans! Well all except for Lance Henrikson, who reprises his role as Bishop, the original human version and Sanaa Lathan, who may not be a "Ripley" but ya gotta admire anyone who can befriend a predator.
The sets are incredible and totally believable, vast and huge and eerie. The Pyramid is an amazing maze of puzzles and traps and the sense of mass and weight is fully realized. The action is just about non stop and the whole thing is a visual feast for fans of the series. Ok so it's ridden with cliches gleaned from all 4 Alien and both Predator movies, but they are more tributes and a tip O' the hat to those movies than a rip off of them. I won't give away too much so not to spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it.
I think a lot of the movies poor press is because it was unfairly compared to the other Alien and predator movies. The movie actually owes just as much, if not more of a debt to the Dark Horse Aliens and Predator comics. Dark Horse started the whole fucking Aliens VS Predator thing in the first place. Indeed, the Dark Horse comics did much to keep the whole Aliens and predator mythos alive in the early 90s. I think this movie draws much good influence from both the Dark Horse comics and the earlier movies and while basically still a popcorn Muncher, it has a lot of re-watch ability and holds a good place in ones DVD collection.
Picture quality is great, if a bit compressed, there's an awful lot of stuff on here for one disc! Two audio commentaries, Dolby Digital and DTS, a making of, out-takes and all kind of other bullshit are a bit much for a single disc. Why do I love Superbit DVDs? The sound quality, especially the DTS is mind blowingly devastating!
Review equipment: Sony XBR34910 16 by 9 34" HD monitor, Pioneer Elite DV37 DVD player, Yamaha RXV-800 receiver, Bowers and Wilkens Matrix Surround speakers. Six cans of Genesee Cream ale.
screw_ball said:THE PARKINSON'S INFLICTED CRACKHEAD CAMERAMAN WAS HAVING A GODDAMN SEIZURE.