Flamingbaby

Taking place right where the first movie left off, a Predator battles his way through Aliens and humans for the thrill of the hunt.  But, there is a twist.  What can be more fierce than an Alien or a Predator?  Why, a Predalien, of course.  I found this movie to be very entertaining, and if you were disappointed in the first AVP, this sequel may deliver the experience you were looking for.  I give this movie a B+...very good.  And, the review is spoiler free...for the most part.

Check out our Upcoming Must See Movie List that featured Aliens vs Predator Requiem. 

 

Alright...I am about to give my review of AVP2, but I bet you are dying to know how I ranked the first AVP movie so you can put this review into perspective.  To get this out of the way, I would give AVP a B.  I didn't have high expectations for the first movie.  In fact, when I found out the movie was going to take place in the present, my expectations were very low.  But, I found the movie to be enjoyable, and I liked the Alien/Predator fight scenes.   I also enjoyed the tie-in with Charles Bishop Weyland portrayed by, who else, Lance Henriksen.  The first AVP also incorporated the "pyramid" idea which was included in the original screenplay for Alien, written by Dan O'Bannon, before the Alien encounter was changed to to occur on the derelict spaceship.  Bottomline...there was a lot I liked about the first AVP movie that pleasantly surprised me. 

 

My expectations for AVP2 were a bit higher than they were for the first movie.  I have seen Aliens and Predators battle each other.  That novelty had worn off.  This movie would have to deliver more...and, it did:  The Predalien.  This movie picks up right where the first one left off...with the Predalien chestburster coming out of the fallen Predator.  This Predalien wreaks havoc aboard the Predator vessel causing it to crash back onto our planet.  Unfortunately for us humans, the Predators also have more facehuggers aboard the ship that escape after the crash landing.  All the Predators die but not before one sends a distress signal to what is presumably the Predator homeworld.  The Predator that receives this distress call sees the Predalien in the images sent with the signal.  That Predator alone comes to Earth to fight this new menace.  I will make an attempt not to spoil the movie any more than I already have.  All of the events I have described thus far happen at the very beginning of the movie. 

 

I have given AVP2 a B+.  There was a lot that I really enjoyed about this movie.  In AVP2, there is only one Predator to fight the Aliens instead of three.  This movie brought back the veteran Predator as opposed to the "Predators in training"  that were in the first movie.  So, one Predator is all that is needed, because he is a hard ass.  This Predator reminds me more of the one Arnold fought in the first Predator movie.  And, for those who disliked the Predator teaming up with humans in the first AVP movie, I promise you won't have to worry about that in AVP2.  This Predator is a hunter, and he hunts everything.  And, he doesn't want any assistance in taking down his Predalien prey. 

 

 

Besides being an amalgamation of two of the most dangerous species humans have ever come across, there is a twist to the life cycle of the Predalien.  I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say that a Predalien might not need an Alien Queen.  The Predalien also has a dominant personality that is very similar to the Alien Queen's.  He is the alpha male of his xenomorph brethren.  I still have the same complaint I had with AVP when it comes to the Aliens.  The gestation period for the chestburster is extremely short when compared to the longer gestation periods from the previous Alien movies.  As in the first AVP movie, as soon as the victims wake up from having the facehugger implant the embryo into their chest, the emergence of the chestburster occurs.  I'm sure this happens to move the story along a little more quickly, but as a fan of the Alien movies, I would like to have seen a more consistent version of the Alien life cycle.  This is only a small complaint and did not detract from the enjoyment of the movie...too much. 

 

Other things that prevented this movie from reaching the thresholds of greatness with an A rating...there was a little too much priority given to the human stories in AVP2.  You have teenage love, the return of military loved one, the return of a convict...I wouldn't mind focusing a little on the human element, but there seemed to be too much of it going on.  And, it detracted just a little from what I was there to see...Aliens fighting Predators.  It also seemed that the audience was getting to see the aftermath of attacks on humans as opposed to seeing the actual attack.  There is also the return of the evil Shaky Cam in some scenes.  Some of the final battle between the Predator and the Predalien was shot with Shaky Cam.  Since they look kinda similar, it was a little difficult to tell who was hitting who at some points.  And, I promised I would try not to spoil too much of the movie, but I wasn't crazy about how the Predator/Predalien climactic battle ended.  I guess it was necessary to keep the story line consistent with the Alien movies, but I think I would have liked to see it resolved differently.  But, there is a good scene added right before the credits role.  I think fans of the Alien movies will appreciate that final scene. 

 

 

 All of my criticisms of the movie only detracted from my enjoyment of the film a little.  Overall, I found the movie to be very entertaining.  Even if you did not like AVP, I think you might enjoy AVP2.  The Predators are better represented in this movie, and the Aliens have a new added twist to their life cycle.  There are a good amount of action scenes with a plot that doesn't try to overcomplicate itself.  Now, if they would only make an AVP movie in the Aliens timeline with Space Marines...that might get an A rating before I even watch it.

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