When audiences caught a glimpse of an alien skull mounted in the trophy cabinet of a Predator in the 1990 film PREDATOR 2, it seemed a franchise was about to be born. Sure enough, comic book artists immediately seized on the possibilities suggested by the brief scene, and a number of skirmishes between the deadly foes were played out on the printed page. Fans have had to endure a lengthy wait for a cinematic match-up, but writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson (EVENT HORIZON) has finally delivered the blood-splattered goods in ALIEN VS. PREDATOR. Set in the near future, a team of archaeologists lead by Charles Wiedland (Lance Henriksen, returning for more ALIEN action after appearances in the second and third films) ventures towards an inexplicable "hot zone" detected in Antarctica. Joined by Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan) and the requisite amount of human fodder for the otherworldly creatures to feast on, Wiedland and his cohorts discover a sizeable underground pyramid. Chaos ensues as they awake the Queen alien from her blissful slumber, causing face-hugging and chest-bursting scenes aplenty. But the ailing crew has a further quandary to grapple with in the shape of some fearsome Predators, who are using the aliens as bait for their offspring to brawl with in an ancient initiation ritual. With the human team trapped in the labyrinth-like pyramid, the battle evolves into a nail-biting three-way tussle between the archaeologists and their extraterrestrial adversaries. Fans of both the ALIEN and PREDATOR movies should find much to satiate their appetites here, and with an ending suggesting further hostilities between the pernicious coupling, this one looks set to run and run.
Theatrical Release: August 13, 2004
DVD Features:
2-Disc Set
Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
DTS 5.1 - English
Dolby Surround - Spanish, French
Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Disc 1: ALIEN VS. PREDATOR
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - 1. Paul W.S. Anderson - Director, Lance Henriksen, Sanaa Lathan - Stars
2. Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr. - Creature Special Effects Designers, John Bruno - Visual Effects Supervisor
Interactive Features:
Additional Interactive Features - Scene Selection for Unrated Additional Footage
Pop-Ups - Added Footage Marker
Disc 2: Supplemental Material
Additional Footage - "Marketing: HBO Special"
Behind the Scenes - 1. "Pre-Production: AVP The Beginning"
2. "Production: AVP Production"
3. "Post-Production: Visual Effects Breakdown"
Deleted Scenes With Optional Director's Commentary - (3)
Documentary - 1. "Licensing the Franchise: Aliens vs Predator the Comic Book"
2. "Monsters in Miniature"
Trailers - 1. Theatrical Trailers - (3)
2. Fox Product Trailers
Interactive Features:
Additional Interactive Features - 1. Branching Footage - ADI Workshop
2. Branching Video - (3)
Text/Photo Galleries - 1. Storyboard Gallery
2. Concept Art
Stars
Sanaa Lathan: American actress, ALIEN VS. PREDATOR
Raoul Bova: Italian Actor, AVENGING ANGELO (2002)
Ewen Bremner: Actor, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (2004)
Colin Salmon: Narrator, EMPIRES - HOLY WARRIORS (2005)
Tommy Flanagan Trio: Jazz Musicians
Lance Henriksen: American character actor, Bishop of ALIEN series/Millennium
Agathe de La Boulaye: Actor, ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (2004)
Carsten Norgaard: Actor
Director
Paul Anderson: British Director/ SHOPPING, MORTAL KOMBAT etc.
Producer
John Davis: Producer
Walter Halsey Davis: Screenwriter
Gordon Carroll:
Screenwriter
Paul Anderson: British Director/ SHOPPING, MORTAL KOMBAT etc.
Shane Salerno: Screenwriter, ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (2004)
Composer
Harald Kloser: GERMAN COMPOSER
Editor
Alex Berner: Editor, ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (2004)
Director of Photography
David Johnson: Director of Photography, British films, began in '90s
Executive Producer
Thomas M. Hammel:
Executive Producer
Wyck Godfrey: Producer, DADDY DAY CARE (2003)
Production Designer
Richard Bridgland: Production Designer, ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (2004)
Costume Designer
Miloslav Cisar: Costume Designer, ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (2004)
Review 1:
"[A] dark, handsome, well-designed film..."
Source: New York Times
B17 08/14/2004
Review 2:
3 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's all spectacle with big effects and ornate sets and speaker-rumbling noise..."
Source: Ultimate DVD
p.85 05/01/2007
Review 3:
"[C]reature-on-creature action that will set your inner adolescent stirring, if not quite bursting out of your chest."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.72-3 01/21/2005