For 4 movies: Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, Predator 2, and Alien Vs. Predator, the formula was there but the execution was poor, and I was left disappointed in lost potential every single time. For all those movies, it was like opening a Christmas present and being disappointed by what was in that box. Today, on Christmas Day, 2007, I opened my box office present and was not disappointed.
I even approached the theater thinking, will it be like Alien Vs. Predator? Good story, movie lacking? Alien 3, pathetic cash in on a franchise? Predator 2? Danny Glover replacing Arnold Schwarzeneger? Alien Resurrection? Just ok?
No, it wasn't!

Aliens Vs. Predator-Requiem was very similar to what made Aliens such a hit, action, suspense, gun fire, people and aliens dying and killing one another.
Aliens Vs. Predator-Requiem has a lot of parallels to Aliens. You have a group of armed people running from Aliens, not knowing what these things are, and why they are after them. They are together, fighting, and just trying to survive, also, they are led by a woman who just so happens to have a little girl with her. Much like Ripley and Newt, only this little girl doesn't have as many lines as Newt, nor is she as annoying in being a little know it all.

The movie begins with a Predator spacecraft crashing into the Forest in a town in Colorado, onboard were Alien face huggers and some Predators. After the crash, all hell starts breaking loose as Aliens do what Aliens have done best for 5 previous movies- walk around and kill people, and kill people who aren't normally killed in a movie, which is a nice treat because Aliens shouldn't discriminate. Then along comes a Predator to try to restore order, well, sort of.

The Aliens in this latest movie seem more advanced than their predecessors. The Aliens have continued to take on some of the traits of their host victim, but these appear to be faster at gestation period, and their acid blood seems to be far more potent, as it does something not seen in any previous movies. They also have a few more skills we haven't seen before, which I was left thinking, oh cool, they can do that? That means a lot more Aliens! Predator has remained mostly unchanged. He's got a few new toys he brings with him, and the final fight is very similar to the fight in the original Predator. Why mess with success when you can do an homage to it?

The people in the movie are largely fodder for Aliens and Predators, as well they should be. We didn't go to see the people win, but there are people we want to see live, and there are people we really, really want to see die. There are some surprises in who does or doesn't live. There is a bit of a disappointment for me in how one person in particular got killed. I was hoping for something more along the lines of when Bishop is torn in half and his two parts are thrown aside at the end of Aliens, but the guy still seemed to get a nice painful death, even if it wasn't graphic or long enough. Maybe that's just a reflection on me, and perhaps my friends are correct, that I'm just not right, but that's ok with me.

The film as a whole was a bit dark, it could have been brighter, and I was thinking, with a franchise that has 7 movies in it's collective line to draw upon, the studio could maybe have given a bit more financial support to make the film brighter, and more detailed. The sound was bad, I don't know if it was the theater I was at or the film, but there were a lot of times where the sound just had breaks in it, or dropped noticeably in volume where it didn't seem to be appropriate. I'll chalk that up to mediocre editing.

In summary, if you liked Aliens, especially the section of the film where the Marines realize they are cut off, they have a huge problem, and need to escape, then you'll be a big fan of this latest installment of the franchise. This movie follows a lot of what goes on in that last hour or so of Aliens. Although the ultimate ending is pretty predictable, there is a nice twist at the end which leaves you thinking, oh, nice! Maybe we'll get another movie in a year or two.

I know I sure hope so, because they got this one right.

Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older