Alien vs. Predator/AVP (2004) - No one wins with Anderson's fundamentally bad monster clash

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+ Most Undeserved Hit of the Year

The titular movie monsters of Paul W.S. Anderson's Alien vs. Predator come together on the poster with the film's seemingly accidentally honest tagline, - which makes it clear that audiences are in for a loss

Alien vs. Predator is an uninteresting spin-off, based on a 1989 comic book, which merges the two great alien-centered franchises, Alien and Predator.

Far below the Antarctica lies a pyramid, which some scientist types somehow awaken to life, and an intergalactic war between two extraterrestrial monster species takes form.

Whatever Lance Henriksen (Dark Awakening (2014)) is doing in this movie, I don't know; he played the robot Bishop in Aliens (1986) beautifully, - here he's another character in the plot set some 150 years before that movie takes place, who then supposedly later becomes the model for the future robot...
Building suspense, or creating engaging, full characters and/or scenes have either not been a priority for the three-person script team behind Alien vs. Predator, or they have just totally failed in their attempts. The responsible are Dan O'Bannon (Alien (1979)), Ronald Shusett (Total Recall (1990)), who both supplied story elements, and writer/director Paul W. S. Anderson (Resident Evil (2002)). Why the first two writers have felt obligated or enticed to do this to their fine, initial work in the Alien franchise is beyond me. Anderson, on the other hand, is a juggernaut of pointless action shlock such as this and seems permanently out of reach.
Alien vs. Predator is big and noisy, and that's about all you will remember from it just a few hours after having seen it. Take my advice: Try and avoid it.

Related posts:

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
The Alien franchise: Prometheus (2012) or, Even Then, Space Eggs Were Bad News
Alien: Resurrection (1997) or, Queen of the Goo Massacre! 
Alien 3 (1992) or, The Monsters Go to Jail!
Aliens (1986) or, Alien War
Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News!   
The Predator franchise: Predators (2010) - Antal, Rodriguez and Brody successfully take the sci-fi-action franchise back

Watch a short 'chest-burster' scene from the film here

Cost: 60 mil. $
Box office: 172.5 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 2.87 times its cost)
[Alien vs. Predator premiered 12 August (Puerto Rico and Thailand) and runs 101 minutes. The two central Alien master filmmakers, Ridley Scott (Alien) and James Cameron (Aliens (1986)) were both opposed to the film, however Cameron has later stated that he "liked it a lot." The story was set about 150 years before the first Alien (1979) and after Predator (1987), designed not to clash with anything already established in the franchises. Shooting took place in Italy, France and in Prague, the Czech Republic from October 2003 - ?. No less than 10 production companies were involved in the production. The film opened #1 to a 38.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another week in the top 5 (#4) and grossed a handsome 80.2 mil. $ (46.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 16.1 mil. $ (9.3 %) and the UK with 9.3 mil. $ (5.4 %). An even worse sequel, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) was made. The Predator franchise was rebooted with Predators (2010), and the Alien franchise had its next real chapter in Prometheus (2012). Anderson returned with Drift (2006, TV movie) and theatrically with Death Race (2008). Sanaa Lathan (Repentance (2013)) returned in The Golden Blaze (2005, video) and theatrically in Something New (2006); Raoul Bova (Ever Been to the Moon?/Sei Mai Stata Sulla Luna? (2015)) in Giovani Talenti Italiani (2004, video), Karol: A Man Who Became Pope/Karol, un Uomo Diventato Papa (2005, TV movie) and theatrically in I'll Do It Tonight/Stasera lo Faccio (2005); Henriksen in Keep Right (2004, short) and theatrically in Modigliani (2004). Alien vs. Predator is rotten at 21 % with a 4.06/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Alien vs. Predator?

Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News

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Perhaps the most famous tagline of all time, Ridley Scott's Alien's 'In space no one can hear you scream.'

The commercial spaceship the Nostromo is bound back for Earth, when the crew pick up a strange signal and discover an alien, non-friendly life form.

Alien is the brilliant science fiction classic, written by Dan O'Bannon (Dark Star (1974)) and directed by British master filmmaker Ridley Scott (Gladiator (2000)), which showed the world that a real horror movie could also take place in deep space.
The first three fourths of Alien are the best; quiet and uniquely creepy scenes one after the other. It is the slow yet always forward-moving pace and great character work that expand the film, together with a monster, the alien, which is likely the best movie monster of all time.
Ian Holm (Time Bandits (1981)) is very good as a cynical android, and Sigourney Weaver (The Girl in the Park (2007)) is equally terrific as Ripley, the survivor and heroine of the film.
Alien is the first of quite a few of his films that have immortalized Ridley Scott in film history.

Related posts:

Alien franchise: Prometheus (2012) or, Even Then, Space Eggs Were Bad News
AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) or, Everyone Loses
Alien: Resurrection (1997) or, Queen of the Goo Massacre!
Alien 3 (1992) or, The Monsters Go to Jail!
Ridley Scott: Prometheus (2012) or, Even Then, Space Eggs Were Bad News (Alien prequel)
Robin Hood (2010) - R. Scott's grand film of the English legend
American Gangster (2007) - Great American - now black - gangster picture
A Good Year (2006) or, Ridley Scott Likes Provence
Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Blade Runner (1982) - R. Scott's visual extravaganza, great SF

Top 10: Best future-set movies 

Even the trailer for Alien is scary. This is a film that is almost always worth another watch

Cost: Reportedly 11 mil. $
Box office: 104.9 - 203.6 mil. $ (varying accounts)
= Blockbuster (returned at least 9.53 times its cost)
[Alien was released 25 May and runs 117 minutes. Though an extended cut and a director's cut has been released, Scott has stated that he prefers the original theatrical cut, which he describes as the best version he could make at the time. The script was inspired by numerous sci-fi movies and other fiction, (just as the film itself would subsequently inspire numerous cultural products), not least the fascinating creature designs by H. R. Giger. Scott reportedly described the film as "the Texas Chain Saw Massacre of science fiction" to Fox executives to enhance the allotted budget, (which he had success with, especially due to the phenomenal success of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)). Filming took place in the Shepperton and Bray Studios in England for 14 weeks from July - October 1978. SPOILER The famous 'chest-burster scene' was done in one take with the actors not informed of what would specifically take place and thus reacting in genuine horror, which is caught effectively on film. SPOILER Scott reportedly wanted the film to end with the alien ripping off Ripley's head and taking over the ship, to which Fox raised objections, and which would have made the future of the franchise impossible (or at least vastly different, as the following three films also center on Ripley.) The film opened #1 to an incredible 3.5 mil. $ in just 91 theaters, widening out to 635 theaters in North America, where it grossed 80.9 mil. $ (77.1 % of the total gross if we accept the most commonly stated 104.9 mil. $ world gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 4.7 mil. $ (4.5 %) and Japan with 4.4 mil. $ (4.2 %). Several influential critics were unimpressed of the film initially, including Roger Ebert, Leonard Maltin and Vincent Canby. The film was nominated for 2 Oscars: It won for Best Visual Effects and lost Best Art Direction to All That Jazz. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe and 7 BAFTAs, of which it won 2. The film initially made an additional 40.3 mil. $ on VHS and Betamax sales in North America alone. It currently rests at #52 on IMDb's user-generated Top 250. Scott returned with a 1979 commercial for Channel No. 5 and theatrically with Blade Runner (1982). Weaver returned in 3 by Cheever (1979, miniseries) and theatrically in Eyewitness (1981). Alien is certified fresh at 97 % with a 9/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Alien?