Written by Pollo Misterioso
Blood, aliens, predators, and carnage. Not much more is needed in a cult science fiction film. Directors of Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, Colin and Greg Strause kept it that way and it is exactly what it needed to be.
This would be the fourth film that Predator has made an appearance and the sixth for the creatures referred to as Aliens. Being that the first AvP was so successful, it was time to make a sequel where the war between the two species continues.
Requiem begins with the creation of Predalien: an alien that came from a Predator host. Once this species takes over the Predator ship, it crashes into Earth and begins its usual breeding rituals. From the Predator homeland, a Predator is sent out to destroy this creature and other aliens that are there. The humans, not knowing what is happening in their town, call in the National Guard, and only our nuclear weapons can save us.
The war between Aliens and Predators in this film plays out more like a game of cat and mouse. The Aliens get to have all the fun, terrorizing this innocent town. Predator is on clean-up duty—erasing all evidence of what has happened, all while trying to track down the Predalien to seek revenge.
Requiem plays like a silent movie. Many of the scenes are without dialogue, being that our main characters do not speak. In fact, with the very few lines of dialogue that there are, there is no real information given. Unlike the first AvP, humans are not friends and the humans are not what drive the story. The people are not what matters here, they just play as carnage.
This film is eye-candy for Alien and Predator lovers. There is a creation of a new creature and the death toll is impressive and graphic. Let’s say that they don’t bother with any horror genre codes: the children, the women and even the pregnant women are killed off. Before, humans had stumbled into their territory, now the creatures have fallen into ours and the humans are not ready for it.
Of course, there are many expectations to be held in a movie like this. Requiem tries to pay homage to its proceeding films, but these moments are forced and shallow. One of our characters screams, “Get to the chopper!”—but if it’s not Arnold, don’t remind us that it’s not Arnold.
In previous films, there was always a seriousness and undertone of technology and man. AvPR does not carry this tone, but makes an interesting point by the end of the movie. It is the humans that end up killing off both of the creatures and our government that okayed for the killing of the entire town to do so. In the last moments of the film, there is a chilling reality that we are our worst enemy.
This film plays perfectly within the genre that it is a part of, never taking itself too seriously all while being entertaining. If you are in the mood to see some of the most famous sci-fi creatures battle on screen, with lots of human wreckage, see this film.
The DVD extras are definitely for true fans of these films. Some of my favorite featureetes include “Creating the Predalien” and “Building the Predator Homeworld.” There are three other featurettes, deleted scenes, still photo galleries and commentary by the directors and producers. This is worth watching if you are interested in the production and background of these characters.
