Alien Vs. Predator

When it was announced last year that the Alien Vs. Predator movie was finally in production, fan boys around the world could hardly contain themselves. Coming on the heels of Freddy Vs. Jason, it seemed like the studios were finally rewarding fans for their years of loyalty. Freddy vs Jason delivered in a big way. It stayed true to both franchises and made no compromises.

The early trailers for A Vs.P looked promising. Director Paul W. S. Anderson was at the helm, and it looked like he had crafted an exciting entry in this new hybrid franchise. Imagine my surprise then, when on my way to work Friday I heard a radio spot for A Vs. P that ended with the tag, "Rated PG-13."

I nearly pulled the car over. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. All four Alien films and both Predator movies were rated R and featured strong language, gore and adult situations. Now I'm aware that the line between PG-13 and R has gotten thinner, but I still couldn't help but feel that the film would suffer. It was clear to me that in what was most likely an attempt to market the film to as wide a demographic as possible, 20th Century Fox had decided that PG-13 was the way to go.

As it turns out, the PG-13 rating was the least of the movie's problems. While Alien Vs. Predator was enjoyable, it ignored several rules that both franchises had long ago established, and in doing so a disservice was done to long-time fans. The action sequences were cut together in an MTV style that made things hard to follow, and the lack of gore robbed most scenes of the big "pay off" that fans of both franchises have normally been afforded.

Alien Vs. Predator is the weakest of both franchises, but even with all of its faults, it stacked up as a satisfying "leave your brain at the door" experience.