AVP Sneaks In

More About

• Ian Whyte
• Resident Evil: Apocalypse
• Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

Hey, Fox marketing people? If you have a cinematic franchise that you wish to keep vibrant, calling the latest installment Requiem is a bad idea. As is stealing the ending from Resident Evil: Apocalypse, of all things. But aside from that, we who love the inherent notion of pitting slimy, Giger-inspired extraterrestrial bugs against giant ass-whupping reptile Rastafarians can give credit where credit is due in regard to Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem -- we've long suggested that a movie of such a battle be filmed sans dialogue or talky humans, and for about half this new movie, you've actually obliged. The main storyline, which follows an oddly Schwarzenegger-esque Predator to Earth where he has to dispose of Alien evidence and defeat a deadly new hybrid critter, is nicely done. As the Predator, Ian Whyte is leaner, meaner and more physically expressive than previous incarnations. He also manages—despite being under a helmet, with no intelligible dialogue—to out act all the puny people (no-name actors playing no-name characters getting way more screen time than they deserve). Chopped down to 40 minutes, this could be a wickedly cool short; as is, it's a passable slasher that's still nowhere near the space smackdown we geeks have long imagined.
Dec. 26-Jan. 15, 2007