Alien VS Predator

Two of Hollywood's most iconic creatures duke it out - but whoever wins, we lose...

It's long been every science fiction fan's dream to see two of Hollywood's most iconic creatures duke it out for the title of the most bad-ass Alien ever, but now the dreaming stops: the geek-laden speculation pervading the most hardcore corners of fandom will grind to a halt: the showdown that movie fans have been waiting for will be upon us come August 13th, when the unearthly and terrifying Alien faces off against the stealth and brutality of the Predator.

Games and comic book musings aside, the truth is that neither of these could present the fans with the same credibility as a movie incarnation: these creatures were born on the cinema screen, so it's only fitting that the fight to determine the ultimate victor take place on celluloid. With that, Twentieth Century Fox and Director Paul Anderson have made a film to end the conjecture that started as idle playground banter all those years ago.

On that note, it should be made clear that this film is based neither on the Dark Horse comic book series nor the recent video games; rather, Paul Anderson and Twentieth Century Fox will be hoping to carve out their own place in the minds of fandom with this effort. As you might expect from a film so focused on two of the 20th century's most recognised monsters, the story is doomed to play second fiddle to the monster mash, but there is a story to be had, if only to explain the how's and why's of the ultimate showdown.

Set in the present day, Multi-Billionaire industrialist Charles Weyland (Lance Henrikssen - yes, the same one who played Bishop in Aliens!) leads an archaeological expedition to the Antarctic cap with the intent of finding ancient ruins, believed to pre-date the earliest constructs of mankind - it is also believed that based on this assertion, an Alien race may have inhabited the earth long before humankind did.

On reaching one of the ancient pyramids, the team discover the remains of both humans and another, unknown type of being. Unfortunately for them, the discovery of fresh remains suggests that there may be living Alien specimens still lurking in the ruins. As if the team wasn't already in over its head, this discovery peaks the interest of some other visitors to the ruins, namely five young Predators who have come to earth in order to fulfil a hunting ritual.

The plot may scream teen movie, but even before the conceptual stage, nobody seriously believed this movie would carry a deep and thoughtful narrative. The story is in place to serve as a pretext to the clash of modern monster icons. What is certain is Paul Anderson's ability to pull off some impressive action direction, seen in both the mildly entertaining Resident Evil and delightfully cheesy Mortal Kombat. The only worry is that the supporting cast might end up with far too much screen time, when the star attractions should rightfully be given every spare second of film time there is.

Twentieth Century Fox will no doubt be looking very closely at the box office takings this August, as should this film prove to be a success, we might just finally see sequels to both Alien, and Predator. With last year's Terminator 3 proving a success, there's every reason to believe that Alien vs. Predator can repeat it.

Jamie Thomson
Film Critic, Kikizo Movies