AVP-R
ALIENS VS. PREDATOR REQUIEM

"Launch the missile"

As the Predator ship breaks Earth orbit with the fallen hunter laid in state, an Alien-Predator hybrid bursts from his crest. When the creature grows to fun size it instinctively attack, decimating the unsuspecting crew and causing the ship to crash land in the forest surrounding the peaceful town of Gunnison. With alien facehuggers searching for humans to impregnate and the Hybrid escaping the crash unharmed, the Predator homeworld receives the distress call from the fallen ship and a lone warrior is dispatched to clean up the situation. The problem is that town folk are now going to be caught in the middle of an extremely bloody war.

Bringing together two of cinema's biggest movie monsters is nothing new and after the box office success of the original 'AVP' can Aliens fighting Predators still set the cinema alight?

Both 'Alien' and 'Aliens' are two of the most respected and critically acclaimed movies in science fiction history and even though the third and fourth movies were not as good, the whole mythos behind the Alien creatures has a dedicated and fanatical fan base. While not as successful, the 'Predator' movies also gained the franchise a strong following but it wasn't until Dark Horse comics brought the two titans of science fiction creatures together that Hollywood saw a potential for a new franchise.

2004 saw 'AVP: Aliens vs. Predator' smash onto the silver screen but while it wasn't exactly hit with critics or 'Alien' aficionados, it still managed to make enough of an impact at the box office to warrant a sequel. Now we have 'AVP-R: Aliens vs. Predator Requiem' but the problem is that it doesn't quite have the same impact as the mediocre first film.

At the end of the original movie, an Alien/Predator hybrid burst from the chest of the fallen hero Predator. The sequel picks up from this point and shows the affect that this new species of alien had on the ship, bringing it down in the forest surrounding the picturesque town of Gunnison. As the Aliens multiply, feed and impregnate the local residents, a lone Predator heads to earth to clear up the evidence of the ship's crash and begin the hunt against the new alien threat. Of course the town's population are caught up in the middle of this war but they are simply prospective casualties to be killed in even increasingly gruesome ways. While the first movie at least explored the back-story of the conflict between, this really does nothing to continue this plotline until the very last moments of the film, meanings that it is just an excuse for a visual effects filled battle to the death.

The cast is filled with TV actors and ones that have made a career of small supporting roles, as they are basically fodder for the confrontation. 'Rescue Me' actor Steven Pasquale and '24' actress Reiko Aylesworth are the main characters Dallas and Kelly but they are just the human leaders who try and survive the alien carnage or getting in the Predator's way. The rest of the cast are typically dumb high school students and country sheriff department or national guards caught up in the battle.

'AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator Requiem' suffers from not advancing the story introduced in the first movie until the final moments, this will come as a disappointment to fans. While the action quota has been upped, the complete lack of plot advancement means that this is just a mindless, sci-fi gore fest, and not a very good one at that.

PICTURE & SOUND

The Blu-Ray disc presents the movie in High Definition wide screen 2:40 up to 1080p, with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary by directors Colin and Greg Strause and producer John Davis
The directors and their producers talk about their first movie, how they became involved and what they have added to the history of these two classic movie monsters. This is a chatty track that reveals the enthusiasm of the directors and their knowledge of the franchises. Fans of the film will enjoy this commentary.

Commentary by Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis
The creature effects co-designers talk about their history with both franchises and provide a more technical commentary for 'AVPR'. Talking about how the effects were achieved and the processes behind bringing the creatures to live.

Weyland - Yutani Archives
View video footage and read text information about the Xenomorphs (Aliens) and the Yuatja (Predators). This is presented as a high definition database and is very impressive for fans of both creatures.

Prepare for War: The Making of AVPR (15.51 mins/Standard Definition)
Directors Colin and Greg Strause, producer John Davis, editor Dan Zimmerman, director of photography, creature effects co-producers Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis and stars John Ortiz, Reiko Aylesworth, Ariel Gade and Ian Whyte take you through the production of 'AVPR'. The group talking about the casting process, working with brother directors, shooting many of the visual effects in camera, the creature suits and upping the violence for this new film.

Fight to the finish: The Making of AVPR (12.14 mins/Standard Definition)
Directors Colin and Greg Strause and editor Dan Zimmerman talk about the post-production process for 'AVPR'. The trio discusses the different cuts of the films, the deleted scenes, the use of visual effects both CG and in camera.

AVPR: The Nightmare Returns: Creating the Aliens (7.33 mins/Standard Definition)
Directors Colin and Greg Strause and creature effects co-producers Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis talk about the evolution of the Alien throughout the franchise. They chat about how the creature suit has changed over the course of the movies, the construction of Facehuggers and Tom Woodruff Jr's performance in the suit.

AVPR: Primitive Design: Creating the Predator (10.25 mins/Standard Definition)
Directors Colin and Greg Strause and creature effects co-producers Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis talk about the evolution of the Predator from the original two movies and on to the two AVP movies. For this movie, they reveal that this is a mature Predator, one that is battle hardened and the concept designs that brought it to life.

Crossbreed: The PredAlien (8.20 mins/Standard Definition)
Directors Colin and Greg Strause and creature effects co-producers Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis reveal the concepts and designs behind creating a Predator and Aliens hybrid. Taking you through the development and design process for the creature, this is a fascinating insight into creature creation.

Building the Predator Homeworld (10.25 mins/Standard Definition)
Directors Colin and Greg Strause and visual effects artist Matthew Santoro take you through the creation of the Predator homeworld, seen for the first time on film.

AVPR: The Science of the Xenomorph (11.17 mins/Standard Definition)
Fans, science fiction authors and scientists talk about the impact of the Alien and if their habits are comparable to real animals and insects natural habits on Earth.

AVPR: Science of the Hunter (10.45 mins/Standard Definition)
Fans, science fiction authors and scientists talk about the advanced technology and primal nature of the Predator. Looking at its weapons, the cloaking device, interstellar travel and its biology, this is a fascinating insight into the Predator.

Deleted Scenes (20.50 mins/High Definition)
Entitled 'Extended Mothership', 'Extended Dallas and Morales', 'Predator arrival', 'Kelly and Tim on couch', 'Search party commences', 'Sewer battle', 'Extended Dallas and Morales in the bar', 'Extended Power Plant', 'Extended High School pool', 'Morales responds to call, 'Extended Dallas and Morales in the pool', 'Extended Carrie's death', 'Cemetery', 'Extended National Guard in Town', 'Big Dean's', 'Extended Maternity Ward' and 'Extended roof top battle', these deleted or extended scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary or an introduction to reveal why they were removed.

Still Galleries
Views production stills and publicity shots entitled 'Designing the Predator', 'Designing the Alien', 'Designing the PredAlien', 'On Set Rooftop', 'On Set Sewer', 'On Set The Hive' and 'Cast and Crew'.

Theatrical Trailer
Watch the trailer that previewed the film on the Internet and in cinemas.

Trailers
Previews of Hitman and I-Robot

OVERALL

The Blu-Ray treatment for AVPR is exceptionally good, as is has been with all Alien and Predator releases. With two commentaries, comprehensive featurettes and the interactive database, this is an exceptional special features package that fans should revel in.

BLU-RAY

AVP: Alien vs Predator

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2008