emlogomain.jpg

Main
Facebook
Tumblr
News/ Updates
DVD Reviews
DVD Reviews 2017 to 2024
Blu-ray Reviews
2024 BLu-ray and 4K UHD Reviews
2023 Blu-ray and 4K UHD Reviews
2022 Blu-ray and 4K UHD reviews
Blu-ray Reviews 2021
Movie Reviews
Movie Reviews 2019 to 2024
TV
Interviews
Movie Review: DUNE PART TWO
Blu-ray Review: THE MOON
Blu-ray Review: DIVINITY
Blu-ray Review: APOCALYPSE TETRALOGY
Bluray Review: THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER
DVD Review: INTO THE ABYSS
Blu-ray Review: THE EXPENABLES 4
4K Blu-ray Review: THE CREATOR
4K Blu-ray Revew: TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A.
Blu-ray Review: FOG CITY
4K BR Review: OPPENHEIMER
Blu-ray Review: BLUE BEETLE
Movie Review: THE MARVELS
Blu-ray Review: TALK TO ME
4K Blu-ray Review: SCREAM 3 steelbook
Blu-ray Review: THE CRIMSON RIVERS 2
4K bluray review: THE BLOB 4K steelbook
Blu-ray Review: ON THE SILVER GLOBE
Blu-ray Review- BABYLON 5: THE ROAD HOME
Blu-ray Review: GOD IS A BULLET
Blu-ray Review: SKY PIRATES
Blu-ray Review: SISU
Blu-ray Review- HOLLYWOOD DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES
Movie Review: COLONIALS
4K Blu-ray Review: NIGHTBREED
Movie Review- MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
Blu-ray Review: STONE COLD
Blu-ray Review: ONE RANGER
Blu-rayReview: THE FLASH
blu-ray Review: MAD HEIDI
4K Blu-ray Review: THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE
4K Blu-ray Review: DRAGONSLAYER steelbook
4K Blu-ray Review: STREETS OF FIRE
Blu-ray Review: A MAN CALLED OTTO
Blu-ray Review: THE CRIMSON RIVERS
4K Blu-ray Review: THE ITALIAN JOB (1969)
4K Blu-ray Review: EVENT HORIZON
4K Blu-ray Review: CLOVERFIELD steelbook
4K Blu-ray Review: ACCION MUTANE
4K Blu-ray Review: WINGS OF DESIRE steelbook
Blu-ray Review- DOCTOR WHO: THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN
Blu-ray Review: SAMPO
Movie Review- AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
Bluray Review: HALLOWEEN ENDS
4K Blu-ray review: HIGHLANGER Director's Cut steelbook
4K BR Review- STTMP The Complete Adventure
Blu-ray Review: MOONAGE DAYDREAM
Blu-ray Review: NO ESCAPE
Blu-ray Review: GINGER SNAPS TRILOGY
Blu-ray Review: I'M DANGEROUS TONIGHT
Blu-ray Review: THE INVITATION
Movie Review: HALLOWEEN ENDS
Movie Review: HELLRAISER (2022)
Blu-ray Review: AFTER BLUE
DVD Review: DEUS
Blu-ray Review: WOLF HOUND
Movie Review: PREY (2022)
Blu-ray Review: CRIMES OF THE FUTURE
Movie Review- THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
Blu-ray Review: THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT
Blu-ray Review: FIRESTARTER (2022)
Movie Review- TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Movie Review- JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION
4K UHD review: LIFEFORCE
Blu-ray Review- WYRMWOOD: APOCALYPSE
Blu-ray Review: BELLE
DVD Review: THE KING'S DAUGHTER
Blu-ray review: PROJECT GEMINI
Movie Review: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Blu-ray Review: SETTLERS
Movie Review: THE NORTHMAN
Blu-ray Review: HOUSE OF GUCCI
Blu-ray Review- GHOSTBUSTERS AFERLIFE
Blu-ray Review: LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
Blu-ray 4K Review- RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY
Movie Review- SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
Blu-ray Review: RAGING FIRE
Movie Review: THE MARIX RESURRECTIONS
4K Blu-ray Review: NO TIME TO DIE
DVD Review: THE FLOOD
Blu-ray Review: DOCTOR WHO Season 24
Blu-ray Review: CANDYMAN (2021)
Blu-ray Review- DOCTOR WHO: EVIL OF THE DALEKS (import)
Movie Review: DUNE Part One
Blu-ray review: ELVIRA'S HAUNTED HILLS
Blu-ray Review: THE COLONY (2021)
Movie Review: ETERNALS
Movie Review: NO TIME TO DIE
Movie Review: HALLOWEEN KILLS
Blu-ray Review: THE GREEN KNIGHT
Blu-ray Review: FAST VENGEANCE
4K Blu-ray Review: BLACK WIDOW
Blu-ray Review: F9 THE FAST SAGA
Blu-ray Review: DOCTOR WHO Season 8 (1971)
4K Blu-ray Review: PROSPECT
Blu-ray Review: SPARE PARTS
blu-ray Review: SIBERIA (2021)
Blu-ray Review: DOORS (2021)
Blu-ray Review: THE UNHEALER
Blu-ray Review: VOYAGERS
Blu-ray Review: TIMELINE (import)
Blu-ray review: KING KONG (1976)
4K UHD Blu-ray review: PERDITA DURANGO
Blu-ray Review: PYSCHO GOREMAN
DVD Review: SKY SHARKS
DVD Review: WILLY'S WONDERLAND
Blu-ray Review: EVENT HORIZON Collector's Edition
Blu-ray Review: SPUTNIK
Blu-ray Review: PUMP UP THE VOLUME
Blu-ray Review: MONSTER HUNTER
Blu-ray Review: SOUTHLAND TALES
Blu-ray Review: SHADOW IN THE CLOUD
Blu-ray Review: SPACEWALKER
Blu-ray review: THE IPCRESS FILE
DVD Review: STRANDED ON MARS
Blu-ray Review: TENET
DVD Review: SKYLINES
Blu-ray Review: POSSESSOR UNCUT
Blu-ray review: FLASH GORDON
Movie Review: TENET
PHOTOGRAPHY

AVP: ALIEN VS. PREDATOR The Unrated Edition

DVD Review by David Blackwell

DETAILS: 108 min/100mins, two audio commentaries, optional added footage marker, various featurettes, deleted scenes, Concept Art gallery, Storyboard Gallery, AVP HBO special, and theatrical trailers.

STUDIO: FOX

RELEASE DATE: 11-22-2005

ALIEN VS. PREDATOR sounded like a great idea for a movie for so many years. It's just that director Paul W. S. Anderson got it wrong (I love Resident Evil and Event Horizon). The first hour is good except for a couple of problems before AVP turns into a live action video game more and more as the film nears the 12 minutes of credits. The added footage even improves the first hour, but AVP fails to live up to the Alien and Predator films once the nasty aliens start their killing spree. We do get a couple of good smackdown fights between the Predator and aliens, but it isn't good enough to save AVP from being a big disappointment. Only if Paul W.S. Anderson wrote a much better second half, AVP wouldn't be the creative bomb it turned out to be (even Resident Evil: Apocalypse delivers more). I wish the scenes with the Alien Queen in the first hour would have been cut out and left on the cutting room floor as deleted scenes. The first hour would be stronger for it.

The plot of AvP boils down to a research team (funded by cancer ridden Weyland) to go investigate a temple buried 2,000 feet under the ice at Antarctica. Weyland (Lance Henrikson) wants to make history. The safety of the team is in the hands of an expert climber (Sanna Lathan). It just happens they come at the time of another hunt that goes on every 100 years and let loose some chaos that brings forth alien eggs which lead to Aliens that kill humans and Predators alike.

VIDEO: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)

Yes, it is the same transfer as the single disc edition.

Colors and blacks are good. Image detail is sharp, but the movie has lots of grain in the second half.

AUDIO: English 5.1 Dolby Digital. English 5.1 DTS, French 2.0 Dolby surround, Spanish 2.0 DS

Subtitles: English, Spanish (special features not subtitled)

Also the audio sounds the same as the single disc. Dialogue is sharp and clear. Music is loud and booming. Nice surround action.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

DISC 1- The two audio commentaries from the single disc version are on this disc too. The new additions are an optional added footage marker and six deleted scenes (the alternate opening was on the previous single disc edition and the three deleted scenes on the first release are a part of the movie) which are in the unrated cut in addition to added dialogue and added gore. The only thing that doesn't come to this two disc edition is the DVD-ROM content from the single disc release.

The first audio commentary for the theatrical cut is with director Paul W.S. Anderson, and actors Lance Henrikson and Sanna Lathan. All of them talk about the production of the movie and what shots they loved. Lance talks about watching screenings of ALIENS and THE ABYSS with James Cameron. Paul mentions the KY Jelly coming into Prague would get seized because the authorities thought the AVP production was with the porn industry. Lance phone goes off during the commentary (during the death scene of a character). It is Lance's wife. The story about the Germans blowing up the set is hilarious

The second audio commentary features Visual effects Supervisor John Bruno and Creature Effects Designers/Creators Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr. They talk about the effects and creatures in the movie. They mention someone actually wrote a Predator dictionary!

DISC 2- Various Making-Of featurettes (a much expanded look at the making of AVP that what was shown in the Making of AVP featurette on the single disc edition), a storyboard gallery, a concept art gallery, three deleted scenes (The Sister, Miller Gets Caught, Love Scene) with optional commentary by director Paul W.S. Anderson, and actor Lance Henrikson that didn't make it into any version of AVP, a featurette on how the Aliens Vs. Predator comic book was born, and Tood McFarlane blowing his horn for a toy featurette (MONSTERS IN MINIATURE). AVP: THE BEGINNING (Pre-Production featurette) is an extended version (of what was featured in the Making of AVP featurette on the single disc) of how the project came together from writing to casting. The best featruette of the second disc. There is a branching option where you can go watch the ADI Workshop featurette, the Storyboard Galleries (from three storyboard artists with the art of Phil Norwood and Richard Bennett being the coolest to look at), or the Concept Art Gallery (by Richard Bennett) when an icon appears during the featurette.

The AVP Production Documentary is about an hour long. It does feature tons of behind-the-scenes video and interviews, but I think they could have edited it down by at least 20 minutes. Again a Branching option is available to featurettes you can play separately with the best (TROUBLE AT THE MOUTH OF THE TUNNEL) being the problems they had when filming at the mouth of the tunnel which caused one camera to be destroyed and the set to catch fire at a different time. Other production featurettes are on the Miniature Whaling Station and Facehuggers & Eggs.

The Visual Effects Breakdowns goes into all the different work that went into creating the aliens from the animatronic alien for close-ups to the CGI aliens in addition to the other CGI and other effects work. The ALIENS VS. PREDATOR COMIC BOOK featurette is also one of the good featurettes while the HBO special which is promo fluff. It is great to have the three theatrical trailers for AVP on the disc.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Despite added scenes that improve the first half of AVP, it still doesn't fix the problems the movie has. The two disc Unrated Edition has plenty of interesting extras that give a detailed look at the making of AVP. It is a revealing look at how a disappointing movie gets made.

this DVD Review is (c)11-13-2005 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission (except for excerpts and a link to the review). Look for additional content at http://www.livejournal.com/users/enterlinemedia and send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com