A slight taste of the battle…
Explosive like a cool self-destructo wrist thingee only a certain dreadlocked hunter knows how to use, two scenes from Fox’s anticipated Aliens vs. Predator – Requiem were presented to ShockTillYouDrop.com yesterday. From our cozy leather chairs – where no amount of high-cost padding could muffle the amount of bass sent rumbling through the theater – what we witnessed was a significant improvement over Paul W.S. Anderson’s franchise restart. The clips oozed with familiarity even if it was unusual to see wall-crawling xenomorphs way out of their element on Earth. Lacking was a taste of the human element driving the film, still, there were no complaints from the sheer destruction on display.
Scene one picks up moments after the five minutes that premiered on the web recently. A lone Predator is jettisoned from his spacecraft and sent to Earth to investigate a crash site where a previous Predator ship went down. He enters the wreckage. Surveys the scene. And, I shit you not, he delivers a moment of pathos for his fallen warriors glistening in neon green blood. From there he takes a few samples using some gadget with a needle and loads up on weapons. Wishing to leave no evidence behind, he sets a detonator and blows the remnants of the ship up.
There’s some interesting stuff here. First of all, we’re getting some QT time with the Predator. More than what we were allotted in the previous entry and on par with some of those choice scenes we saw in the first “Predator” film – you know, when he’s up in the trees tending to his wounds or polishin’ skulls. The Strause brothers have re-introduced the importance of cool Predator accoutrements, and I’m down with that.
Later, in the second scene presented to us, we get to see just how skilled this Predator is. The bit begins with a bunch of humans heading into a hospital setting where it’s apparent the inhabiting aliens are attempting to turn it into a hive. The Predator arrives and begins a tussle with the PredAlien. The latter wields massive strength – even the Predator appears shocked – but leaves much of the fighting to the warrior aliens who arrive in droves. The Predator takes ’em down effortlessly. In the process, however, there’s a human casualty during this battle and a gal gets skewered to a wall like a butterfly driven through with a push pin.
The Strauses have done away with the annoying tight coverage that was a detriment to the “AVP’s” fight sequences. By golly, we can actually discern what the hell is going on! In this scene, too, it’s evident the directors have gone so far as to painstakingly carry over familiar sound effects (both Predator and Alien in nature) and soundtrack themes, this time provided by Brian Tyler.
As wonky as the concept seems (setting the action in a Midwestern town – say wha…?), Aliens vs. Predator – Requiem, it appears, is making efforts, for the first time, to feel like it was cut from the same cloth of the “Predator” and “Alien” franchises. Meshing the two worlds, and what the fans love about them, as opposed to reinventing them to the point where they are unrecognizable. This comes from a guy who felt Alien vs. Predator was one of the most unexciting, abominable experiences at the theater ever. Sitting through the “Requiem” snippets… well, it was harmless fun. For now. I’ve got my fingers crossed that the non-dueling alien drama holds up just as strong.
Source: Ryan Rotten
