Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem offered a deceiving first half hour of entertainment.  I felt that this follow-up to the first installment was well on its way to being an enjoyable B movie experience. Unfortunately, as the film reached it's mid-point, I felt the grip of mediocrity tighten around my eye sockets.

 

The movie, as mentioned above, is a sequel to the modestly successful Aliens vs. Predator 1.  While both films could be summarized as failed exercises, the "Requiem" edition set new lows in poor taste and poorly shot scenes.  This odd, brutal, combination begins when the Aliens attack both children and pregnant women alike, creating a predictable outcome of ghastliness.  I know that the directors were trying to cross the line into uncomfortable areas, but there's no reason to see Aliens gestate from the children or the pregnant; it's in extremely poor taste.  This leads me to the lesser of my two gripes...the camera angles.

 

The action sequences in Aliens vs. Predator 2 are shot so tightly that you can hardly tell what's happening on screen.  All the confrontations get lost in the dark shadows and extreme close ups.  It hardly mattered that a Predator was confronting the Aliens -- you couldn't see a darn thing!  The inexperience of the directors is really called to the carpet in this regard and made for a literal eye strain when it came to watching these 'exciting' moments.

 

The next poor decision with this film is the setting.  At first, it seemed kind of interesting that this small town became the battleground for the two galactic species.  But as the movie progressed, the momentum stalled and I was ready for some kind of scene change.  And any hope I had that the arrival of the National Guard would have yielded epic battle sequences were quickly dashed -- they were dispatched in minutes.  The fate of everyone's survival hinged on how each stock character would respond from that point on. 

 

But I digress...

 

I did say I enjoyed the first stanza of this film and I stand by that.  In these early phases, the characters are likeable and the plot develops in a somewhat interesting manner.  Plus, we get to see a bit of off-world scenery with the Predator, which is a welcome addition since this series is missing a bit of sci-fi punch.  The film had a puncher's chance at this point but then the predictability set in and all was lost.

 

In conclusion, I believe that when the producers make an Aliens vs. Predator that's not set on current day earth, then this franchise might have a chance. There is unlimited potential as to where one of these story lines can take us.  In fact, there's a universe full of possibilities!  Until that's realized, sadly, we have to settle for poorly executed offerings that betray the legacy that each franchise had previously established.