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Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

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This article is about the film. For the video game, see Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (video game).

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Theatrical release poster
Directed byThe Brothers Strause
Written byShane Salerno
Based on
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDaniel C. Pearl
Edited byDan Zimmerman
Music byBrian Tyler
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox[1]
Release dates
  • November 4, 2007 (2007-11-04) (Los Angeles)
  • December 25, 2007 (2007-12-25) (United States)
Running time
94 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40 million[4]
Box office$130.2 million[5]

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (stylized as AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator – Requiem, or simply Aliens vs. Predator) is a 2007 American science fiction action film[5] starring Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, John Ortiz, Johnny Lewis and Ariel Gade. The directorial debut of the Brothers Strause, the film was written by Shane Salerno and is a direct sequel to Alien vs. Predator (2004) as well as the second and latest installment in the Alien vs. Predator franchise, continuing the crossover between the Alien and Predator franchises.

Set immediately after the events of the previous film, the film begins with a Predator ship crashing into a forest outside of Gunnison, Colorado, where an Alien-Predator hybrid known as the Predalien escapes and makes its way to the nearby small town. A skilled veteran "cleaner" Predator is dispatched to kill the Predalien, and the townspeople try to escape the ensuing carnage.

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem premiered on November 4, 2007 in Los Angeles. It was released theatrically on December 25 in the United States. It received generally negative reviews, with criticism for its poor lighting, editing, and plot. It grossed $130.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $40 million. Plans for a further sequel were abandoned, with further independent entries in both franchises released in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

Plot

Following the events of the previous film, a Predator ship leaves Earth carrying Alien facehuggers. A chestburster with traits of both species quickly matures into an adult Predalien and starts killing the Predators on board. The hull gets punctured and the ship crashes in the forest outside of Gunnison, Colorado, killing all but one of the Predators. Severely injured, the Predator sends a distress signal before being killed by the Predalien.

The Predalien and several facehuggers escape, implanting embryos into several humans. On the Predator homeworld, a skilled veteran Predator, Wolf, receives the signal and decides to kill all the Xenomorphs on Earth. He arrives at the crashed ship, uses an acid-like liquid to dissolve evidence of Aliens' presence, and triggers an implosion to completely destroy the vessel.

Meanwhile, ex-convict Dallas Howard returns to Gunnison after serving time in prison. He reunites with his younger brother Ricky, who is in love with his classmate Jesse, but is constantly harassed by her boyfriend Dale and his two friends. Kelly O'Brien also returns to Gunnison after serving in the US Army, and reunites with her husband Tim and daughter Molly. Another woman, Darcy Benson, begins searching for her missing husband and son, unaware that they were killed by the Xenomorphs. Meanwhile, local waitress Carrie Adams discovers she is pregnant.

Wolf starts killing Xenomorphs in the sewer, but four manage to escape him. He pursues some to the power plant, where collateral damage from the fight causes a citywide power outage. Ricky and Jesse meet at the high school swimming pool but are interrupted by Dale and his cohorts just as the power goes out. A Xenomorph then appears and kills Dale's friends. Another Xenomorph invades the O'Brien home, killing Tim while Kelly escapes with Molly. Xenomorphs also attack the diner where Carrie works at, and she is impregnated by the Predalien. Darcy discovers her body in horror. Sheriff Morales then arrives and brings her with him.

Kelly, Molly, Ricky, Jesse, Dale, Dallas, and Sheriff Morales gather at a sporting goods store to collect weapons. Troops from the Colorado Army National Guard arrive but are quickly slaughtered by Xenomorphs. Wolf captures Dallas inside the store to use as bait to lure Xenomorphs, but Dallas escapes. Several Xenomorphs arrive, but Wolf defeats them. Dale is killed during the battle and one of Wolf's shoulder plasma-casters is damaged.

As the survivors attempt to escape Gunnison, they learn Colonel Stevens is staging an air evacuation at the center of town. Dallas and Kelly, however, are skeptical since going there would cause them to become surrounded by Aliens. They, along with Ricky, Jesse, Molly and a few others go for the helicopter at the hospital to get out of town, while Sheriff Morales and Darcy head to the evacuation zone. However, the hospital has been invaded by Xenomorphs and the Predalien, who has impregnated some pregnant women to breed more Xenomorphs. Wolf arrives at the hospital and dispatches more Xenomorphs. During the battle, he accidentally kills Jesse. Distraught, Ricky rushes Wolf with rifle fire only to be injured by the Predalien. The Predator is attacked by a Xenomorph and both tumble down an elevator shaft. Dallas takes possession of Wolf's plasma blaster.

Dallas, Ricky, Kelly, and Molly reach the roof and fight off several Xenomorphs before escaping in the helicopter. Wolf, having survived the fall, battles the Predalien on the roof in hand-to-hand combat. The two mortally wound each other just as an F-22 Raptor arrives. Rather than a rescue mission, the F-22 executes a tactical nuclear strike that levels the entire city to ensure the aliens' deaths, instantly killing Sheriff Morales, Darcy, and everyone else gathered at ground zero. The shock wave causes the fleeing helicopter to crash in a clearing, where the survivors are rescued by the military. Wolf's plasma blaster is confiscated, and Colonel Stevens presents it to Ms. Yutani.

Cast

Main article: List of Alien vs. Predator (franchise) characters

Production

Inspired by Terminator 2: Judgment Day, brothers Colin and Greg Strause moved to Los Angeles to break into the film business. After an unsuccessful attempt to find employment at Industrial Light & Magic, the brothers worked on The X-Files film and founded their own special effects company, Hydraulx. The company produced special effects for films such as Volcano, The Day After Tomorrow, Poseidon and 300 and the brothers began a career directing commercials and music videos. Colin believes Hydraulx secured a strong relationship with 20th Century Fox, which owns the Alien and Predator franchises.[7]

The brothers unsuccessfully pitched an idea for the first Alien vs. Predator film and Fox almost bought a film titled Wolfenstein suggested by the brothers, "When the script came up for this movie, they thought we'd be perfect for it because it's an ambitious movie for the budget that they had and they knew that having our visual effects background was going to be a huge thing."[7] The brothers were hired to direct the sequel to Alien vs. Predator in late spring 2006 and had limited time to start filming in the fall.[7] The film's original title was Alien vs. Predator: Survival of the Fittest, but was later dropped.[8]

Filming on Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem begun on September 23, 2006, in Vancouver, British Columbia[9] for a 52-day schedule.[10] During filming breaks, the brothers supervised visual effects work on 300, Shooter and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer by using in-house supervisors and a system called Mavis and Lucy, which let the brothers track, view and approve dailies. Colin estimates Hydraulx produced 460 of the 500 visual effects shots including the nuclear explosion which was created using Maya fluids and BA Volume Shader. The interior of the Predator ship was created using CGI, as the brothers felt it would be more cost effective than building a set.[10] The visual effects team peaked at 110 people for several months and averaged 70, almost all of the entire Hydraulx staff.[11]

Using their knowledge in visual effects and making use of principal photography, the brothers tried to film as much as they could on camera without resorting to CGI, Colin said "other than the exterior spaceship shots, there are no pure CG shots." CGI was used for the Alien tails and inner jaws, whereas they required puppeteers and wire removal on previous films. The main visual effects of the film included set design, a nuclear explosion, the Predator's ship crashing and the Predator cloak, about which Colin stated: "We wanted to make sure it didn't look too digital."[10]

As a side-note, in the DVD commentary the brothers explained that they wanted actor Adam Baldwin to reprise his role as Garber in Predator 2, but were unable to do so, instead using Robert Joy as a new character. Additionally, while the previous installment attracted casual moviegoers as well as fans of the franchises, the film catered exclusively to Alien and Predator fans with many references to the previous films appearing in the film.

Music

Main article: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (soundtrack)

Composer Brian Tyler was hired to write the score for the film.[12] The soundtrack album was released on December 11, 2007, by Varèse Sarabande.[13] Despite not appearing in the CD soundtrack, the song "Wach auf!" ("Wake Up") by German band Oomph!, was released as a promo in January 2008, with the music video using clips from the film.[14] The song was appeared on the band's album Monster.

Release

Theatrical

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem had its premiere at the Los Angeles Comic Book and Sci Fi Convention in Los Angeles on November 4, 2007.[15] The Brothers Strause attended the event, presenting the film to an audience for the first time.[16] The film was later released in the United States and in other territories on December 25, 2007.

Home media

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem was released on DVD, Blu-ray and PSP UMD Disc on April 15, 2008, in North America[17] and May 12, 2008, in the United Kingdom by Fox Home Entertainment. It was released in three versions: a single-disc, R-rated version of the 94-minute theatrical presentation, a single-disc unrated version extended to 101 minutes and a two-disc unrated version with the 101-minute film and a second disc of special features. Extra features on the single-disc editions include two audio commentary tracks: one by the directors and producer John Davis and a second by creature effects designers and creators Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis.

Disc one of the two-disc unrated edition includes both commentary tracks as well as both cuts of the film seamlessly branched and an exclusive "Weyland-Yutani archives" picture-in-picture reference guide to the warring alien races;[18] five behind-the-scenes featurettes: Prepare for War: Development & Production, Fight to the Finish, The Nightmare Returns: Creating the Aliens, Crossbreed: The Predalien and Building the Predator Homeworld; multiple galleries of still photos showing the creature designs and sets; and the film's theatrical trailer. The second disc includes a "digital copy" download feature.

In its first week of release, the film debuted at number two on the DVD charts, earning $7.7 million and number one on the Blu-ray charts. The film has made $27,403,705 in DVD sales in the United States.[4][19]

Reception

Box office

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem opened in North America in 2,563 theaters along with The Bucket List and The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep. It was rated R for violence, gore and language, unlike its predecessor, which was given a PG-13 rating.[20] In the UK and Australia, the BBFC's classification decision for the film is the same as the original (Rated 15), whilst the Australian ACB rated the film MA15+,[21] up from the original's M rating.

The film grossed $9,515,615 on its opening day for an average of $3,707 per theater and was number six at the box office.[22] It grossed $5 million in Australia, $9 million in Japan and the United Kingdom and $7 million in Russia, and had an international total of $86,288,761. The film had a domestic gross of $41,797,066 and an international gross of $88,493,819, bringing it to a total of $130,290,885.[4]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem has an approval rating of 12% based on reviews from 77 critics. The website's consensus states: "The increased gore and violence over the first Alien vs. Predator can't excuse Requiem's disorienting editing, excessively murky lighting, and lack of new ideas."[23] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 29 out of 100, same as its predecessor, based on reviews from 14 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[24] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.[25]

Chris Hewitt of Empire called it an "early but strong contender for worst movie of 2008".[26] Stina Chyn of Film Threat felt the camerawork "is a smidge too shaky and the lighting/color design too dark for me to relish the Predator-on-Alien butt-kicking".[27] Josh Rosenblatt of The Austin Chronicle dismissed the film stating it was "An orgy of mindless violence, a random collection of bloody bodies, alien misanthropy and slobbering carnage designed to bore straight into the pleasure centers of 13-year-old boys and leave the rest of us wondering when the movies got so damn loud."[28] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter contributor called it a "dull actioner that looks like a bad video game".[29]

Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly felt it was a "B movie that truly earns its B," and gave it a grading of "B" on an A to F scale.[30] Variety contributor Joe Leydon said it "Provides enough cheap thrills and modest suspense to shake a few shekels from genre fans before really blasting off as homevid product".[31] Ryan Stewart of Cinematical said he "can't recommend it as a good movie on its own merits, stocked as it is with cardboard cutout characters and a barely coherent plot, but it's miles more interesting than the last Alien vs. Predator film."[32]

Conversely, Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times stated: "It may not be classic sci-fi like the original Alien, which it has in its DNA, but it's a perfectly respectable next step in the series."[33]

Accolades

Year Ceremony Category Result Recipient(s) Ref.
2007 Golden Schmoes Awards Biggest Disappointment of the Year Nominated Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem [34]
2008 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Prequel or Sequel Nominated [35]
Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie Nominated
MTV Movie Awards Best Fight Sequence Nominated Alien vs. Predator [36]

Video game

Main article: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (video game)

A tie-in video game for the film was released on November 13, 2007, in North America, November 30 in Europe and December 6 in Australia.[37] The game, developed by Rebellion Developments and published by Sierra Entertainment,[38] was a third-person action-adventure game, allowing players to take the role of the Predator from the film.[39] Much like the movie, the game received generally negative reviews from the press.[40]

Future

Further information: Alien vs. Predator (franchise) § Future

During the production of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, the Brothers Strause expressed plans for a third Alien vs. Predator installment.[41] However, the planned sequel was put on hold indefinitely.

The Predator franchise continued with Nimród Antal's Predators, Shane Black's The Predator (the latter of which featured references to AVP such as shurikens and Lex's spear which Scar made out of an Alien tail),[42][43] and Dan Trachtenberg's Prey, while the Alien franchise proceeded with Ridley Scott's Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Aliens vs. Predator -- Requiem (2007)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem". The Hollywood Reporter. December 24, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  3. ^ "AVPR - Aliens vs Predator - Requiem (15)". British Board of Film Classification. December 21, 2007. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem". The Numbers. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
  6. ^ Carroll, Larry (September 11, 2007). "'Alien vs. Predator' Sequel's R-Rated Secrets Revealed: 'Breaking Rules Is a Good Thing'". MTV. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  7. ^ a b c McLean, Thomas (December 21, 2007). "AVP-R: The Strause Brothers Strike Back Page 1". Vfxworld. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  8. ^ "Alien vs. Predator 2 Update". SuperheroHype. July 31, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  9. ^ "AVP2 news: title, filming, etc". Cinescape. August 1, 2006. Archived from the original on August 5, 2006. Retrieved August 1, 2006.
  10. ^ a b c McLean, Thomas (December 21, 2007). "AVP-R: The Strause Brothers Strike Back Page 2". Vfxworld. Archived from the original on March 4, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
  11. ^ McLean, Thomas (December 21, 2007). "AVP-R: The Strause Brothers Strike Back Page 3". Vfxworld. Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
  12. ^ Carlsson, Mikael (September 26, 2006). "Brian Tyler to score "Alien vs. Predator 2"". Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  13. ^ "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". AllMusic. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  14. ^ "OOMPH! – Wach Auf". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  15. ^ Orange, B. Alan (October 22, 2007). "Aliens Vs. Predator - Requiem Makes Its First Appearance". MovieWeb. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  16. ^ "Brothers Strause Presenting AVP-R at LA Con". ComingSoon.net. October 22, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  17. ^ "Alien vs. Predator: Requiem Blasts Onto DVD and Blu-Ray on April 15th". MovieWeb. February 11, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  18. ^ "Information about the Alien vs. Predator DVD and Blu-ray". Dvd.monstersandcritics.com. February 27, 2008. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  19. ^ K. Arnold, Thomas (April 23, 2008). "Juno, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem lead the way". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 29, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  20. ^ "AVP2, FF2, DH4 & more". JoBlo.com.
  21. ^ [1][dead link]
  22. ^ Pandya, Gitesh (December 28, 2007). "Aliens and Debaters Join End-of-Year Lineup". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
  23. ^ "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 6, 2021. Edit this at Wikidata
  24. ^ "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
  25. ^ "CinemaScore". Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  26. ^ "Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem Review | Movie - Empire". June 10, 2017. Archived from the original on June 10, 2017.
  27. ^ "ALIEN VS. PREDATOR: REQUIEM | Film Threat". December 30, 2007.
  28. ^ "Josh Rosenblatt — Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  29. ^ "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem". The Hollywood Reporter. December 24, 2007.
  30. ^ "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem". EW.com.
  31. ^ Leydon, Joe (December 27, 2007). "Aliens vs. Predator — Requiem".
  32. ^ "Review: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem - Cinematical". December 29, 2007. Archived from the original on December 29, 2007.
  33. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (December 26, 2007). "Aliens and Predators Still Can't Seem to Get Along". The New York Times.
  34. ^ "Golden Schmoes Awards (2007)". IMDb. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  35. ^ "Golden Raspberry Award Foundation". Golden Raspberry Awards. Archived from the original on April 14, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  36. ^ "MTV Awards 2008 — Best Fight". MTV. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  37. ^ "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem Release Information for PSP". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on February 16, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
  38. ^ Magrino, Tom (August 14, 2007). "Aliens fighting Predator on PSP". GameSpot. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
  39. ^ Gibson, Ellie (October 12, 2007). "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem Review". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on February 16, 2009. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  40. ^ "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  41. ^ "The Brothers Strause Reveal Their Plans for 'Alien Vs. Predator 3'". movieweb.com. December 11, 2007.
  42. ^ Cotter, Padraig (September 15, 2018). "The Predator Makes Alien vs. Predator Canon Again". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  43. ^ Dyce, Andrew (September 16, 2018). "The Predator: Every Easter Egg & Movie Connection". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
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