Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, alternatively known as AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem, is an American science fiction/horror film directed by brothers Colin and Greg Strause. The film is based on the respective Aliens and Predator film franchises by Brandywine Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation as well as the Aliens vs. Predator family of comic book titles published by Dark Horse Comics. It is the sixth film in the Aliens series, the fourth film in the Predator series and is the second of the crossover films. It directly follows the events of the 2004 film Alien vs. Predator. The Predator franchise continued forward with the 2010 movie Predators. AVPR was released theatrically on Christmas Day, December 25th, 2007 and stars Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, John Ortiz, Johnny Lewis, Ariel Gade, Kristen Hager and Sam Trammell. Made on a budget of approximately $40,000,000, the movie grossed $41,797,066 in the United States, $87,087,428 in foreign sales, and $128,884,494 worldwide. Despite turning an albeit minimal profit, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem received generally negative reviews from both critics and viewers and is often cited as being the worst film of both franchises.

Plot
Following the events of Alien vs. Predator, a Predator spaceship is leaving Earth carrying dead Aliens, living facehuggers, and the body of the Predator that defeated the Alien queen. A chestburster erupts from the dead Predator's body; it is a new creature that is a hybrid of Alien and Predator characteristics. It quickly matures into an adult and begins killing Predators throughout the ship. A Predator's weapons fire punctures the hull and the ship crashes in the forest outside of Gunnison, Colorado.

With the Predators dead, the hybrid and several facehuggers escape, implanting embryos into a nearby father and son and into several homeless people living in the sewers. A distress signal from the wrecked ship reaches the Predator home world and a lone Predator responds, traveling to Earth and using its advanced technology to observe the cause of the crash and to track the facehuggers. It begins to erase the evidence of the Aliens' presence by destroying the crashed ship and using a blue liquid to dissolve the bodies of the facehuggers and their victims.

Meanwhile, ex-convict Dallas Howard has just returned to Gunnison after serving time in prison. He is greeted by Sheriff Eddie Morales and reunites with his younger brother Ricky. Ricky has a romantic interest in his more affluent classmate Jesse and is being harassed by her boyfriend Dale (David Paetkau) and two of his friends. Kelly O'Brien has also just returned to Gunnison after service in the military, and reunites with her husband Tim and daughter Molly.

The Predator fights a number of Aliens in the sewers, and as the battle reaches the surface several of them disperse into the town. The Predator pursues some to the power plant, where collateral damage from its weaponry causes a city-wide power outage. Ricky and Jesse meet at the high school swimming pool but are interrupted by Dale and his cohorts just as the power fails and an Alien enters the building, killing Dale's friends. Another Alien invades the O'Brien home, killing Tim while Kelly escapes with Molly.

Kelly, Molly, Ricky, Jesse, Dale, Dallas, and Sheriff Morales meet at a sporting goods store to gather weapons. Troops from the Colorado Army National Guard arrive but are quickly killed by the Aliens. When the battle between the Predator and the Aliens enters the store, Dale is killed and the Predator's shoulder cannons are damaged; it is able to modify one into a hand-held blaster.

As the survivors attempt to escape Gunnison they make radio contact with Colonel Stevens, who indicates that an air evacuation is being staged at the center of town. Kelly is suspicious of the military's intentions, convincing a small group to go to the hospital where they hope to escape by helicopter, while Sheriff Morales heads to the evacuation area with the rest of the surviving citizens. The hospital, however, has been invaded by Aliens and the hybrid creature. The Predator soon arrives and in the ensuing battle Jesse is killed, Ricky is injured, and Dallas takes possession of the Predator's blaster cannon.

As the battle reaches the rooftop, Dallas, Ricky, Kelly, and Molly escape in the helicopter while the Predator battles the hybrid hand-to-hand. The two creatures mortally wound each other just as a military jet arrives; rather than a rescue airlift it is a bomber, executing a tactical nuclear strike that destroys the entire city and kills all of the extraterrestrials along with the remaining citizens. The shock wave causes the fleeing helicopter to crash in a clearing, where the survivors are rescued by the military. The Predator's blaster cannon is confiscated by Colonel Stevens and presented to a Ms. Yutani.

Notes & Trivia

 * The Aliens concept was originally developed by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett. The Predator concept was originally developed by Jim and John Thomas.


 * Greg Strause and Colin Strause are credited as The Strause Brothers in this film.


 * Production on Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem began on September 30th, 2006. Principal photography concluded on May 20th, 2007. It was filmed in British Columbia, Canada.


 * Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem closed out of theaters on March 23rd, 2008 after 13.4 weeks in theaters. It was screened in the United States a total of 94 days.


 * Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem was released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 15th, 2008 by Twentieth Century Fox.