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AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Beautiful set design and brilliant action, but not much else...
If you can get passed awful acting, terrible writing and poor direction then you're left with beautiful set design and very good action. Unfortunately I found it hard to get passed the negatives and was disappointed that the brilliant original Alien film is now being taken in a different direction. Predator on the other hand never took itself seriously in the original 80's films, so if this was a stand alone Predator film then I may have appreciated it more. I can just imagine Ridley Scott ripping his eyes out watching this picture as these modern Alien movies have lost what once made them great.
4/10
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Take away everything that made Alien (1979) great and you're left with Alien Resurrection.
In the first Alien we got a cinematic spectacle that made the jaws of audiences remain open throughout the film, in a state of awe and suspense.
For me the first Alien was the best and they have gone downhill ever since, I liked Aliens, and I even appreciated some moments in Alien 3 but Alien Resurrection was so far removed from the Alien world I have come to love that it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Although the visual effects were improved in this installment I would say that this is the only thing the film had going for it.
Firstly the film seemed too funny, there was too much visual comedy that made the film feel almost like a parody of itself. Also the character of Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) despite (SPOILER) being a clone in this film, she still lacks the human nature that the role took on in the previous Aliens and it made her unlikeable.
She is not the only one! There isn't a likable character in the movie so it becomes hard to root for the characters and fear for them when they are in danger... Speaking of fear, it is something I didn't feel once during the film as the Alien creatures have become too familiar, also director Jean-Pierre Jeunet might want to look up the definition of suspense in the dictionary.
Overall this was quite a silly, needless movie, the visual effects and set design were very well done however it is a shame the story wasn't up to scratch and left me feeling unfulfilled.
Take away everything that made Alien (1979) great and you're left with Alien Resurrection.
Are You Here (2013)
Beautifully shot, great acting, funny but lost in translation...
I think what the disappointment this film has been receiving from the vast majority of it's audience stems from expectation. I like most people was expecting a simple light hearted comedy that would provide a few cheap laughs about weed and farts, however this film took a different course from the classic stoner film and attempted to comment on society.
By 'attempted' I feel the ideology of the film wasn't clear, it kept jumping around, almost trying to tackle too many issues. This doesn't mean the film didn't have profound moments, it did, but they were damaged by the confused nature of their origin within the story - for instance there was a moment in the film where an Amish man tells Amy Poehler's character that she can't have babies because she doesn't believe in God, this is just one of a few confusing parts of the film.
The casting was a bit odd for the film, although I thought the acting was brilliant I think the audiences that would tend to watch a Zach Galifianakis or Owen Wilson film would get bored with this rather slow paced, almost preachy not amazingly funny comedy.
One of the biggest positives of the film was the way it was shot, this was a pleasant surprise with lighting on some of the wides that looked like a Gregory Crewdson photograph.
Overall I think this was a nice little film, overlooked by it's target audience and reaching an audience that won't have the patience to appreciate it's story even if it is a little wobbly in places - definitely worth a watch if you ever get the time.