AVP pg-13?

[Jeff W]

I was really looking forward to this one, I still want to see it but I'm not quite as rabid as I was. I guess there's always the hope of an R-rated or unrated directors cut DVD in the future.

 

Now, if you were a movie company, say oh, I don't know, perhaps a movie company like Fox and you were releasing the surefire blockbuster Alien vs. Predator, over which fans of the two series have been clamoring after for years, what would be the best course of action? Welp, they said fuckall to the fans and the best course of action since Fango says Fox will be releasing a PG-13 rated Alien vs. Predator. Nice move chuckleheads.

 

Link

[Chris F]

I thought the same way up until earlier today.

 

PG-13? It's going to suck!

 

Then I realized that there are a lot of PG-13 movies that are PG-13 that didn't suck. Plus it's two of my favorite movie franchises, and the chance to see a Pred versus an Alien? No way I'm going to pass that up. I thought the Alien vs Pred fight video I posted earlier was very cool, and now I'm jazzed to see it again.

 

Gore be damned, I wanna see Preds and Aliens get their killing on.

[Jordan_E]

My anticipation level for this one dropped off the charts when I saw the rating. "But JAWS is only PG," some online have typed. But that's JAWS, for God's sake! You can't compare Spielberg in his prime to Anderson. Yep, you take 2 franchises that were rated R and mix them together into a PG 13 sell out. I'll save my cash for Exorcist: The Beginning the next week. At least they didn't water that franchise down to: "Your mother sews socks that smell." :twisted:

[Angry the Clown]

I don?t know, putting my Anderson hatred to one side for a moment... Regardless of the rating, two characters just screeching their heads off and taking swipes at each other for two hours whilst some moronic humans get caught up in the mix just doesn't sound that good an idea to me in the first place.

 

Each beast in their own territory in their own franchises causing havoc, fine......... put them together and I've just never seen the appeal beyond the initial (and short lived) "cool" factor the fusion of characters suggests.

 

Daniel

 

PS: You can be sure Fox will milk two DVDs out of this one, with an ?R? rated cut probably getting a release.

[Romier S]

Each beast in their own territory in their own franchises causing havoc, fine......... put them together and I've just never seen the appeal beyond the initial (and short lived) "cool" factor the fusion of characters suggests.

 

You've never read the ridiculously well written and all around kick ass comic series have you Dan?

[Whooter]

I have a hard time imagining the movie being a "surefire blockbuster", regardless of the rating...

[Angry the Clown]

You've never read the ridiculously well written comic series have you Dan?

 

I have, but what works well on the page may not always work well for the screen. This of course where the Anderson bashing can come into play, since he's thought up his own lame scenario to try and make it work instead of bothering with some of the ideas from the comic which probably gave AvP its best chance of working as a movie, even though as I say, even then not all of it would translate.

 

Dan

[Romier S]

make it work instead of bothering with some of the ideas from the comic which probably gave AvP its best chance of working as a movie, even though as I say, even then not all of it would translate.

 

I would disagree with that almost completely Dan. I personally think the Cameron directed "Aliens" would be the best place to start when trying to conceptualize Alien Vs. Predator for the big screen. The movie *MUST* have a human element to work IMHO. Though the fanboy in me would love to see the premise of the original comic on screen, (Predators capture a Queen, user her to breed an entire hunting ground on a remote planet only to be screwed when another Queen shows up to stir the shit.)but I don't think its a plausible notion that American (or International for that matter) audiences will sit though. Thats just me.

 

In my ever so humble opinion you start with the colonial marines and you build up from there. The Alien Queen is an essential component and the hierarchal structure of the hive that Cameron established needs to remain intact for the movie to work. Continuing the development process I think the writers need to take a very very close look at Alien Vs. Predator: Booty. It is what I consider to be the book that has the absolute best chance of working as a film. In the books the colonial marines finally capture an Alien Queen only to have thier shipped attack by a band of marauding Predators looking to take thier prize. The three main characters are Evie, Shel, and Norley. Tough, ordinary and easy to work with (for the writers that is) characters who find themselves in the middle of a war between the Predators and the now escaped Alien Queen and her minions. You and see eye to eye on alot of things Dan but I just don't see how that premise could not be translated into both an action packed and character focused script.

 

On the directorial front, the movie needs somone that isn't afraid of constructing some impressive action set pieces. Sure I want to see real developed characters along with a well put-together plot (as mentioned above) but with this type of movie I need to see some thrilling action sequences. I don't expect someone like Cameron to jump at the opportunity of doing this movie and frankly fanboy wishful thinking just doesn't do it for me. More realistically if I were to choose someone off the top of my head I think Jonathan Mostow would be a good choice. He proved that he knows how to put together a good action sequence in Terminator 3 and U571 and I personally think he has a good handle on getting some decent performances out of his actors.

 

No matter how you slice it what we are getting is what we'll have to end up swallowing and I'll give it its due chance but I can't help but think the potential has been wasted for a truly remarkable movie that CAN be done.

[Calvin]

I'll save my cash for Exorcist: The Beginning the next week. At least they didn't water that franchise down to: "Your mother sews socks that smell."

 

Now that is a great way to extend a "franchise" which should of died with the really bad 2nd film. :roll:

 

Say what you will about Anderson - I happen to enjoy some of his work. No,he's not Spielberg. But who is?? (BTW - Jurassic Park 2 was GOD AWFUL. Explain that!) Yes,I am also worried about the PG-13 rating. But...

 

I still love both franchises,both in movie & book form, & I'll give this a chance. Besides,it can't be any worse than House of 1,000 Corpses :green:

[dogbert]

Now that is a great way to extend a "franchise" which should of died with the really bad 2nd film. :roll:

 

Which would have denied us the incredible third film.

[Baiter]

R rated movies have been flopping at the box office as of late, this should come as no suprise. I'm sure they'll release an unrated DVD version.

 

I'm with the JAWS theory, a movie doesn't have to be brutally violent to get the point across. Psycho's shower seen is another great example of how an intense violent conflict can be shown without showing much of anything, and scare the bejesus out of you at the same time.

 

I'm probably too old for the target audience, but this movie sounded like a flop from the beginning. Both were great films, but this just comes across as milking the franchise name a bit too much.

[Jordan_E]

Yes, Exorcist 3 is terrific, with a "shock" moment that gets me almost every damn time! I thought I read somewhere that Blatty was prepping a director's cut for DVD.

 

And I'll take JP 2 over Soldier anytime, if only for dang near causing Kurt Russell to stop acting (the broken ankle thing).

[Calvin]

Never saw Exorcist 3 - is it that good?

 

And Soldier isn't a good film - probably one of the few DVD's that I've traded in.

JP 2 is still awful,though.

 

I guess my point is,you don't know how good or bad a film is unless you see it for yourself. Sometimes you make gems - sometimes you get crap.

 

I don't see how AvP is "milking the franchise" - maybe in the Alien sense,but to date there have only been 2 Predator films - the last one over 10 years old.

 

I'll go & see it next week & hope that I'm not disappointed. What else can I say?

[dogbert]

Never saw Exorcist 3 - is it that good?

 

Yes. Exorcist 2 was a waste of a film that should never have been made. 3 was based on a sequel novel & continues the mythos & goes into much depth about the nature of the beast. Very very disturbing, probably one of the most disturbing films for me.

[Cyberwoo]

Ah man now I gotta rent Exorsist 3. Love the first. Haven't seen any of the sequals just because I heard how bad the 2nd one sucked.

[Hank Scorpio]

Since Jaws and its PG rating came up - didn't this come out well before PG-13 came into existance?

 

I'll still see AvP (although like others I'm not fond of Anderson as a director) yet to put out a PG-13 film that combines 2 R-rated franchises... I guess you do what you must to get the all important 'tweener' market.

 

Edit: Sometimes I make mistakes spelling.

[Jeff W]

I'm wondering if maybe they had to deliver a PG-13 movie due to pressure from the studio/investors? Assuming movie theaters even bother to check kids ages these days, going from an R rated film to one rated PG-13 sure does open up the potential audience, especially in August when they're all still on vacation from school. I remember back to Romero's Day of the Dead, when his investors found out he wasn't even shooting for an R rating and would probably wind up either unrated or NC-17 they all pulled out, his budget dropped by more than three quarters.

[Angry the Clown]

I would disagree with that almost completely Dan. I personally think the Cameron directed "Aliens" would be the best place to start when trying to conceptualize Alien Vs. Predator for the big screen. The movie *MUST* have a human element to work IMHO. Though the fanboy in me would love to see the premise of the original comic on screen, (Predators capture a Queen, user her to breed an entire hunting ground on a remote planet only to be screwed when another Queen shows up to stir the shit.)but I don't think its a plausible notion that American (or International for that matter) audiences will sit though. Thats just me.

 

I think you misunderstood what I wrote there chum...........p. :green: I'm with you all the way on the human element, Roms old boy, just not when it's conjured up by someone like Paul Anderson. Booty was the instalment of the comic series that I was especially thinking about in saying there is probably its best chance at working on screen, yet instead Anderson is pretty much dreaming up his own thing which really sounds rather tedious.

 

I'd certainly need the human element because like I said, 2hrs of monsters just screaming at each other is tedious. Anderson being someone who jerks himself off to the original movies and their directors however I think is just going to lead to him approaching the film with a "hehehehe, look, isn't this cool, I am making Aliens and Preadtors fight together' whilst making the humans basic fodder. Now, the humans were fodder in the Alien and Predator movies too, but at least they had character, which is something I've yet to see Anderson bring into one of his scripts. What made Alien, Aliens (+ Alien 3 in my opinion) as well as Predator so great was not just the monsters, not just some excellent set pieces, but some really great characters too. You remember the people as much as you do the creatures in those films, and if AvP isn?t going to say consistent with that aspect then fuck it.

 

Dan

[dogbert]

Ah man now I gotta rent Exorsist 3. Love the first

 

Well worth it. Great film, very spooky, very disturbing, very good acting & storyline. It's a great example of how to do a follow-up to a long dead "franchise" & keep it in the same style but updated.

 

Much like what Alien is in need of for a sequel...

[Romier S]

I think you misunderstood what I wrote there chum...........p.

 

You're treading on thin ice here little man

 

**Hold copy of Megaman Anniversary precariously over his local cliffside**

 

:green:

 

What made Alien, Aliens (+ Alien 3 in my opinion) as well as Predator so great was not just the monsters, not just some excellent set pieces, but some really great characters too. You remember the people as much as you do the creatures in those films, and if AvP isn?t going to say consistent with that aspect then fuck it.

 

Yes, that much I do agree with completely.

 

Well worth it. Great film, very spooky, very disturbing, very good acting & storyline

 

I haven't seen the film in years but I remember seeing it for the first time in theaters when I was quite a bit younger. Two things have always stuck with me.:

 

SPOILERS!

 

 

The first is the confessional scene with the old ladies voice (Scared the shit out of me) and the second is the scene where Scott explains to the Father Dyer how the 12 year old boy was killed near the beginning. I couldn't sleep for a week.

 

 

SPOILERS END

[Romier S]

Two new clips up at AVP.com:

 

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/avp/clips/

 

The Face-Off one is pretty cool.

[Calvin]

Just got advance tix to see this on Wed.

I'll let you know what I think.

[General Zot]

I agree with with the vibe you guys are on. AvP is a sweet concept, but I won't run out and see it before I read a review or two. It just seems to have fallen into the classic (and almost always lethal) story trap of starting with a desired outcome (Aliens fighting Predators) and trying to wrap a story around it. Whenever this happens in movies, books, anime, whatever, the resulting characters and their reasons for doing what they do become limiting and 2 dimensional.

 

You need to start with a good, compelling story and then figure out where and when to have the xeno-beasties fight. If you start with a good story arc (like Cameron did in Aliens), all the killer action sequences fall into place but don't feel forced.

 

Plus, they need to develop the whole Alien/Predator relationship a bit more. For example, maybe the Predators made the mistake of bringing Aliens back to their homeworld for games and hunting and the As got out of control. Killed the Predator homeworld and forced them to nuke thier planet. Now the Ps live a nomadic existence hunting and specically trying to put down larger Alien infestations when they come across them. Now let's say Earth has lost contact with a large colony planet (that they know was overtaken by As.) So they send out a battleship to investigate and stumble right smack into the Predators preparing for an attack. The Ps shoot down the human ship, humans trapped on Alien infested world, Ps start their assault, and all hell breaks loose.

 

That would be a good solid start to an AvP movie. From what I've seen of the existing movie, the script doesn't look all that strong.

[Failsafe]

Got my free ticket with Predator today!

[Calvin]

Well, I saw the film tonight. It rocked. Loved it. It was tight,fast (only 90 minutes) & paid homage to different flicks from the sci-fi genre.

 

Was it perfect? No.

But ages better than JP2 - & worth a second look (of course,I still have my free ticket)