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Let The Battle Commence

If you thought the ultimate battle between Aliens and Predators was already over, think again. Round two is about to kick off, with Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem

Mental lists of the scariest extra-terrestrials in cinema would automatically include certain classic creatures. After all, who was not terrified the first time they saw an Alien burst out of John Hurt’s chest, blood splattering the unsuspecting crew of the Nostromo.

Not far behind these acid-seeping monsters come the Predators, hunting Arnold Schwarzenegger through the jungle. Fans have long wondered who would win in a battle between these two villains and got a glimpse of what was possible in 2004’s Alien Vs. Predator. Now, to up the ante, Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem transfers the setting from an Aztec temple to a sleepy Midwestern town in the US.

We’re paying homage to Ripley in that sense that both she and Kelly are strong female characters. What I loved about Sigourney’s work in those films is that she wasn’t trying to emulate a male action hero. She was very female and very maternal.”

With two monsters, you also need to directors, explaining the presence of the Brothers Strause, Colin and Greg. With a background in special effects and having dazzled the public with their work on X-Men: The Last Stand and 300, you can be sure that, if nothing else, the slaughter fest will look good.

AVP-R screenwriter Shane Salerno: “The Strause brothers live, eat and breathe these films. The specificity they’ve given AVP-R is remarkable. They’re passionate about this material.”

The brothers’ passion extends to the film’s central notion of placing warring creatures in the middle of a small American town. To them, this idea heightened the stakes – and the scares. “What’s more frightening – a menace happening millions of miles away, or a threat in your own backyard,” says Greg Strause. “Obviously, we thought it was time to bring the Predator and Aliens into the thick of things here. It gets very primal; you’ve never seen anything like it on film. No one is safe in this movie!”

Writer Salerno comments on the script: “I was constantly thinking about how regular people respond to the most extreme situations,” he explains. “I looked at things like hurricanes and fires, where ordinary people – firefighters, police officers, teachers – become heroes.

“We wanted to explore the lengths to which people would go to protect their families,” elaborates Colin Strause. “Who would they fight for... and die for?”

One of the humans who must protect her family is Kelly, played by Reiko Aylesworth. Kelly has just returned from Iraq and was beginning become reacquainted with her daughter Molly when problems strike. “Kelly gets very ‘Ripley-esque,’” says Aylesworth, referring to Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley, the central character of four Alien movies.

“We’re paying homage to Ripley in that sense that both she and Kelly are strong female characters,” Aylesworth elaborates. “What I loved about Sigourney’s work in those films is that she wasn’t trying to emulate a male action hero. She was very female and very maternal. Molly shares those traits.” And yet she knows how to defend herself.
Protect themselves they must, but not only from the chest-busting onslaught, but also something more sinister. The movie also shows us the first glimpse of what would happen if an Alien planted its egg in a Predator, creatively named the Predalien.

The only thing stopping the onslaught of the Aliens and Predalien is a sole Predator. Unlike the hunter Predators seen in previous films, the AVP-R version is a “cleaner” whose sole purpose is to erase any signs of an Alien or Predator presence on Earth.

Far from being just an action movie, producer John DFavis also argues it has an environmental message. “He doesn’t want to leave any carnage behind on Earth that could upset the planet’s balance,” says Davis. “That gives the character a certain dignity.”

But this is not a kindler, gentler Predator; in fact, he is the most ruthless of that species. Unlike the cleaner’s predecessors, it does not follow the Predator’s hunter’s code of pursuing only armed prey; in AVP-R, many innocents fall victim to its relentless pursuit of the Aliens that have overrun the small town of Gunnison.

Working within the fresh setting of Gunnison, while adding intriguing variations on Aliens and Predators long familiar to fans of the series, The Brothers Strause strove to return to the gritty, horror roots of “Alien,” “Aliens” and “Predator.” Moreover, they were determined to respect the timeline established in the previous “Alien” and “Predator” films. “AVP-R serves as a bridge from the Predator franchise to the Alien films,” says Colin Strause. “It’s set after ‘Predator’ and ‘Predator 2,’ and before the events of ‘Alien.’” Strause promises that there are some nods for hardcore fans in the movie. “There are a few treats in AVP-R that will tip off hardcore fans how we get to ‘Alien.’” So, it looks like the human race will never get a break.