SCARY SCIENCE FICTION, July 6, 2004

Having read the Alien vs Predator comics back when I read comic books, I was thrilled when I saw the trailer for this film at the local multi-plex. Then I saw the book and had to have it because I think the Predator movies are great, and so are the first two Alien flicks. I even thought Alien 3 and Resurrection were okay (Ron Pearlman is in Resurrection!), though they both had dull parts and lacked the horrific and spooky stuff from the first two Alien movies.

Now comes AVP, and if this novelization is any indication, the movie is gonna kick A! The fusion of the two series monsters into a single book/movie is really well done. It’s smart and original and yet faithful to elements from both movie series.

There’s a Sigourney Weaver/Ripley character, called Lex, who gets sucked into the action against her will, and (expect no spoilers from me) a really clever connection to the first two Alien films that is all the more impressive because the action in AVP is set on Earth in the present, while the previous Alien films all take place in the future in outer space.

There is a sense of wonder in the novel (I haven’t seen the movie so can’t comment) that is lacking in most of the science fiction I’ve read lately. AVP gives you a feeling of awe and creepiness at the same time–dark science fiction at its best.

The setting, Antarctica, is also cool (forgive the pun). This book reminded me of The Thing with Kirk Russell because it’s frightening and gory and full of action at the same time–and both are set at the South Pole, too.

Some of the most interesting stuff comes in the middle of the action, when Lex speculates on how the Predators evolved. She even has a theory about why Predators have crab-faces that is neat and gross at the same time. This section of the novel takes place in Lex’s head, so I don’t know if it will be in the movie, but fans of the Alien/Predator series should not miss this speculation because it is original and really believable, too. After you read it, you won’t be able to look at the Predators in quite the same way again!

Weirdest of all, you find yourself rooting for either Aliens or Predators (depending on which creature is your favorite) and glad that Lex decides to pick a side, even if its not the side you would have picked. The monster she hooks up with is as real a character as the humans, and you want to see him again just like you want to see Lex–in a sequel maybe?

In a really fascinating prolog we see the Aliens and Predators in action in the past–both in prehistoric times and in the early part of the last century, at a whaling station. The author even compares and contrasts the humans who hunt food, or whales, or who work for a corporate ‘predator’ with the real Predators from outer space.

Who wins? I’ll never tell. But if you read this book and see the movie, I’ll bet you’ll come away feeling like you are the real winner!

AVP rocks!

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