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Crossovers in popular storytelling are no new concept of media-saturation. Even in Greek myths, heroes like Hercules end up joining others like Jason and his Argonauts for their own adventures. However, these alliances or rivalries don’t always add depth to a story. When it comes to the horror genre of cinema, villains, and monsters are often best when they do their gruesome work alone, and crossovers often become lesser-known pulpy capers in the grander scheme of their own franchises.
In the case of Alien Vs. Predator marked a major crossover that many fans of both franchises had speculated over for decades, but it was done with so much over-produced fanfare that the film itself fell to the wayside as a pulpy creature feature. Just like other horror mashups, Alien Vs. Predator became another film doomed to haunt late-night cable networks and loop on cruise-line television channels in several languages.
The Alien and Predator Franchises Are Rivals-Turned-Friends
The sequel to the Alien franchise, titled Aliens, was released in 1986 under the action sci-fi lens of James Cameron’s Terminator fame. With great respect maintained for the franchise’s monsters and plot and a fresh coat of paint with military-trained characters in the mix, Aliens paved the way for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s rival sci-fi action movie Predator to release just a year later. With both creature designs greatly received by their fandoms, and both now having stories that included trained combatant scenarios, the line was drawn in the sand for the first time. For decades, the fans of both would speculate on who would be victorious if pitted against the other. Would a genetically engineered species with acidic blood and quick breeding outnumber and outmatch the primal warrior nature and otherworldly weaponry of the predator?
In 1989, Dark Horse Comics finally released some of the long-standing pressure of this fandom question by releasing a short arc of comics in Dark Horse Presents that lasted until 1990 and tackled the Alien and Predator crossover. When Predator 2 was released in 1990, a xenomorph skull was spotted among the trophies on the predator’s ship. This Easter egg sparked up a further thirst for a crossover on film, but that would not be sated for 14 years, and in 2004, Alien Vs. Predator was released.
One Holds Their Film As Canon, The Other Does Not
Alien Vs. Predator came out with some mixed reviews. On the one hand, some fans were just excited to see the two sci-fi horror heavyweights face off. On the other hand, it was easy to see the depth of the story from the shore. The Alien franchise has always been dipped in the mythos and untold story of the xenomorph’s origins, which is the key source of its terrifying nature that makes it such an efficient human killer. The predator initially held its domineering presence and primally intimidating stature for similar reasons. It was only later in both of these franchises that further explanations began fleshing out the origins as fans grew very curious.
As far as Alien Vs. Predator goes, the Predator franchise happily acknowledges the film’s existence in its lore. Even though the xenomorph was permitted to be part of the Predator universe, the Alien franchise in itself does not acknowledge the predator species. This is likely due to the intricate world-building already established and the retro-futuristic timelines already set for the franchise. Furthermore, the Alien films certainly take the variety of their genre and storytelling seriously, with deeper character arcs and philosophical questions about existence. Predator is mainly focused on the survival horror genre mixed in with gritty action, but can often have moments of camp or optimism thrown into an otherwise intense plot. It’s for this reason that the Predator franchise was able to fit the Alien Vs. Predator film in its canon, but the Alien franchise would have a hard time acknowledging it at all.
Alien Vs Predator Is A Rough Ride, But Decent Background Entertainment
On paper, Alien Vs. Predator‘s initial premise is intriguing; archaeologists explore an anomaly deep within the ice in Antarctica, only to find an incredible Meso-American-style pyramid containing dormant versions of the two species. Overall, it’s a great set-up for a battle-royale-style story about humans caught in the middle of an otherworldly and ancient struggle. However, the human characters throughout the film are very two-dimensional, and their presence has them acting mainly as crossfire cannon fodder while they recite occasional expositions about their discoveries. The Alien franchise often prides itself on a more natural approach to character-building, with very candid scenes that show the chemistry and camaraderie between the humans before being led to the slaughter. This makes it easier to root for their survival or at least want them alive long enough to discover something important. In the case of Alien Vs. Predator, it’s clear that these characters were written with little effort. That being said, it doesn’t make this film a complete waste.
The initial plotline that draws the team there and the actual showdown fighting is baseline entertaining, with a fun enough set design that it keeps the discerning eye of both these fandoms occupied enough to be mildly intrigued. Since its story is very straightforward and doesn’t require deep, committed viewing to follow, it does serve as a great background film for lovers of the pulp horror genre. Despite its lack of depth, the film was a great success at the box office, and three years later, Alien Vs Predator: Requiem was released.
