Alien vs. Predator: The Unrated Edition (US - DVD R1)
Matt Joseph has taken a look at the up and coming unrated edition from Fox Home Video
Feature
Back in January of this year, I had the opportunity to review the first region one release of Fox Home Video’s Alien vs. Predator and while I found that the disc was very well produced, I also found that the film was nothing more than a big letdown in comparison to what years of speculating on the possibilities had brought me. New to DVD, Fox has taken a second stab at the film in the form of a two-disc set featuring more extras and an unrated cut of the film that contains an additional eight minutes not shown in the theatrically released PG-13 version. Sometimes a few minutes of added footage can make a world of difference for a picture and give it a new life well after the theatrical release has come and gone, so does the same hold true for this latest incarnation of last year’s biggest intergalactic grudge match?

For those just tuning in and have yet to see the film, Alien vs. Predator is set in the present day as a sequel to the Predator films and a prequel to the Alien films. A team of archaeologists and other scientists financed by Charles Bishop Weyland (Lance Henriksen) and led by Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan) venture to a remote area of Antarctica in search of an ancient pyramid recently discovered by thermal imaging satellites to be buried deep beneath the snowy surface. Once there, they soon find that their arrival was made possible by no mere accident or chance occurrence—they have been lured to this desolate place by the Predators to act as hosts for breeding the most dangerous of prey, the acid blooded Alien species. But when things start to go very wrong with the hunt, the last remaining humans must quickly choose a side in the conflict that could decide mankind’s fate.
My main opinion of the film when I sat down to watch it earlier this year was that I felt more disappointed than anything in regards to it, as if a great opportunity to create something scary, epic, and memorable had given way to a mediocre, small scale, and instantly forgettable action flick. This is the first time that I have viewed the film since then, and my opinion of Paul W.S. Anderson’s movie really hasn’t changed much, but I did find myself enjoying it more so this time out than last. Maybe the fact that more time has passed since first seeing the film and that initial sense of disappointment that I felt for the finished movie as I walked out of the theatre has dissipated to a certain extent has a lot to do with it, but my feelings toward the movie have also softened a bit due to this new cut of the film.
One of the main problems I had with the theatrical cut was that there were too many times in the film, especially early on, that you could just tell some scenes were getting short shrift and edited in such a way as to allow the film a more teen friendly PG-13 rating, which disrupted the natural flow of the movie in each occurrence. With this new, unrated cut, most of these problems have been corrected by allowing scenes to finish as they were initially filmed, and of course this also allows the movie to show a little bit more of the red stuff in the process, which is what most fans wanted to see in the first place.

This new edition of the film also includes a couple of additional scenes that attempt to add some more development to a few of the main characters and explain the goings on a bit more, and while I welcome anything added to this or any film in an attempt to make the characters richer and fill in any gaps left in the theatrical cut, the elements new to this version still aren’t enough to turn lead into gold. In one of the new scenes, we finally get a fuller explanation as to what exactly the Predators are up to with the ancient temple found under Antarctica, which was something only alluded to previously, but there are still too many questions and contradictions to the earlier films which aren’t answered for or explained—such as why it only takes the Alien creatures minutes to gestate in this movie versus the days that it took in the previous instalments for starters.
So in the end, does this new version of the film make Alien vs. Predator significantly better than before? Not really, or at least not enough to warrant a purchase if you’ve already picked up the first, single disc edition released near the beginning of the year and have no interest in special features. This new cut of the film is slightly better than what came before, but it also doesn’t transform the movie into something that might positively change one’s opinion of it, as in the case of what Fox’s release of the Daredevil director’s cut to DVD around this time last year did for me. Being a huge fan of both the Alien and Predator films, I’m still disappointed with this film as a part of those franchises, but taken as a big, noisy action picture I’m resigned to the fact that even though it isn’t the film I had hoped it would be, I’m okay with it for being exactly that and nothing more.
Video
Fox Home Video presents Alien vs. Predator on DVD for the second time with an anamorphically enhanced transfer in the picture’s theatrically exhibited aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The resulting video is very similar to the first release of the film to DVD, and although it has a slightly lower bit rate associated with it the differences are nominal. Black levels are consistent throughout the movie and the picture is as sharp and detailed as any other DVD currently on the market. The only downside to the transfer is some grain that appears in the very darkest areas of the film, which is a carryover from the first release and the one thing that I had hoped would be improved upon with this second go around. Overall, however, Alien vs. Predator once again gets a near reference quality video transfer with this special edition and continues Fox Home Video’s reputation as being one of the industry leaders when it comes to a quality presentation.

Audio
Alien vs. Predator comes equipped with both English Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 audio tracks along with French and Spanish Dolby Surround and optional English and Spanish subtitles. As with the video transfer, there is little difference between this set and the former with the film receiving two excellent tracks to choose from. Viewers will not be disappointed with either the Dolby Digital or DTS selections as both tracks are a couple of the best examples of how each sound format should sound on a decent home theatre system, but the DTS track’s deeper bass and wider range win out as being the track of choice on the disc. The sound is crisp and clear coming from every channel and the surround channels get a good workout, which is always a plus for a big, noisy, action movie such as this. Overall, the audio tracks presented on this DVD are certainly of reference quality and should allow you to show off that nice, expensive system to all of your friends and most certainly all of your neighbours if you crank the volume up to eleven.
Extras
With this being the film's second release this year to DVD and a two-disc set, you should expect a fair amount of extras spread across its two shiny platters. Never one to disappoint when it comes to putting together a special edition, Fox Home Video has done just that and has compiled an assortment of great extras that really dig deep into the making the movie that should be of interest to any fan of the film.
On disc one you are offered the choice of either the theatrical cut of the film or the unrated cut through a seamless branching option with an optional marker on the unrated version to let you know when new material has been added to the film. Coming in the shape of a coiled Alien creature, the marker was most helpful to me in trying to spot out some of the new material as some of it comes and goes so quickly that if I had blinked I would have missed it.
The only other extras included on the first disc of the set are the audio commentaries for the film, which are unfortunately only available while viewing the theatrical cut of the movie. These are the exact same audio commentaries featured on the initial release of the film, and while a new track with director Paul W.S. Anderson focusing on the unrated cut of the picture would have been a great addition to this set, the two tracks that have been carried over are quite good. The first commentary track features writer and director Paul W. S. Anderson and stars Sanna Lathan and Lance Henriksen. The stars and their director seem to have a good rapport and the commentary is light, entertaining and informative. The second commentary track includes a more technical commentary from the creature designers Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. from Amalgamated Dynamics Inc. and visual effects supervisor John Bruno. This second track is where the real meat and potatoes of the information behind the film are found with every special effect dissected and revealed while making for an interesting listen.

Moving on to disc two, you will find a number of anamorphically enhanced featurettes and documentaries, all of varying running times and focus and split into five categories—pre-production, production, post-production, licensing, and marketing.
Under the pre-production menu is a thirty minute featurette, entitled ‘AVP: The Beginning’, which features writer and director Paul W.S. Anderson, in an interview done before principal photography of the film, going over the conceptual work for the film, producer John Davis, who describes the process in getting the film to come together, and Tom Woodruff, Jr. of Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc. going over some of the work that went into creating the Alien and Predator creatures for the film. The featurette also has available the option of watching a branching version of the feature, which includes a more involved look into the effects behind one of the Predator costumes used in the movie. This extended bit, and all of the other such pieces found within the discs’ other featurettes, are also available for viewing separately from each section’s main featurette and may be accessed from the appropriate menu. There is also a series of storyboards and conceptual art galleries included within the pre-production menu which, along with the featurette, give a good overall picture of what went on before the cameras took their first shot.
Under the production menu is a sixty minute making-of featurette, which again features the option of viewing a branching and extended version of the piece. The production featurette goes into detail mainly on the practical and on set effects work that went into the film including details on the whaling station, Alien and Predator effects, the Alien Queen, and the pyramid set from the film. Several of the technicians and actors are interviewed throughout the piece, including Lance Henriksen, Sanaa Lathan, and visual effects supervisor John Bruno as well as Anderson. This featurette is the most extensive and informative of the three major featurettes found on the disc, and with its extended pieces included actually carries a running time of close to ninety minutes.
Next is the post-production menu which features a thirty minute featurette that primarily focuses on the digital effects work seen in the film, which includes the alien face huggers, some of the Alien and Predator elements, and the flashback to the ancient civilizations who worshipped the intergalactic hunters. Also found under the post-production menu are three deleted scenes which, to be perfectly honest, are of little consequence or interest, but do include optional commentary from director Anderson and Lance Henriksen.
There are two, fifteen minute featurettes found under the licensing menu; the first concerning the genesis of the Dark Horse Comics Alien vs. Predator series of books and a second which is an interview with comic artist and toy maker Todd McFarlane in which he discusses his process and marketing of toys for an adult oriented market, which of course includes the Alien vs. Predator line of action figures and play-sets. While the McFarlane interview feels almost like a promotional tool to sell a few more toys, the Dark Horse Comics featurette, which features interviews with the men responsible for the franchise, is a pretty good and informative piece.
The final menu found on the disc is the marketing menu, which is home to a fifteen minute, HBO produced promotional piece about the film, the movie’s theatrical teaser and trailers, and trailers for the Alien Quadrilogy set on DVD and the 35th Anniversary Edition of Planet of the Apes, which are both available from Fox Home Video.
Overall, I’m not quite sure as to what else could have been added to the list of extras that would have enhanced the behind-the-scenes look into the making of Alien vs. Predator any further. The set contains both the theatrical and unrated cuts of the film, two decent commentary tracks for the theatrical version, and a number of informative featurettes that all combine to make a pretty good array of supplemental features for the movie.

Overall
The unrated cut of Alien vs. Predator makes up for one of the shortcomings of the theatrical cut in that the movie’s editing seems more natural with the extension of several scenes and a couple of newly added ones, but doesn’t change the fact that I still think it’s a mediocre film that had the right ingredients and pedigree to be a first rate action-horror piece. Fox Home Video’s treatment of film is great though and falls right in line with the other two-disc treatments given the six films in the Alien and Predator franchises collectively. Just as I expected from a Fox major release, the video and sound are outstanding and the set comes included with a good amount of quality extras to boot, making this one of the better DVD treatments of the year from a technical perspective. While I suspect that many will be perfectly happy with the first DVD release from earlier this year, fans of the movie, and those who just have to own the very best editions of these films on DVD, should definitely pick up this title.
Back in January of this year, I had the opportunity to review the first region one release of Fox Home Video’s Alien vs. Predator and while I found that the disc was very well produced, I also found that the film was nothing more than a big letdown in comparison to what years of speculating on the possibilities had brought me. New to DVD, Fox has taken a second stab at the film in the form of a two-disc set featuring more extras and an unrated cut of the film that contains an additional eight minutes not shown in the theatrically released PG-13 version. Sometimes a few minutes of added footage can make a world of difference for a picture and give it a new life well after the theatrical release has come and gone, so does the same hold true for this latest incarnation of last year’s biggest intergalactic grudge match?

For those just tuning in and have yet to see the film, Alien vs. Predator is set in the present day as a sequel to the Predator films and a prequel to the Alien films. A team of archaeologists and other scientists financed by Charles Bishop Weyland (Lance Henriksen) and led by Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan) venture to a remote area of Antarctica in search of an ancient pyramid recently discovered by thermal imaging satellites to be buried deep beneath the snowy surface. Once there, they soon find that their arrival was made possible by no mere accident or chance occurrence—they have been lured to this desolate place by the Predators to act as hosts for breeding the most dangerous of prey, the acid blooded Alien species. But when things start to go very wrong with the hunt, the last remaining humans must quickly choose a side in the conflict that could decide mankind’s fate.
My main opinion of the film when I sat down to watch it earlier this year was that I felt more disappointed than anything in regards to it, as if a great opportunity to create something scary, epic, and memorable had given way to a mediocre, small scale, and instantly forgettable action flick. This is the first time that I have viewed the film since then, and my opinion of Paul W.S. Anderson’s movie really hasn’t changed much, but I did find myself enjoying it more so this time out than last. Maybe the fact that more time has passed since first seeing the film and that initial sense of disappointment that I felt for the finished movie as I walked out of the theatre has dissipated to a certain extent has a lot to do with it, but my feelings toward the movie have also softened a bit due to this new cut of the film.
One of the main problems I had with the theatrical cut was that there were too many times in the film, especially early on, that you could just tell some scenes were getting short shrift and edited in such a way as to allow the film a more teen friendly PG-13 rating, which disrupted the natural flow of the movie in each occurrence. With this new, unrated cut, most of these problems have been corrected by allowing scenes to finish as they were initially filmed, and of course this also allows the movie to show a little bit more of the red stuff in the process, which is what most fans wanted to see in the first place.

This new edition of the film also includes a couple of additional scenes that attempt to add some more development to a few of the main characters and explain the goings on a bit more, and while I welcome anything added to this or any film in an attempt to make the characters richer and fill in any gaps left in the theatrical cut, the elements new to this version still aren’t enough to turn lead into gold. In one of the new scenes, we finally get a fuller explanation as to what exactly the Predators are up to with the ancient temple found under Antarctica, which was something only alluded to previously, but there are still too many questions and contradictions to the earlier films which aren’t answered for or explained—such as why it only takes the Alien creatures minutes to gestate in this movie versus the days that it took in the previous instalments for starters.
So in the end, does this new version of the film make Alien vs. Predator significantly better than before? Not really, or at least not enough to warrant a purchase if you’ve already picked up the first, single disc edition released near the beginning of the year and have no interest in special features. This new cut of the film is slightly better than what came before, but it also doesn’t transform the movie into something that might positively change one’s opinion of it, as in the case of what Fox’s release of the Daredevil director’s cut to DVD around this time last year did for me. Being a huge fan of both the Alien and Predator films, I’m still disappointed with this film as a part of those franchises, but taken as a big, noisy action picture I’m resigned to the fact that even though it isn’t the film I had hoped it would be, I’m okay with it for being exactly that and nothing more.
Video
Fox Home Video presents Alien vs. Predator on DVD for the second time with an anamorphically enhanced transfer in the picture’s theatrically exhibited aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The resulting video is very similar to the first release of the film to DVD, and although it has a slightly lower bit rate associated with it the differences are nominal. Black levels are consistent throughout the movie and the picture is as sharp and detailed as any other DVD currently on the market. The only downside to the transfer is some grain that appears in the very darkest areas of the film, which is a carryover from the first release and the one thing that I had hoped would be improved upon with this second go around. Overall, however, Alien vs. Predator once again gets a near reference quality video transfer with this special edition and continues Fox Home Video’s reputation as being one of the industry leaders when it comes to a quality presentation.

Audio
Alien vs. Predator comes equipped with both English Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 audio tracks along with French and Spanish Dolby Surround and optional English and Spanish subtitles. As with the video transfer, there is little difference between this set and the former with the film receiving two excellent tracks to choose from. Viewers will not be disappointed with either the Dolby Digital or DTS selections as both tracks are a couple of the best examples of how each sound format should sound on a decent home theatre system, but the DTS track’s deeper bass and wider range win out as being the track of choice on the disc. The sound is crisp and clear coming from every channel and the surround channels get a good workout, which is always a plus for a big, noisy, action movie such as this. Overall, the audio tracks presented on this DVD are certainly of reference quality and should allow you to show off that nice, expensive system to all of your friends and most certainly all of your neighbours if you crank the volume up to eleven.
Extras
With this being the film's second release this year to DVD and a two-disc set, you should expect a fair amount of extras spread across its two shiny platters. Never one to disappoint when it comes to putting together a special edition, Fox Home Video has done just that and has compiled an assortment of great extras that really dig deep into the making the movie that should be of interest to any fan of the film.
On disc one you are offered the choice of either the theatrical cut of the film or the unrated cut through a seamless branching option with an optional marker on the unrated version to let you know when new material has been added to the film. Coming in the shape of a coiled Alien creature, the marker was most helpful to me in trying to spot out some of the new material as some of it comes and goes so quickly that if I had blinked I would have missed it.
The only other extras included on the first disc of the set are the audio commentaries for the film, which are unfortunately only available while viewing the theatrical cut of the movie. These are the exact same audio commentaries featured on the initial release of the film, and while a new track with director Paul W.S. Anderson focusing on the unrated cut of the picture would have been a great addition to this set, the two tracks that have been carried over are quite good. The first commentary track features writer and director Paul W. S. Anderson and stars Sanna Lathan and Lance Henriksen. The stars and their director seem to have a good rapport and the commentary is light, entertaining and informative. The second commentary track includes a more technical commentary from the creature designers Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. from Amalgamated Dynamics Inc. and visual effects supervisor John Bruno. This second track is where the real meat and potatoes of the information behind the film are found with every special effect dissected and revealed while making for an interesting listen.

Moving on to disc two, you will find a number of anamorphically enhanced featurettes and documentaries, all of varying running times and focus and split into five categories—pre-production, production, post-production, licensing, and marketing.
Under the pre-production menu is a thirty minute featurette, entitled ‘AVP: The Beginning’, which features writer and director Paul W.S. Anderson, in an interview done before principal photography of the film, going over the conceptual work for the film, producer John Davis, who describes the process in getting the film to come together, and Tom Woodruff, Jr. of Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc. going over some of the work that went into creating the Alien and Predator creatures for the film. The featurette also has available the option of watching a branching version of the feature, which includes a more involved look into the effects behind one of the Predator costumes used in the movie. This extended bit, and all of the other such pieces found within the discs’ other featurettes, are also available for viewing separately from each section’s main featurette and may be accessed from the appropriate menu. There is also a series of storyboards and conceptual art galleries included within the pre-production menu which, along with the featurette, give a good overall picture of what went on before the cameras took their first shot.
Under the production menu is a sixty minute making-of featurette, which again features the option of viewing a branching and extended version of the piece. The production featurette goes into detail mainly on the practical and on set effects work that went into the film including details on the whaling station, Alien and Predator effects, the Alien Queen, and the pyramid set from the film. Several of the technicians and actors are interviewed throughout the piece, including Lance Henriksen, Sanaa Lathan, and visual effects supervisor John Bruno as well as Anderson. This featurette is the most extensive and informative of the three major featurettes found on the disc, and with its extended pieces included actually carries a running time of close to ninety minutes.
Next is the post-production menu which features a thirty minute featurette that primarily focuses on the digital effects work seen in the film, which includes the alien face huggers, some of the Alien and Predator elements, and the flashback to the ancient civilizations who worshipped the intergalactic hunters. Also found under the post-production menu are three deleted scenes which, to be perfectly honest, are of little consequence or interest, but do include optional commentary from director Anderson and Lance Henriksen.
There are two, fifteen minute featurettes found under the licensing menu; the first concerning the genesis of the Dark Horse Comics Alien vs. Predator series of books and a second which is an interview with comic artist and toy maker Todd McFarlane in which he discusses his process and marketing of toys for an adult oriented market, which of course includes the Alien vs. Predator line of action figures and play-sets. While the McFarlane interview feels almost like a promotional tool to sell a few more toys, the Dark Horse Comics featurette, which features interviews with the men responsible for the franchise, is a pretty good and informative piece.
The final menu found on the disc is the marketing menu, which is home to a fifteen minute, HBO produced promotional piece about the film, the movie’s theatrical teaser and trailers, and trailers for the Alien Quadrilogy set on DVD and the 35th Anniversary Edition of Planet of the Apes, which are both available from Fox Home Video.
Overall, I’m not quite sure as to what else could have been added to the list of extras that would have enhanced the behind-the-scenes look into the making of Alien vs. Predator any further. The set contains both the theatrical and unrated cuts of the film, two decent commentary tracks for the theatrical version, and a number of informative featurettes that all combine to make a pretty good array of supplemental features for the movie.

Overall
The unrated cut of Alien vs. Predator makes up for one of the shortcomings of the theatrical cut in that the movie’s editing seems more natural with the extension of several scenes and a couple of newly added ones, but doesn’t change the fact that I still think it’s a mediocre film that had the right ingredients and pedigree to be a first rate action-horror piece. Fox Home Video’s treatment of film is great though and falls right in line with the other two-disc treatments given the six films in the Alien and Predator franchises collectively. Just as I expected from a Fox major release, the video and sound are outstanding and the set comes included with a good amount of quality extras to boot, making this one of the better DVD treatments of the year from a technical perspective. While I suspect that many will be perfectly happy with the first DVD release from earlier this year, fans of the movie, and those who just have to own the very best editions of these films on DVD, should definitely pick up this title.
Review by Matt Joseph
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I was very happy i got this release.
Hi!
I have just one simple question:
Does the new RC1-"Unrated Edtion" contain really all of the additional footage of the European (RC2) or Asian (RC3) "Extreme Edition" Deleted Scenes?
I'm not able to verify, that the following "Extreme Edition" deleted scenes are really included in the "Unrated Edition":
1. The Pizzaman
2. The Other Mexico
3. O Sole Mio
4. The Scorpion
5. The Predators Split Up Story
6. Actually It's Doctor
7. Making History
8. Teenager
9. Predator Humour
Maybe Fox renamed the additional scenes of the "Extreme Edition" for the US release or they just didn't include everything, which would be very sad.
Many thanks in advance for your help!
Greetings, DotWin!
I have just one simple question:
Does the new RC1-"Unrated Edtion" contain really all of the additional footage of the European (RC2) or Asian (RC3) "Extreme Edition" Deleted Scenes?
I'm not able to verify, that the following "Extreme Edition" deleted scenes are really included in the "Unrated Edition":
1. The Pizzaman
2. The Other Mexico
3. O Sole Mio
4. The Scorpion
5. The Predators Split Up Story
6. Actually It's Doctor
7. Making History
8. Teenager
9. Predator Humour
Maybe Fox renamed the additional scenes of the "Extreme Edition" for the US release or they just didn't include everything, which would be very sad.
Many thanks in advance for your help!
Greetings, DotWin!
paween pee wrote: ^-^
I'll add that to the list of things to add to DVDActive, forgot about Asian smilies.
I'll add that to the list of things to add to DVDActive, forgot about Asian smilies.
I picked this up, and enjoyed it more then the theater cut. But, I was also just thrilled with having that extra scene with the Predators. It's just funny really...
While I knew the reason why, many other people didn't and wondered why the Preds were getting beat down by 1 Alien (aside from the fact of the humans taking their cannons and screwing everything up from the start). In the unrated cut, low and behold: "You mean...their teenagers?" With more talk of it being a manhood ritual. Why would you remove something like that to begin with? It just makes far more sense, then having everyone p**sed off and assuming Mr. Anderson just destroyed their beloved Predators.
While I knew the reason why, many other people didn't and wondered why the Preds were getting beat down by 1 Alien (aside from the fact of the humans taking their cannons and screwing everything up from the start). In the unrated cut, low and behold: "You mean...their teenagers?" With more talk of it being a manhood ritual. Why would you remove something like that to begin with? It just makes far more sense, then having everyone p**sed off and assuming Mr. Anderson just destroyed their beloved Predators.
If it have R3 I'll save my money so much. ^-^
Fox should do the reverse now for the Region 2 'unrated cut' and just release it with no extras as the Region 1 extras appear to be the one's already on the Region 2 Extreme Edition anyway. The should have a knock down price to go with it as well. Say, £2.99. Then I'd buy it.
Quite simple - great idea but very poorly executed. There are so many ways they could have gone with the ALien vs Predator idea....
oh well...
let's see what they do for the next one...
oh well...
let's see what they do for the next one...
I agree Matt, they didn't do what could have been done, which had the potential to be a blockbuster. I really enjoyed the movie for what it was though. I certainly have seen worse for this type of movie. I'm tempted to buy the new release, but I'm not sure if I will, though to see it as the director intended is always a big plus in my book. In general, I've always enjoyed the director's cut much more that the original. Your right, it certainly can change your view of a movie.
it amazes me that movies this bad get re-released, I mean... c'mon!
UGH! Only 8 minutes! I own the first release, but the load of extras might be worth it. Great Review!
Dark Jedi wrote: Guess this is a guilty pleasure....kinda liked this film.
Nothing wrong with those guilty pleasure movies, I'm guilty of having too many myself, but rot brain too having many your will.
Nothing wrong with those guilty pleasure movies, I'm guilty of having too many myself, but rot brain too having many your will.

Guess this is a guilty pleasure....kinda liked this film.
AVP: ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (2004)
Matt wrote: tomricci wrote: And for the reason explaining the rapid growth cycle of the aliens again another cutting room decision. The predators geneticly altered the Queen so they would reproduce quicker for the hunt. Got that info from one of the books. Tom
I'd read that in numerous places as well, but I subscribe to the opinion that if it isn't in the movie it doesn't exist. As a viewer, I shouldn't have to rely on outside mediums to fill in gaps left by a movie, especially in cases such as this when something diverges away from established, prior knowledge of the material.
I totally agree with your reply. It does not make sense at all that these aliens come out so quickly. But if you dont think about it and just say that since they dont mention it is not in the movie.
I'd read that in numerous places as well, but I subscribe to the opinion that if it isn't in the movie it doesn't exist. As a viewer, I shouldn't have to rely on outside mediums to fill in gaps left by a movie, especially in cases such as this when something diverges away from established, prior knowledge of the material.
I totally agree with your reply. It does not make sense at all that these aliens come out so quickly. But if you dont think about it and just say that since they dont mention it is not in the movie.
Matt wrote:
I'd read that in numerous places as well, but I subscribe to the opinion that if it isn't in the movie it doesn't exist. As a viewer, I shouldn't have to rely on outside mediums to fill in gaps left by a movie, especially in cases such as this when something diverges away from established, prior knowledge of the material.
I did notice the huge tubes stuck into the queen, so I just made an assumption. Maybe I'm being too easy on the flick. So it wasn't much gorier I'm gathering. It's sad that that's my selling point, but it is.
I'd read that in numerous places as well, but I subscribe to the opinion that if it isn't in the movie it doesn't exist. As a viewer, I shouldn't have to rely on outside mediums to fill in gaps left by a movie, especially in cases such as this when something diverges away from established, prior knowledge of the material.
I did notice the huge tubes stuck into the queen, so I just made an assumption. Maybe I'm being too easy on the flick. So it wasn't much gorier I'm gathering. It's sad that that's my selling point, but it is.
Jeffrey Wills wrote: Can't believe the director said he's a MAJOR fan of both the alien and predator franchises, LIAR!!!! OK that's my rant over
I didn't think he ruined the Alien and Predators, more so just the rest. Granted, I didn't like two Predators being killed within minutes, but I understand why it happened.
I didn't think he ruined the Alien and Predators, more so just the rest. Granted, I didn't like two Predators being killed within minutes, but I understand why it happened.
@ Andrew:
Most of the Deleted Scenes where now IN the movie. The new scenes added are entitled Antarctica 1904, Argument, Chamber of Skulls, Sacrifice, Weyland's Death and Predator Ritual. This deleted scenes where added. Some new Scenes were also added.
Most of the Deleted Scenes where now IN the movie. The new scenes added are entitled Antarctica 1904, Argument, Chamber of Skulls, Sacrifice, Weyland's Death and Predator Ritual. This deleted scenes where added. Some new Scenes were also added.
This film sucked BIG time and no matter what version they release I won't be interested. The original predator in the Arnold Schwarzenegger version looked SOOOOO much better and more real than the thing you see at the end of this film. Very disappointing film as many have already said. Can't believe the director said he's a MAJOR fan of both the alien and predator franchises, LIAR!!!! OK that's my rant over
The original Region 1/2/3/4 DVD release had the theatical cut of the film plus and extended cut which included the original opening sequence, the new 2 Disc Region 1 release includes the theatrical cut and unrated cut, the unrated cut also has the new opening but it also has more footage.
What I found interesting though was that on Disc 2 of the Region 1 release there are only 3 Deleted Scenes where as the 2 Disc Region 2/3/4 releases had 11 Deleted Scenes.
Does this mean the majority of the new footage in the Unrated cut is stuff we have all seen before as Deleted Scenes?
What I found interesting though was that on Disc 2 of the Region 1 release there are only 3 Deleted Scenes where as the 2 Disc Region 2/3/4 releases had 11 Deleted Scenes.
Does this mean the majority of the new footage in the Unrated cut is stuff we have all seen before as Deleted Scenes?
Mistake from me. The German,Uk,HK and other DVDs of course got the new opening Sequence which was not in the Cinemas. That was just for the DVD´s but its not an DC or Extended or something like that.
This was just one minute they have added to this DVD´s.
This was just one minute they have added to this DVD´s.
Hi,
Some words to the german and UK DVD Version. Its the SAME version as it seens on Cinema in the States and Europe. The new US Unrated DVD is the FIRST DVD with more Scenes.
So, no UK DVD or something were longer then the Theatrical version. The new US double DVD is the First Verion wich is longer.
The Extras will be the same as on the German Double DVD or UK Double DVD.
Greetings from Germany and visit www.alien-archiv.de :D. THX
Some words to the german and UK DVD Version. Its the SAME version as it seens on Cinema in the States and Europe. The new US Unrated DVD is the FIRST DVD with more Scenes.
So, no UK DVD or something were longer then the Theatrical version. The new US double DVD is the First Verion wich is longer.
The Extras will be the same as on the German Double DVD or UK Double DVD.
Greetings from Germany and visit www.alien-archiv.de :D. THX
i will upgrade my copy... look for my old copy to be on ebay withing the week.

I don't like this movie
I hope for "JASON vs MICHAEL"
I hope for "JASON vs MICHAEL"
The worst film of 2004, followed closely by SAW.
If you want to see B-grade fun, see Anacondas.
If you want to see B-grade fun, see Anacondas.
Ahhh...see! I did miss something. Cheers Matt.
Great review. I thought they would be adding more than 8 minutes but oh well. There seems to be a lot extras, which I love. I'll definitely pick this up.
Bradavon wrote: The extended cut is different from the unrated cut right? The unrated cut being the longer one?
Please say this can be turned off? I've yet to see the film and I DO NOT want some annoying logo popping up disturbing my enjoyment.
1) I believe the R2 'Extreme Edition' disc contains a cut of the film with a running time of 96 minutes. This new R1 set has a running time of 108 minutes. Having only read about the R2 version, I believe the two to be different. If I have read correctly, the R2 inserted some short deleted material back into the film and the R1 inserted these same scenes in addition to containing more blood and a few additional scenes.
2) The marker is optional and must be turned on in order to see it, so don't worry. Also, unlike some recent releases that contain horrible transitions into extended material, Ray for instance, this disc is truly seemless. Fox did a great job on the technical side of things here.
Please say this can be turned off? I've yet to see the film and I DO NOT want some annoying logo popping up disturbing my enjoyment.
1) I believe the R2 'Extreme Edition' disc contains a cut of the film with a running time of 96 minutes. This new R1 set has a running time of 108 minutes. Having only read about the R2 version, I believe the two to be different. If I have read correctly, the R2 inserted some short deleted material back into the film and the R1 inserted these same scenes in addition to containing more blood and a few additional scenes.
2) The marker is optional and must be turned on in order to see it, so don't worry. Also, unlike some recent releases that contain horrible transitions into extended material, Ray for instance, this disc is truly seemless. Fox did a great job on the technical side of things here.
Nice Review!
"With this new, unrated cut, most of these problems have been corrected by allowing scenes to finish as they were initially filmed, and of course this also allows the movie to show a little bit more of the red stuff in the process, which is what most fans wanted to see in the first place."
To elaborate:
Spoiler Several of the human death scenes, including the major chestburster scene and Weyland's death to name a couple, have been extended/recut as to allow more blood, which I suspect would have given the film an R rating for violence against humans had it remained in the theatrical cut. I believe all of the Alien/Predator death scenes have had no changes made to them and all of those remain as is from the PG-13 cut.
To elaborate:
Spoiler Several of the human death scenes, including the major chestburster scene and Weyland's death to name a couple, have been extended/recut as to allow more blood, which I suspect would have given the film an R rating for violence against humans had it remained in the theatrical cut. I believe all of the Alien/Predator death scenes have had no changes made to them and all of those remain as is from the PG-13 cut.
It says in the review that there's some extra gore in it. I don't know if that's just from the deleted scenes that were included in the UK release though, as I haven't seen them.
Hold on! Unless I missed it...have we STILL not been informed if there is extra gore in this?? That's ALL people want to know quite frankly!
Bradavon wrote: Quote: On disc one you are offered the choice of either the theatrical cut of the film or the unrated cut through a seamless branching option with an optional marker on the unrated version to let you know when new material has been added to the film.
Please say this can be turned off? I've yet to see the film and I DO NOT want some annoying logo popping up disturbing my enjoyment.
Uh, wouldn't the fact that it's an optional marker suggest that it can be turned off?
Please say this can be turned off? I've yet to see the film and I DO NOT want some annoying logo popping up disturbing my enjoyment.
Uh, wouldn't the fact that it's an optional marker suggest that it can be turned off?

The extended cut is different from the unrated cut right? The unrated cut being the longer one?
This is the same as the already out UK R2 2 Discer or is the Unrated footage exclusive to this R1 DVD?
Quote: On disc one you are offered the choice of either the theatrical cut of the film or the unrated cut through a seamless branching option with an optional marker on the unrated version to let you know when new material has been added to the film.
Please say this can be turned off? I've yet to see the film and I DO NOT want some annoying logo popping up disturbing my enjoyment.
This is the same as the already out UK R2 2 Discer or is the Unrated footage exclusive to this R1 DVD?
Quote: On disc one you are offered the choice of either the theatrical cut of the film or the unrated cut through a seamless branching option with an optional marker on the unrated version to let you know when new material has been added to the film.
Please say this can be turned off? I've yet to see the film and I DO NOT want some annoying logo popping up disturbing my enjoyment.
I saw the unrated edition. The extras were good, but the film still had problems even though new scenes fleshed it out a little more.
Nice review, Matt!
Most people are only getting this to see if there's any more violence. I would be one of them, but I'm skipping this thing altogether.
tomricci wrote: And for the reason explaining the rapid growth cycle of the aliens again another cutting room decision. The predators geneticly altered the Queen so they would reproduce quicker for the hunt. Got that info from one of the books. Tom
I'd read that in numerous places as well, but I subscribe to the opinion that if it isn't in the movie it doesn't exist. As a viewer, I shouldn't have to rely on outside mediums to fill in gaps left by a movie, especially in cases such as this when something diverges away from established, prior knowledge of the material.
I'd read that in numerous places as well, but I subscribe to the opinion that if it isn't in the movie it doesn't exist. As a viewer, I shouldn't have to rely on outside mediums to fill in gaps left by a movie, especially in cases such as this when something diverges away from established, prior knowledge of the material.
I have to agree with the review found it much more enjoyable with the added scenes and the extras match the region 2 released yearlier in the year. Still the film could of been much better and scarier. This makes the perfect fit though for the Alien Quarilogy set. And for the reason explaining the rapid growth cycle of the aliens again another cutting room decision. The predators geneticly altered the Queen so they would reproduce quicker for the hunt. Got that info from one of the books. Tom
Good job Matt. I would of said 8/10 overall though. Those extras were great. The movie deserved a 5/10 too.
Any news of a AVP 2 BUT with a competent director?
There is sooo much potential in this storyline/franchise. Both monsters were so well written.
There is sooo much potential in this storyline/franchise. Both monsters were so well written.


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Disc Details
Release Date:
22nd November 2005
Discs:
2
Disc Type:
Single side, dual layer
RCE:
No
Video:
NTSC
Aspect:
2.35:1
Anamorphic:
Yes
Colour:
Yes
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English, DTS 5.1 English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround French, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Spanish
Subtitles:
English, Spanish
Extras:
Theatrical and Unrated Versions of the Film, Audio Commentary with Director Paul W.S. Anderson and Stars Sanaa Lathan and Lance Henriksen (Theatrical Version Only), Audio Commentary with Visual Effects Supervisor John Bruno and Creature Effects Designers Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. (Theatrical Version Only), Optional Added Footage Marker, Pre-Production Featurette, Conceptual and Storyboard Galleries, Production Featurette, Post-Production and Visual Effects Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Dark Horse Comics Featurette, Todd McFarlane Interview, HBO Special, Theatrical Teaser and Trailers
Easter Egg:
No
Feature Details
Director:
Paul W.S. Anderson
Cast:
Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Ewen Bremner
Genre:
Action, Horror and Sci-Fi
Length:
108 minutes
Ratings
Awards


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