Although 2007’sAlien vs. Predator: Requiemhad a lot of issues, its non-existent lighting was one of the weirdest problems in either theAlienorPredatorfranchises.All theAlienmovieshave their fans and every entry intoThe Predatorfranchise has its moments despite their flaws. However, few viewers are willing to defend theAlien Vs Predatormovies. While less popular franchise entries like2018’sThe Predatoror 1990’sAlien 3still have moments of merit, it is hard to see what theAlien Vs Predatormovies bring to the table.
How Alien Vs Predator: Requiem Ruined Both Iconic Movie Monsters
How Alien Vs Predator: Requiem took an R-rating, a Predalien, Predators, and Aliens, and still managed to make the franchise’s worst movie
2004’sAlien Vs Predatorinfamously sapped the two franchises of their gory appeal with an inexplicable PG-13 rating. AlthoughEvent Horizondirector Paul WS Anderson’s movie had an atmospheric setting and effects that aged a lot better than many 2004 movies,Alien Vs Predator’s bizarrely sanitized age rating meant that it never felt like a legitimate addition to either firmly R-rated franchise.2007’s sequelAlien vs. Predator: Requiempromised to rectify this with a darker, gorier story that was undoubtedly R-rated. Unfortunately, more gratuitous violence and mean-spirited kills weren’t enough to save the deeply flawedAlien vs. Predatorsequel.
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem Was Supposed To Be Dark And Hide The Creatures
The Alien vs Predator Sequel Tried To Mask Its Budget Shortcomings
From its opening moments, it was clear thatAlien vs. Predator: Requiemwas not going to repeatAlien vs. Predator’s biggest mistake. The Strause Brothers movie began as it meant to go on, with a gruesome scene wherein a father and son were attacked by Facehuggers while hunting in the woods. Unfortunately, this was one of few scenes where viewers would have an easy time discerning what was happening on-screen.Alien Vs Predator: Requiemis ridculously dark throughout its action, to the extent that it is often hard to see what is happening on-screen. Shockingly, this was an intentional choice.
Using darkness to hide the creatures and make the effects easier on the sequel’s relatively low budget seems reasonable in the abstract.
In a 2007 article forCollider, writer Steven Weintraub recalls “While I don’t have their exact words, they (the Strause Brothers) told us that you can’t show the Aliens in too much light or you’ll know it’s someone in a costume. That’s why all the battles in this film will be in dark places with limited light.” Using darkness to hide the creatures and make the effects easier on the sequel’s relatively low budget seems reasonable in the abstract. However, this fusion oftheAlienandPredatorfranchisestook this approach too far and ended up becoming an unwatchable mess.
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem’s Lighting Choices Turned Out To Be A Problem
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem’s Darkness Made The Sequel’s Problems Much Worse
Since this was the first feature film by the Strause Brothers, the directors had little experience and their ambitious approach to hiding the creature went way too far. The result was a film where viewers could barely tell what was happening, dulling the edge of the sequel’s nasty attitude.Alien vs. Predator: Requiem’s plentiful deaths would have hit a lot harder if the audience could see what was happening, but the movie’s murky lighting style made this impossible. As such,Alien vs. Predator: Requiemsoon earned a reputation as one of the worst movies in theAlienandPredatorfranchises combined.
