After the premiere of "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" concluded, Francis Lawrence and Paula Patton erged from the theater hand in hand, only to be imdiately sward by a wave of reporters as they approached their car. For a brief mont, under the blinding flash of caras and the unified chorus of clicking shutters, it felt as though they were the center of the universe.
Francis savored the sensation, lingering to answer a few questions from the press instead of making a quick departure.
Paula bead, looking particularly radiant. Ever since she’d walked the red carpet for the premiere, she felt certain she would be the talk of Hollywood.
At least for this weekend.
"What do you think is more terrifying? A threat that's happening tens of millions of miles away? Or a massive war breaking out on your doorstep? Obviously, we all agreed it was ti to bring the Predator and the Alien into our world, into our everyday lives. It was crucial to make a film where you realize there’s no such thing as a 'safe zone'—not even your own backyard."
Francis was in an excellent mood and spoke a bit more than he should have. "These terrifying creatures are literally right down the street, so the whole story becos sothing that could happen anywhere in Arica. It's a town that was beautiful and looked a little familiar, but suddenly it becos the epicenter of an epic war, and with it, a bloody massacre that the rest of the world might never even know about."
Afterward, many reporters asked questions about "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem," which Francis answered with a degree of pride before getting into his car and driving away.
Sitting in the car, he thought about how eagerly the reporters had inquired about the film and felt a surge of smug satisfaction.
Most of this movie had sprung from his own ideas.
His creation had been a fan favorite since the very start of the pre-release campaign.
From its appearance to its characteristics, including the entire design concept, everything about "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" was kept under a tight veil of security by the cast and 20th Century Fox. Everyone involved had to remain on high alert until the film's release to ensure audiences would be surprised.
He had designed the new Alien as a creature hatched from the body of a Predator, inheriting so of its host's characteristics and traits—roughly eighty percent Alien and twenty percent Predator.
This "ultimate Alien" possessed a tough exoskeleton, acid blood, a scorpion-like tail, and a hidden inner mouth; from the Predator, it inherited an extra jaw and terrifyingly long dreadlocks.
More importantly, the DNA the Alien acquired from the Predator had altered its thod of reproduction, abandoning the species' traditional queen-based system of laying eggs, implanting hosts via face-huggers, and bursting through the host's chest. He had invented a more aggressive and efficient reproductive system.
As he reflected on this, Francis couldn't help but think that while he hadn't created the original Alien, he had given it new life!
Perhaps, years from now, when people spoke of the father of the Alien, they wouldn't just ntion Ridley Scott. They would also speak of Francis Lawrence!
The car drove past a massive billboard. Francis glanced out the window and saw an advertisent for "I Am Legend," featuring Matthew Horner walking through the ruined streets of New York City with his dog.
An inexplicable, slightly mocking smile touched his lips. "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" might not be able to compete with "I Am Legend" at the box office, but it was by no ans the sort of shallow film Matthew starred in.
He had given his monster project a depth it had never possessed before.
When he was first preparing the film, he constantly thought about how ordinary people react when faced with the most extre circumstances. He studied everything from hurricanes to fires, observing how everyday people—including firefighters, police officers, and teachers—beca heroes during disasters. So, he gave the film another the beyond monster fights, wanting to explore the extent and scale of how people would protect their families... Who would they fight or die for?
"Perhaps future Predators will also bear the mark of Francis Lawrence," he muttered to himself.
***
With "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" opening across North Arica as a new release, research companies specializing in statistics and data sales were already on the prowl.
Outside the premiere theater, Howard Rushford, a frontline market researcher for CinemaScore, moved from fan to fan, asking viewers who had just seen the film for their thoughts and how they would rate it.
Anyone who managed to attend the premiere was undoubtedly a fan of either "Alien" or "Predator," and these individuals would naturally rate the film slightly higher than general audiences.
"If you were to rate it..." he asked a middle-aged man in his forties, "what grade would you give the film?"
The man answered without hesitation. "A C! No, a C-minus!"
He added, "That's the worst Alien and Predator movie I have ever seen!"
The middle-aged man walked away without a backward glance, clearly unimpressed by the film he had just watched.
Howard then approached another young man.
The man was calm. "The movie was a disappointnt. The Alien didn't feel like an Alien, the Predator didn't feel like a Predator. I don't want to give it a grade. This movie shouldn't have been made at all."
With that, he walked away, shaking his head, not even waiting to receive the small gift for answering the survey questions.
Howard glanced at him. How disappointing must a movie be for soone not to even bother giving it a grade?
He then questioned others, none of whom rated the film higher than a C .
After listening to nurous fans, Howard had a general understanding. There are tis when certain directors, in their smug self-satisfaction, enjoy breaking established genre rules—a foolish choice that can be devastating to a film franchise.
Nearby, on the other side of the crowd, several entertainnt journalists were also interviewing audience mbers on the fly.
A reporter from The Hollywood Reporter caught up with a distinguished-looking film fan wearing glasses.
The man, who had graying hair, couldn't hide his love for the Alien franchise, speaking directly into the cara: "I first saw the film *Alien* in 1979 and fell in love with that monster. I've seen all four films and the previous *Alien vs. Predator*, and this is, without a doubt, the worst movie in the entire franchise."
"The film was just awful." He imdiately shook his head. "It probably had a novice director who knew his basic skills were lacking and hoped to get by with special effects and a broad range of shallow characters. The result was a film with foolish problems, not to ntion confusing direction and a plot so muddled it was impossible to understand what the story was even supposed to be about."
A few ters away, another fan was loudly voicing his dissatisfaction into a reporter's microphone. "It's a tragedy when a bad sequel ruins a classic. One of the things I've regretted for years is watching *Terminator 3*, a terrible viewing experience I've been trying unsuccessfully to erase from my mory. But it turns out it's even more tragic when one bad movie ruins two classics at the sa ti!"
He couldn't help but exclaim, "Their piece-of-shit director ruined two classics, *Alien* and *Predator*, in one go! Couldn't they have found soone more reliable?"
As night fell and the premiere attendees dispersed, and as the journalists and other onlookers gathered in front of the theater finally left, Howard collected his questionnaire and headed to the parking lot with his colleagues.
"How are the scores looking on your end?" Howard asked on the way.
"Don't even ask," his female colleague said with a shrug. "The movie is probably toast. Even the die-hard fans aren't giving it a C or higher. How bad does a director have to be to make such a diocre film with two classic movie icons?"
Then another guy chid in, "I surveyed less than thirty people, and the average score is a C-minus."
"Sa on my end," Howard stated confidently. "Looks like the biggest opening of the week is going to be a flop."
Reviews
All reviews (0)