Aliens vs. Predator 2

Gleefully silly continuation of the events in "Alien vs. Predator" shows what happens as the truly monstrous "PredAlien" (veteran effects expert and creature performer Tom Woodruff Jr.) and numerous other Xenomorphs run amok in a remote Colorado town. While a great many of the local citizens are victimized, a select few come together and struggle to make it to safety. Meanwhile, a solitary Predator (Ian Whyte) comes to town to handle the infestation in its own way.

This movie is basically to its predecessor what "Aliens" was to "Alien", as it concentrates first and foremost on action and pace. Most of the human characters are not worth your time, although it's wonderful to see '24' babe Reiko Aylesworth as an ass kicking Ripley type character, a soldier just returned from Iraq. A fair amount of the dialogue is pretty bad, as well. But there is entertainment value for some viewers, provided that they can just put their brains in neutral. There's tons of violence - granted, there's the expected use of modern digital gore. The most interesting aspect for some in the audience will be the take no prisoners approach utilized by screenwriter Shane Salerno and directors Colin & Greg Strause. They pretty much treat the scenario as open season on many of the characters - including children. This will either delight or disgust viewers. The unqualified highlight - or absolute low point, depending on ones' sensibilities - is the ultra creepy maternity ward sequence.

This viewer's not ashamed to admit that he digs this entry a fair bit, although he can understand why people would be inclined to dislike it. Certainly, the major bone of contention for a lot of people is cinematographer Daniel Pearls' (the original "Texas Chain Saw Massacre") very minimalist lighting.

Six out of 10.