The Alien Movie That We Can Finally Appreciate After The Awful Prequels
If you asked someone to name the Alien prequels, they’d most likely say Prometheus, followed by Alien: Covenant, and end it there. But there is another movie that heavily features xenomorphs and takes place before 1979’s Alien: Alien vs. Predator (2004). And the funny thing is the maligned crossover that both Alien and Predator fans like to forget actually works better as an Alien prequel than Prometheus and its sequel.
Alien Vs. Predator Isn’t As Bad As Prometheus
Let’s get this out of the way right up front: AVP is not a “good” movie. It’s a PG-13 action flick from Paul W.S. Anderson, the guy who made the Monster Hunter (2020), and it plays out exactly how you would assume a movie with that description would. However, if you’re hellbent on watching a movie that delves into the Xenomorph’s past, this is the one to watch.
Mystery Of The Xenomorphs
The biggest problem with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant is that they answer a question nobody asks. Where did the Xenomorphs come from? It’s a question about as important as “What is Michael Myers motivation for killing?” It doesn’t matter, and telling viewers rather than letting their imagination fill in the blanks for them destroys any mystique the character might have.
Where The Film Succeeds
Meanwhile, Alien vs. Predator actually expands upon Xenomorph lore without overexplaining the monster’s origins. The movie presents Xenomorphs as an invasive species brought to Earth by the Predators as a challenge for younger members of the species. As a rite of passage, young predators would use human sacrifices to incubate a horde of Xenomorphs that they would then hunt as the “ultimate prey.”
Raises More Questions Than It Answers
Hieroglyphs on the walls of the underground pyramid where most of Alien vs. Predator takes place show the Predators visiting Earth thousands of years ago and being worshipped as gods. The presence of the two alien species in ancient human society is what led to many myths about the Xenomorphs, specifically referred to as “serpents” in the hieroglyphs. This backstory for the Xenomorphs actually fosters the imagination rather than limiting it.
The Myth Of The Alien
Did the Predators create the Xenomorphs? How many other planets have they brought them to? If the Xenomorphs evolved on their own, would they have spread beyond their home planet at all if the Predators hadn’t discovered them?
Then there’s the question of what myths the Xenomorphs inspired. If the Predators were revered as gods, were the Xenomorphs feared as demons? Did they inspire the idea of dragons or other mythological creatures?
An Ancient Feud
These are all questions the movie raises while only really expanding upon the Xenomorph’s backstory in the slightest of ways. All fans know about the infamous acid-bleeders at the end of Alien vs. Predator that they didn’t know at the beginning is they’re ancient, and the Predators use them for target practice. That’s it.
What Prometheus Did Wrong
These are all questions the movie raises while only really expanding upon the Xenomorph’s backstory in the slightest of ways. All fans know about the infamous acid-bleeders at the end of Alien vs. Predator that they didn’t know at the beginning is they’re ancient, and the Predators use them for target practice. That’s it.
By comparison, Prometheus completely takes away any mystery around the Xenomorph’s creation. Basically, they were created by an android using a black goo he stole from a race of albino Space Jesuses. Oh, and the species is technically younger than Ripley herself.
Skip The Prequels
As stand-alone films, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant would have been fine. But as prequels to Alien, well, they kinda suck. By contrast, Alien vs. Predator, while no great shakes in its own right, at least give the Xenomorphs a much cooler backstory while still leaving room for fans to come up with their own theories as to how the species came into existence in the first place.
Just don’t watch Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). That dumpster fire will have you wishing neither franchise had ever been born. If you want more Alien vs. Predator goodness, you’re better off checking out Batman: Dead End.
