Let’s be real for a second. If you mention Aliens vs Predator Requiem 2007 to a room full of sci-fi nerds, you’re going to get a very specific, visceral reaction. It’s usually a mix of a heavy sigh and a joke about needing a flashlight just to see the screen. Honestly, the lighting in this movie has become a bigger meme than the actual plot. People were legitimately confused in theaters, squinting at a muddy screen wondering if they were watching a masterpiece of shadow or just a very expensive mistake by the Strause brothers.
It’s been years, but the conversation around this flick hasn't died down. It’s actually kinda fascinating. While the first AvP (directed by Paul W.S. Anderson) was criticized for being a PG-13 "superhero" version of these iconic monsters, Requiem—or AVPR as the fans call it—went the complete opposite direction. It was mean. It was dark. It was incredibly gory. And yet, it remains one of the most polarizing entries in both the Alien and Predator franchises.
The Predalien and the Lighting Controversy
You’ve probably heard the rumors that the film was shot "too dark" on purpose to hide a low budget. That's not entirely true, but it's not far off either. Directors Colin and Greg Strause came from a visual effects background (they worked on Titanic and Avatar), so they knew their way around a digital suite. They wanted a "gritty" look that felt like the 1980s originals. But somewhere between the color grading and the theater projectors of 2007, things went sideways. On many modern OLED screens, the movie actually looks... okay? But back then? It was a disaster.
The big draw, of course, was the Predalien. This wasn't just a gimmick. It was the "Chet" (the nickname the crew gave the creature). Seeing a Xenomorph with Predator mandibles and dreadlocks was a dream for anyone who grew up reading the Dark Horse comics in the 90s. The way it moved was distinct—heavier than a standard Alien, more methodical. It felt like a legitimate threat, especially since it could bypass the traditional queen-egg cycle by "implanting" embryos directly into victims. That was a choice. A very, very dark choice.
Why the Gunnison Setting Divides the Fanbase
Moving the action to a small town in Colorado—Gunnison—was a massive departure. The Alien movies were always about isolation in space or on desolate colonies. The Predator movies were about the hunt in the jungle or the concrete jungle of LA. Putting them in a "Main Street, USA" setting felt a bit like a slasher movie. It felt like Friday the 13th but with intergalactic apex predators.
Some fans loved it. They liked seeing the "Wolf" Predator (the ultimate veteran hunter) cleaning up a mess in a sewer or a power plant. Others felt it cheapened the brand. Why are these ancient, cosmic horrors fighting in a sporting goods store? It’s a valid question. The "Wolf" Predator, played by Ian Whyte, is arguably the best part of the movie. He’s a professional. He isn't there for sport; he’s there for "containment." He uses blue acid to dissolve bodies, he’s got dual plasma casters, and he behaves like a weary janitor who just wants to finish a shift. He is, quite literally, the coolest thing in Aliens vs Predator Requiem 2007.
The human characters, though? They're mostly fodder. You have the ex-con brother, the soldier mom, and the teenagers. They aren't the focus, and the movie doesn't pretend they are. In fact, AVPR is famous—or infamous—for its lack of "plot armor." It kills people you usually expect to survive in a Hollywood movie. It’s ruthless.
The Legacy of the R-Rating
When 20th Century Fox announced that Aliens vs Predator Requiem 2007 would be rated R, the internet (or what passed for it back then) lost its mind. The previous film felt sanitized. This one felt like a correction. We got the skinning of victims, the chest-bursting, and a hospital scene that remains one of the most disturbing sequences in mainstream sci-fi.
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Was it too much? Depends on who you ask.
The movie was made for roughly $40 million and pulled in about $130 million worldwide. It wasn't a flop, but it didn't ignite a massive new trilogy either. Instead, it sent both franchises back to their corners. Ridley Scott eventually went off to do Prometheus, and Shane Black later tried his hand at The Predator. In a weird way, the "failure" of the crossover era forced the studios to take the individual monsters seriously again.
What People Still Get Wrong About AVPR
- The Budget: It wasn't a "cheap" movie. $40 million in 2007 was a solid mid-budget. The money went into the suits. These were practical suits designed by ADI (Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc.), the legends who worked on Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection.
- The Canon: People argue about whether this is "canon" to the Ridley Scott universe. Basically, it’s not. Ridley Scott has been pretty vocal about wanting to distance his prequels from the crossover movies. But for many fans, the Yautja (Predators) and Xenomorphs will always be linked.
- The Ending: The Ms. Yutani cameo at the end was a huge nod to the fans. It suggested that the technology recovered from the Predator's plasma cannon was the spark that eventually led to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation’s dominance in space. It’s a cool bridge, even if the later movies ignored it.
Practical Steps for Revisiting the Movie
If you’re going to watch Aliens vs Predator Requiem 2007 today, don't just stream it on a phone. You won't see a thing.
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- Get the 4K or Blu-ray: The digital compression on streaming services absolutely murders the dark scenes in this movie. A physical disc handles the black levels much better.
- Adjust Your Settings: Seriously. Turn off "Motion Smoothing" and maybe bump your brightness up a few notches. It sounds annoying, but it changes the experience.
- Watch the Unrated Version: It includes a few extra minutes of character beats and, more importantly, a bit more of the Wolf Predator doing his thing.
- Ignore the Humans: Treat it like a nature documentary where two invasive species are destroying an ecosystem. If you view Wolf as the "protagonist," the movie becomes a lot more enjoyable.
The reality is that we might never get another AvP movie. The current trend is back to "prestige" horror, like Alien: Romulus or Prey. Those movies are great, don't get me wrong. But there’s something about the sheer, unapologetic chaos of Aliens vs Predator Requiem 2007 that feels like a lost relic of a different era of filmmaking. It was a time when studios were willing to let a franchise get weird and mean. It’s flawed, it’s literally too dark, and the acting is "okay" at best, but as a monster mash? It’s unforgettable.
For anyone looking to dive deeper into the lore, look for the "making of" documentaries by ADI. Seeing the craft that went into the Predalien suit makes you appreciate the film much more, even if you still can't see half the shots. The artistry was there, even if the lighting wasn't.