I am definitely in the minority on this one, but I personally think AVP is hugely underrated. The first time I ever watched it I thought it was just 'okay'. But having watched it again, it plays so much better and I think the reason being is the unlikely partnership between Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan) and the Predator to fight along side each other against the Queen Alien and its minions. Now, on paper, I should absolutely hate everything about this movie. For starters, it's directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. His name alone has stunk many movies he has made or produced. But I do think he brought his A-Game and made a very enjoyable movie with this one.

The other thing that sent Red Flags in the air was the fact that it was rate PG-13. What the hell is up with that? Did the studio ever see any of the other Alien and Predator movies? You can't sugarcoat what Aliens and Predators are and dumbing it down to put more asses in the seats of theaters undermines the integrity of the franchise. Having said that, I still found myself enjoying this one a lot. Hey, if James Cameron can give a ringing endorsement and admit to really liking this one a lot, who the  f u c k  am I to argue with the King Of The World?

The movie also has another thing going for it. Lance Henriksen as Charles Bishop Weyland can be found here. It's always a good thing when Lance pops up in anything. I just wish his part was bigger....and longer.

I own the DVD that comes with the booklet and I can recommend this as a Buy. I actually like this enough to make me want to drop my rating for Predator 2 down to 3 1/2 Stars because at least AVP was entertaining from start to finish whereas Predator 2 was not entertaining for the duration of the film.

I agree with your first statements about how it is underrated.

I think a lot of people out there are sheep and can't look at a movie objectively. I get the feeling that most people in general won't say what they really mean and just go with the flow so as not to get flamed on in threads. What I see is that a lot of people slam Paul Anderson and automatically say AVP sucks without really watching it or trying to see where the movie fits within the mythology of both franchises. Don't get me wrong, Anderson has made some pretty horrible movies, a lot in fact. But you get enough people saying that everything he does sucks and those that come into the discussion later are going to be afraid to voice their own opinions on the film for fear of being ridiculed by others.

So, Mac, why do you think AVP doesn't get the credit it deserves?